It is a phenomenon that has baffled residents and tourists for more than a century: mysterious lights spotted floating in the foothills of Brown Mountain in North Carolina.
Bobbing and weaving their way through a small area over the Linville Gorge in Burke County, the strange orb-like illuminations appear to float and glow near a modest peak, according to those who have seen them.
Some of the theories about their origin include claims that they reflections from car headlights, brush fires, a paranormal phenomenon - or something entirely natural which science has not yet explained.
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Investigators: Astronomy professor Dan Caton, left, adjusts a web cam as Lee Hawkins, right, looks at an image from the camera on his computer at the Wiseman's View Overlook
Whatever the explanation, the mysterious lights are attracting tourists in their droves, with scores making their way to the area in the hope of witnessing the spectacle for themselves.
Tourism officials are hoping to capitalise on the strange phenomenon, it has been reported. Since the Brown Mountain Lights were the subject of a cable television documentary and sparked online communities of amateur investigators, more and more people have been flocking to the area.
Earlier this month, a seminar held at Morganton City Hall on the Brown Mountain Lights attracted a sell-out crowd of 120 people, who each paid $20 a head. So popular was the seminar, there was even a crowd outside the door hoping to get in.
Ed Phillips, tourism director of Burke County, told the Huffington Post: 'It's a good problem to have. I could have sold 500 tickets.'
Another seminar is in the pipeline, and a contest - with a cash prize for the best photo of video of the lights - has been thrown open for enthusiasts.
T-shirts and fridge magnets featuring the lights have also gone on sale in the area to cash in on the spectacle.
Another event which tourist officials hope will take off is the Brown Mountain Paranormal Expedition.
Strange phenomenon: Glowing lights appear in the foothills of Brown Mountain. Sightings have been reported in the area for at least 100 years
Unexplained: Some of the theories behind the cause of the lights include reflections from cars, brush fires or a paranormal phenomenon
Attendees pay for a special dinner presentation about the lights before embarking on a tour of the sites where the phenomenon has been reported, led by a paranormal investigator.
Sightings of the lights have been reported for at least 100 years.
Steve Woody remembers seeing two orange orbs as he hunted deer with his father more than 50 years ago.
He said the lights passed him and his father before dropping down the side of a gorge, it has been reported.
He told the Huffington Post: 'I didn't feel anything spooky or look around for Martians or anything like that. It was just a unique situation. It's just as vivid now as when I was 12 years old.'
One of the first-known references to the lights in print appeared in 1913 in The Charlotte Observer.
In the sky: Orb-like lights appear to float in the sky above the mountainous landscape
Tourist attraction: Visitors are flocking to the area in the hope of witnessing the spectacle for themselves
The Brown Mountain Lights have been the subject of serious scientific interest since the 1920s.
It was this time the U.S. Geological Survey issued a report in which scientists claimed the phenomenon was the result of reflections from vehicles, trains or brush fires.
However, this might only be part of the explanation, according to Professor Daniel Caton who thinks there is more to it.
Caton, a professor in the physics and astronomy department at Appalachian State University, he had been on the verge of abandoning his research into the lights when he started hearing from people who claimed to have seen them up close - just feet away - instead of for miles across the Linville Gorge.
According to Caton, these later reports sounded like firsthand reports of ball lightning - a natural but little-understood phenomenon involving spheres of luminous lights which appear to bounce about in the air.
Caton is now hoping to catch these balls of light on camera, by setting up cameras at the site that will feed directly to his. This means the footage will be able to be viewed online at any time by anyone. ( dailymail.co.uk )
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