North Carolina holds an unsolved mystery. Two orange orbs have confounded the residents and tourists
of Burke County for at least a century.
The mysterious lights bob and weave in a rugged patch of Burke County and often slip down the side
of a gorge in the Blue Ridge foothills.
What are they?
Well, there have been many interesting suppositions; from automobile headlight reflections to illusive
brush fires to a wild paranormal phenomenon. Or maybe it is something natural not yet explained by
science.
 The
mysterious lights are causing quite a stir in Burke County, known by the community as "Nature's
Playground" nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills of central North Carolina.
"It's a good problem to have," said Ed Phillips, Burke County's tourism director.
On Saturday, February 11, 2012, at the Morganton City Hall, Ed Phillips of the Burke County Tourism
Development Authority presented the world's two most sought after speakers on the Mystery of
the Brown Mountain Lights! Joshua
P. Warren, Paranormal Investigator and Applachian State University Physicist and Astronomer, Dr.
Dan Caton shared their theories on the origins of the mysterious lights.
It
was a sell-out crowd attending the "Brown Mountain Lights Symposium" at Morganton City Hall.
Lines of hopeful attendees extended out the door wishing for a glimpse of Mr. Warren’s actual video
of the famous lights and Dr. Caton's scientific theories explaining their existence.
It may just be the mystery of it all that puts Morganton on the map and on the list of places to
visit. And, tourism director, Ed Phillips is quite happy about that!
The news of the mysterious lights and the symposium interest captured the attention of the Denver
Post easily 6 states to the west in Colorado.
The Denver Post article featured Dr. Dan Caton standing by his DFM Engineering 16" telescope
at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. |
