THE PHOENIX LIGHTS

INTRODUCTION

-----------------------

Hearing the words ‘occult’ and ‘paranormal’ may bring shivers and nervousness to some people. Many are afraid to discuss any event, picture, or phenomenon that may defy everything we know scientifically about our world. As for me, not only do I enjoy researching unsolved mysteries such as murders and disappearances, but I also enjoy researching subjects people may jumble under the words occult and paranormal. Many of us see these subjects as abnormal and not worth talking about, but I believe we should look and explore the topics that question humanity’s understanding of the world. The Phoenix Lights may not be one of the most well-known and one with a ton of paranormal evidence, but I still find it interesting to discuss regardless.

OCCURRENCE

---------------------

On March 13th, 1997, thousands of people witnessed the phenomenon of the Phoenix Lights firsthand. Two distinct light events occurred. The first event consisted of lights passing over the states, and the second event involved a set of lights stationary above Phoenix.

First Event

--------------

Some of the first individuals who witnessed the first event described it as a V-shaped object with five lights hovering above Nevada, Arizona, and the state of Sonora in Mexico. Many described it as being as large as a Boeing 747 and very loud. As for the colors of the lights, one couple from Prescott Valley, Arizona described that two lights on each side of the object were red, and the light at the tip of the object was white. Because the second event is much more well-documented, the first event sightings in Prescott Valley do not have many credited photographs and videos. The governor of Arizona at the time reportedly also saw the first set of lights and described the event as “otherworldly.”

Second Event

-----------------

In Phoenix, a lot of terrified citizens documented the event with photographs, which I will put some below here. People described the object as an upside-down V-shaped aircraft moving extremely slowly (maybe even stationary) and quietly, which does conflict with how some people described the object as loud. Another problem is that in the second event, many witnesses described seeing as many as nine lights in this event. As a result, this event is where most of the images and videos of the lights stem from. Because of the images, the second event is the one that gets discussed and introduced by the media the most.

When these events first occurred, they did not receive much media attention besides from several local news stations. However, they quickly became nationally known after USA Today wrote about the events.

THEORIES

---------------

The first event does not have many theories as it was not well-documented by many people. Several eyewitness accounts state that the lights were merely individual planes or aircrafts flying together. Other people still stand by seeing the V-shaped aircraft moving in the sky. Regardless, one particular witness, Mitch Stanley, pointed out that the area where the lights were hovering is close to the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the university has its own private fleet of aircraft. Campus rumors stated that the university was the culprit of the first event, but that would have been in severe violation of university rules regarding the aircraft.

Because the second event was much more publicized, paranormal rumors circulated here. The official statement from the United States Air Force, regarding the second event, was that the lights were simply flares used for target practice. However, many skeptics did not believe this explanation. Furthermore, because of the sheer volume of witnesses, mass hysteria can be ruled out as an explanation of the event. In actuality, the Phoenix Lights reappeared in the years 2007, 2008, and 2015, helping prove that the event is not mass hysteria.

People also remain skeptical of the Air Force’s statement due to the response of Arizona’s governor at the time, who was just as perplexed at the event as everyone else. The governor, John Symington, noted that he himself is a pilot and has never seen an aircraft as enormous as the Phoenix Lights. He also stated that several high-level officials, including the general of the United States National Guard, did not have a conclusive answer to the incident. Symington even went as far as openly disagreeing with the Air Force’s statement, saying that flares do not fly in formation.

Because of this and the prominence of many paranormal events occurring throughout the world (Hessdalen Lights, Roswell, Rendlesham Forest Incident), many prominent UFO hunters cite this incident as the most viewed UFO incident of all time. Because of the lack of a proper government explanation, contradictions from the Arizona governor, and thousands of eyewitnesses, it is widely believed that the Phoenix Lights were a series of Unidentified Flying Objects causing terror and panic among the people. Prominent UFO enthusiasts continue to analyze the event today, mainly through the known photographs and videos of the event.

SOURCES

--------------

23 Years Later, the Phoenix Lights Are Still Unexplained (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4ag5bg/23-years-later-the-phoenix-lights-are-still-unexplained)

Phoenix Lights! The most reported UFO sighting in the world (https://www.abc15.com/news/state/phoenix-lights-the-most-famous-reported-ufo-sighting-in-the-world)

Phoenix Lights (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Lights)