# Dunning 2007: The Marfa Lights: A Real American Mystery (Skeptoid #38)

> Brian Dunning, 2007. 10 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Sceptical podcast transcript arguing the lights are US 67 headlights seen through a…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKDFE4QFK9/the-marfa-lights-a-real-american-mystery-skeptoid-38  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

---

[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Marfa lights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights)Dunning 2007

**0**

# The Marfa Lights: A Real American Mystery

Brian Dunning, 2007. _Skeptoid Podcast #38_.

Transcript of a sceptical podcast episode. Dunning argues that the lights are headlights on US 67 magnified and made to hover by a superior mirage, that no record of the lights predates motor traffic, and that failed triangulations rule out ball lightning from piezoelectric quartz. A later correction withdraws his earlier suggestion of a Fata Morgana, which he calls unlikely in the Marfa environment.

**Marfa lightsSecondary source** Web pageChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

Sceptical podcast transcript arguing the lights are US 67 headlights seen through a superior mirage, with a later correction withdrawing the Fata Morgana suggestion.

## Cited by on this site 10 records

[Headlights on US 67, distorted by the air](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/answers/ANS0DCKM724BXY0/headlights-on-us-67-distorted-by-the-air)

Answer

ANS

[No; nothing is written down before 1945](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/answers/ANS0DCKMQPNX9HT/no-nothing-is-written-down-before-1945)

Answer

ANS

[Piezoelectric ball lightning from quartz bedrock](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/answers/ANS0DCKMYQEPDRZ/piezoelectric-ball-lightning-from-quartz-bedrock)

Answer

ANS

[At least two television crews posted observers to triangulate the lights; none located them, and the lights were shown…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/evidence/EVD0DCKQE0CBNZR/at-least-two-television-crews-posted-observers-to)

Evidence

EVD

[Ellison's own 1937 memoir describes the 1883 drive across the Marfa plain but makes no clear reference to mysterious…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/evidence/EVD0DCKPME474BS/ellisons-own-1937-memoir-describes-the-1883-drive-across-the)

Evidence

EVD

[Television crews' attempts to triangulate the lights never located them; the lights proved not to be where they…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/evidence/EVD0DCKQ4SRZSK5/television-crews-attempts-to-triangulate-the-lights-never)

Evidence

EVD

[Brian Dunning](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/people/FIG0DCKGP2JTBJZ/brian-dunning)

FIG

[The Marfa lights](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights)

The mystery article

MYS

[Mitchell Flat, Presidio County](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/places/PLC0DCKG0VNQXM7/mitchell-flat-presidio-county)

PLC

[If some of the lights are natural, what produces them?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/marfa-lights/questions/QST0DCKKR8KK0DP/if-some-of-the-lights-are-natural-what-produces-them)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Dunning, B. (2007). The Marfa Lights: A Real American Mystery. Skeptoid Podcast #38. https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4038
```

[Read it free at skeptoid.com](https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4038)

Key

**SRC** 0DCKDFE4QFK9

Kind

Web page

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

29 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published original

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

Bibliographic records are CC0. Take this one as CSL-JSON, BibTeX or RIS.

[CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKDFE4QFK9/the-marfa-lights-a-real-american-mystery-skeptoid-38/csl.json)