Visible from a remote spot in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a mysterious light phenomenon has become a renowned local legend and spawned debate over its origins.
Known as the 'Paulding Light,' the seemingly unexplained white orb-like light can allegedly be seen during random times from a desolate location at the dead end of a gravel road in the town of Paulding.
First reported in 1966, the mysterious phenomenon has become a fixture of the community, drawing a wide variety of visitors hoping to spot the Paulding Light.
Over the years, a myriad of causes for the phenomenon have been theorized, including the usual swath of paranormal possibilities.
And, as can be expected, the widespread popularity of the Paulding Light eventually inspired a group of engineering students to solve the mystery in 2010.
Their findings showed that the lights likely came from cars on a nearby highway and managed to replicate the Paulding Light and confirm it's true nature via a telescope.
In a remarkable display of human nature, the local community first expressed dismay that the study was done at all and then seemingly dismissed its conclusions.
Some of the diehard believers cite Native American lore as proof that the lights are not a modern phenomenon while other simply suggest that the study was somehow flawed.
In a fantastic piece at the Detroit Free Press, reporter John Carlisle of the Detroit Free Press recently ventured to the site along with some Paulding Light enthusiasts and had his own experience seeing the strange phenomenon.
According to Carlisle, a number of other people also saw the light that evening and "none of them believed the phenomenon was caused by headlights after witnessing it themselves."
So while the Paulding Lights may be dismissed by some skeptics, they may be missing an even more compelling phenomenon at work when it comes to what is going through the minds of the witnesses who still see something unexplained.
Coast Insiders may notice that the Paulding Light bears an uncanny resemblance to another phenomenon frequently discussed on the program: the Brown Mountain Lights of North Carolina.
Check out the 4/11/2014 edition of the program, featuring Joshua Warren, for much more on that vexing mystery.
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Source: Detroit Free Press