In The Begining....

The Brown Mountain Lights BLOG covers current scientific research on Western North Carolina's famous Brown Mountain Lights (BMLs)---the mysterious nocturnal lights occasionally seen in the mountains of Burke County.  Specifically, I am a member of a collaborative team of diverse individuals who joined together in the spring of 2012 to investigate the mysterious BMLs.  Some of our team members have been investigating the BMLs for many years, some have personal sightings to share, one is a professional photographer, three are professional geologists, one is a university astronomer, one is an astronomical observatory engineer, one is a home schooling mom, one is an outdoor instructor, one is a trout club president, one is a graduate student, one is a university president, one is an information archivist, and one is a retired dentist and accomplished world-wide caver. We all are connected to the area and share an intense interest in the outdoors and in trying to understand these unusual lights.  With a strong focus on scientific research, our team is well suited for the task at hand. 

To date, our research has focused on the following activities:
1) Observation
2) Photography
          Still & Video (Daytime & Nighttime, Telephoto & Telescope Lenses)
          Real time photos on the Internet (planned)
3) Geologic investigations
4) Staged Light Tests (distant ATVs & Hand-Held Lights)
5) Surveying
          Measurement of Line-of-Sight Bearings of Individual Lights
          Plotting Bearings on US Geological Survey Topographic Maps
          Plotting Light Sources in GIS programs (Google Earth & GISKit)
6) Confirmation Visits & Photography of Suspected Light Locations
7) Documentation of Personal Sightings
8) Literature Research

Our progress and findings are the subject of this blog.  

Thanks for following and please feel free to post your comments---I'd love to hear about your sightings!  You may also contact me for more information.