Posted on: Monday, January 24, 2005

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

Q. My sister and I saw strange lights moving along a ridge, too low for a plane and darting from one place to another. What could that have been? — L.D., Niumalu, Kaua'i

A: There's a sturdy tradition in Hawaiian folklore about ghostly lights seen drifting over the land.

They drift along fence lines, across pastures, float in the woods, and so on. One Hawaiian term for them is "akua lele," which can translate to "flying god."

Some bounce. Some drift. Some dart around. Some sit offshore when viewed from land. They are occasionally described as luminous spheres, like aerial jellyfish.

But there is nothing uniquely Hawaiian about mysterious lights in the atmosphere, even leaving aside discussions of flying saucers and luminous, big-eyed space beings.

Science stretches to understand the sightings, but generally doesn't deny them. They take on terms like ball lightning, lightning sprites, ghost lights, fairy lights, will-o'-the-wisp. A Latin term, ignis fatuus, or "foolish fire," refers to a glow sometimes associated with swampy ground, believed to be associated with the combustion of marsh gas.

One recent report is that the space shuttle Columbia, before it was destroyed on re-entry in early 2003, detected in the atmosphere south of Madagascar what scientists in the Journal of the American Geophysical Union have now named a "transient ionospheric glow emission in red," or TIGER.

That event doesn't appear to fall into any previously known category of such things, and scientists simply call it a possibly new kind of "transient luminous event."

Some floating lights appear to be associated with rain, some with lightning. Some seem to be linked to extreme weather events, such as tornadoes and thunderstorms. Some show up near railroad tracks and metal fence lines, some close to power lines, some around swamps. Some follow trails.

New Zealand scientists recently suggested they appear after lightning strikes the ground, but often the globes are seen without lightning.

The drifting ghostly lights seen in the Islands and elsewhere are distinct from the phenomenon known as St. Elmo's Fire. Authorities say these lights are associated with an electrical discharge and always remain attached to an object, like a ship's mast, steeple or flagpole. St. Elmo is the patron saint of sailors, and his fireworks are considered a sign of good luck for folks in boats.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766, e-mail jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or call (808) 245-3074.