Could These Lights Be Aliens?

Then or Than?

Then means “next” or “at that time.” (Keela walked the dog, then did homework.) Use than to make a comparison. (Keela likes dogs more than cats.)

Let’s take a trip to Marfa, a small city in Texas. Less then/than 60 miles from the border with Mexico, Marfa lies in the Chihuahuan Desert—a sweeping stretch of cactuses, sand, and tumbleweeds. The region is so otherworldly, it can seem more like Mars then/than Earth. So perhaps it’s not surprising that this city is also the setting of one of the most bizarre unsolved mysteries in the United States: the Marfa Lights.

The Marfa Lights are glowing orbs that appear in the desert about 30 times a year. They were first documented in the area more then/than 100 years ago. The best chance of seeing the lights is just before sunrise or sunset—but on which days, no one can predict. 

Over the years, witnesses have described the lights in all sorts of ways—twinkling, hovering, darting. The lights appear in many colors including red, blue, yellow, and white. Sometimes the orbs split in two, then/than merge back together. They may pulse in the distance for up to 40 minutes, and then/than mysteriously vanish.

What are the Marfa Lights exactly? There are many theories, some of which seem more likely then/than others. The orbs have been called aliens, UFOs, and wandering ghosts. Some say they are car headlights in the distance or an optical illusion caused by natural gas in the area. One scientist has speculated that the lights are caused by underground lightning. Here’s the thing though: No one really knows. And so the mystery continues . . .