MYSTERIOUS swirling streaks of green, yellow and blue light seen in the sky over Oxfordshire have left observers searching for an explanation.

Readers, including Mikey Galloway saw what he described as an “amazing” phenomenon from Yarnton Nurseries at 3.30am on Thursday.

He said: “They just seemed strange. I’ve never seen these before; I work nights as a patrol officer.

“Those beams seemed to be coming from the sky instead of from the ground.”

The lights are similar to the Northern Lights – which may appear as an arc that curves across the sky, or ribbons of pink, yellow and green that move through the darkness. However, they are rarely seen as far south as Oxfordshire.

Oxford Mail: Strange lights pictured by Mikey Galloway

A similar effect can also be created by the refraction of ground light through suspended ice particles – a relatively common sight in colder climes.

Last December, reader Irene Eirini shared a video hoping to find an explanation for bright beams of light seen over Botley.

In 2007, the Oxford Mail reported how an object, described as "a slow-moving, orange light" was seen passing over Witney during the lunar eclipse. 

There were also reports of one or more unidentified objects flying over Oxford.
Witnesses said: "There was no sound at all. It was very strange."

It was, however, widely believed to be a Chinese fire lantern.

If you saw the strange lights over Yarnton, or photographed or videoed them, let us know. You can send us pictures here. 

 

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