Marfa Lights Viewing Area

The Marfa Lights Viewing Center is on Highway 90, about 9 miles (14 km) east of Marfa. According to tradition, in 1883 a young cowboy, Robert Reed Ellison, saw a flickering light while driving cattle through Paisano Pass; the earliest credible written account, however, dates only from 1945. The lights are usually described as yellow-orange orbs whose brightness can change.

Their cause is disputed. A 2008 Texas State University study concluded that most of the lights were car headlights or small fires, and University of Texas at Dallas students in 2004 likewise traced lights they observed to vehicles. Researcher James Bunnell reports an average of 9.5 sightings on about five nights a year. Come without fixed expectations, at nightfall and with warm clothing; desert nights can get cool.