Strange lights in sky over Tauranga

Over the last working week people have spoken to SunLive about seeing flashes of light in a clear night sky.

The first caller thought what she saw an effect from lightning in thunderclouds over the horizon not long after sunset.


The swirly light pattern can be seen at the 36 second mark of the video.

However, a video sent from a Mount Maunganui resident shows the flashes of what can only be described as swirling light.

Witness Harry Lake sent in video taken with an iPhone of flashes seen from Grenada Street over the last two nights.

He says the flashes vary in size but are huge, lighting up the sky and coming from different directions.

The swirling light patterns can be seen at the 36 second mark in the video.

Do you have a theory of what the light may be?

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16 comments

Torch light

Posted on 03-06-2016 08:55 | By SonnyJim

Just torch-light. I did it the other night with my narrow-beam LED torch in light fog. I noticed that the 'Star Wars light-sabre' beam stopped when the light passed into clear air above the fog. A fun thing for kids to try some time.


Mist

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:06 | By SonnyJim

Most likely just thin swirls of condensation being lit from below by headlights and the like. I did see that thunderstorm last week produce one good display when a sequence of flashes started at Opotiki and zapped out past White Island.


Lightning

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:07 | By Draginz

There was lightning off the coast towards White Island and also towards Coromandel on Wednesday night (even though it was clear overhead), it was too far off to hear the thunder though.


Lightning

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:15 | By penguin

There was also an amount of lightning from thunderstorms around the Coromandel Peninsula. I, too, saw the flashes. Lightning from such storms can sometimes be seen many kilometres away (300+ km) while giving the impression of being closer to the observer. Light mist could


Not torch light

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:17 | By H20

So a LED torch has been lighting up the whole sky for the last couple of nights? Don't be a troll.


Not torch light

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:22 | By H20

Some of these flashes are lighting up the whole sky, theres no way it's a LED torch light.


Possibly lightning

Posted on 03-06-2016 09:57 | By H20

Possibly lightning, but unlike any lightning i've ever seen. Theres plenty of footage of this, this is just one of the videos. Definitely not mist.


Lighting

Posted on 03-06-2016 10:24 | By NR

I live on the Kaimais 300m approx. I could see the flashes over Tauranga or possibly further out to sea on Wednesday around 6.30pm, But flashes were also seen in the direction of Rotorua. It was a very clear night. I believe its static charges letting go within the atmospheric electrical circuit. Something to that effect.


Upper atmosphere lightning

Posted on 03-06-2016 11:00 | By Crash test dummies

The number of lightning flashes results from upper atmospheric flashes, these occur above normal cloud cover height, mostly they happen above cloud, but can happen anywhere when the static is high enough to allow a discharge. They do not head tot eh ground, in fact they blast upward. There is nothing UFO about them. They can be seen on a clear night for many miles. They were first discovered by space craft orbiting the earth and noticing flashes these were a new phenomenon and perfectly normal/natural. They are especially noticeable at night, seldom seen in daylight.


Gateway

Posted on 03-06-2016 13:19 | By GlennSmith

It's National's new time travel gateway invention ????


aha

Posted on 03-06-2016 13:44 | By paul

chemtrails


Pretty flash, huh?

Posted on 03-06-2016 14:22 | By morepork

I haven't seen the ones reported, but there are some very probable causes in the posts. There is also the Aurora Australis, which can be seen sometimes even from Tauranga (although usually in the summer) and it tends to be a greenish glow with flashes. Whatever it is, it is far more likely to be a natural phenomenon than an alien or supernatural one.


Powerco

Posted on 03-06-2016 16:14 | By maildrop

It's what's left of the huge power surge that Powerco sent down the line last Saturday, blowing up all of my appliances and nearly burning the house down. Thanks Powerco. You couldn't control ****


Dont worry...

Posted on 04-06-2016 03:15 | By GreertonBoy

It is prolly just sun strike (stroke) trying to get away?


There's..

Posted on 04-06-2016 08:20 | By Me again

those new American army torches. Or a candle lights... just saying, lol.


lights

Posted on 04-06-2016 08:42 | By dumbkof2

partaking of too much moonshine and looking at the moon


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