The Lubbock Lights – Explored in 6 Gripping Points

Archana Srinivasa Varadan
9 Min Read

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The Lubbock Lights is another UFO sighting witnessed above Lubbock city, Texas. This incident gained national hype in the United States. The U.S. Air force investigated the Lubbock Lights sightings.

Many others also witnessed the Lubbock Lights on several different nights apart from the night the incident occurred. If you are interested in pursuing topics on unidentified flying objects, you would have come across the Lubbock Lights.

In case you have missed it, here we present the full details of the Lubbock Lights.

1. All About the Lubbock Lights Incident

Project Blue Book: Declassified – The True Story of the Lubbock Lights | History

The three Texas Tech professors – A.G. Oberg, W.L. Ducker, and W.I. Robinson in Lubbock reported the first sightings in August. These three men were seated in the courtyard of one of their homes when the Lubbock Lights Incident occurred.

They witnessed many lights resembling the bright star, but bigger than its size soaring above. The professors eliminated meteors as the reason for these lights.

While they were discussing further on these sightings, an identical group of lights soared above once again.

1.1. Description of the Lights

One of the professors described the lights; According to him, the light seemed about the size of a dinner plate. The color was greenish blue, slightly fluorescent.

He further stated that they appeared smaller when compared to the full moon on the horizon. The lights were circular, and it gave all of them an extremely eerie feeling.

He was sure the lights were not birds, and they passed very quickly. They wished that they could have looked at it more keenly.

1.2. What Happened Further?

The professors also noticed one pattern of lights soaring over a thin cloud which enabled them to calculate the traveling speed of the lights.

They also described their sightings to Lubbock Avalanche-Journal – a local newspaper.

1.3. Several Other Witnesses Report Sightings

Jerome Clark – a UFO author, stated that three women in Lubbock disclosed that they had also noticed peculiar flashing lights in the sky.

This sighting was reported on the exact night. Professors also witnessed the lights. Carl Hemminger, a German professor at Texas Tech also had a similar experience on the same night.

2. Carl Hart

It was on an August evening, when Carl Hart, Jr – a novice at Texas Tech noticed a group of several white lights soaring above in a “v” formation.

He immediately took his Kodak camera and went to his parents’ courtyard. He was waiting to check whether the lights would return.

Just then, he noticed two more lights passing above. Hart instantly took five photos before they vanished. He then developed the pictures and rushed to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal office.

2.1. What Transpired at the Office?

Hart met with Jay Harris, who was the editor of the newspaper. Harris informed him that he would purchase the photos and publish them in the paper.

However, if the photos turned out to be fake, Harris told Hart that he would be thrown out of town. These photos were replicated in newspapers nationwide and found their place in Life magazine.

3. Analysis of the Photos

The photos taken by Hart were analyzed in a physics laboratory at Wright Patterson Air force base located in Ohio.

Edward J. Ruppelt issued a written statement to the media. He was the Air Force Project Blue Book supervisor. It contained the information that the photos taken by Hart were not proven to be fake. However, they were not proven to be authentic either.

According to the Texas professors, the photos did not match their sightings because their objects soared in a “u” formation instead of a “v” formation.

4. Investigation of the Lubbock Lights by the Air Force

Project Blue Book: Declassified - The True Story of the D.C. UFO Sightings | History

Ruppelt heard about the Lubbock Lights and learned more about them as they belonged to Project Blue Book. He went to Lubbock and communicated with witnesses who insisted they had observed the lights. They included the professors and Hart too.

Rupert initially concluded that the professors witnessed a type of bird named a plover. There were fresh vapor street lights installed in Lubbock city, and according to Rupert, these plovers only mirrored those lights.

There were witnesses too, who supported this claim, including a local farmer who had noticed birds flying above a drive-in cinema theatre. The belly of the birds was mirrored in the light.

4.1. More Witnesses Confirm the Claim

Joe Byrant and his wife also noticed groups of lights soaring above in August. When a third group passed, they started to circle Byrant’s home.

They were identified plovers. Later, a scientific consultant of Project Blue Book approached one of the professors and determined that the professor affirmed the lights were plovers.

5. Dispute of the Claims

Ruppelt interviewed the head of the Biology department of Texas Tech and a game warden. Both of them contended the birds’ claim. According to Maed, one of the professors who had witnessed the lights, those objects couldn’t have been a bird as it was very large.

He had sufficient hunting experience and had never encountered any bird that could go so fast that he couldn’t hear.

William Hams, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s chief photographer captured a few nighttime pictures of birds soaring over the street lights of Lubbock. However, he failed to replicate the photos taken by Hart.

5.1. Ruppelt’s Revelation

Ruppelt wrote that the lights were not birds or spaceships. They were identified as an easily explainable natural occurrence. He also regretted that he couldn’t reveal exactly how the answer was found.

It was because it was a compelling story of how a scientist arranged complete instrumentation to track down those lights. The scientist also dedicated several months to testing various theories till he got the final answer.

If Ruppelt told the story, it would disclose the scientist’s identity. It could not happen because the scientist was promised that his identity will not be revealed.

5.2. Did the Scientist Convince Ruppelt?

Ruppelt had previously heard numerous explanations of UFOs and was not a man who could be easily convinced. However, the scientist succeeded in convincing Ruppelt with his answer.

6. Publicity

The Lubbock Lights appeared in Life magazine. A television station based in Texas broadcasted a news story about the Lubbock Lights.

The film Lubbock Lights depicts a few ideas on the lights by musicians in the area.

Lubbock Lights: 70 Years Later

7. FAQs

Did the Lubbock Lights Feature in Any Miniseries?

Yes, in the Sci Fiction channel miniseries Taken.

What is the Lubbock City Otherwise Called?

It is otherwise known as the hub city due to its countless attractions.

Bottom Line

The Lubbock Lights is another UFO incident that gained wide publicity. All these UFO sightings make us wonder whether aliens do exist.

Last Updated on by kalidaspandian

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Hello all! Archana here. I am an ECE graduate and started my professional career with Ashok Leyland as a trainee. Worked as a schematic designer for trucks, and buses. Then moved to Renault Nissan as an electrical engineer, and enjoyed designing schematics for cars such as Kwid, Kwid EV, Datsun Redi Go, and the latest Triber. Known for my hard work, and sincerity, had a great time working there for four and a half years. Took a break from my career in January 2020. Currently back on track again, but this time as a content writer by following my passion for writing. I also underwent a content writing course with Henry Harvin to hone my writing skills. Have a good command of the English language and can deliver good content according to the requirements. Reading books is my favorite hobby, and when I am not writing, you can find me enjoying a book.