Residents in the Australian town of Mildura were left puzzled on Wednesday after the evening sky was filled with a strange pink glow.
Photos posted to social media show how the dim, cloudy sky was illuminated with a bright pink circle. There also appeared to be a cone of light directed upwards from the ground, suggesting that the pink light had a ground-based source.
The phenomenon sparked jokes from a couple of observers, including references to aliens or the popular paranormal drama series Stranger Things. One observer called the light “scary but brilliant.”
Hey @JaneBunn any reports of this scary but brilliant sky over Mildura tonight ?? pic.twitter.com/3WZ7FZj1zp
— Tim Green (@Tim_Green78) July 19, 2022
However, it wasn’t long before residents had an answer: The pink glow was coming from a nearby cannabis farm.
Peter Crock, CEO of the Cann Group medicinal cannabis company, told local news outlet ABC Mildura-Swan Hill that the pink glow was caused by the farm’s grow lights, which run on a 12-hour cycle from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Normally, the blackout blinds close at the same time as the sun sets, but last night we had the lights on and the blinds hadn’t yet closed, so there was a period where it created a glow,” he said, adding that the glow was a one-off event.
Read more: Newsweek
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