The world is full of mysteries, and it’s natural to be curious about the unknown. Whether it’s a strange light in the sky or a peculiar creature, these unexplained phenomena capture our imagination. This list explores ten bizarre and little-known occurrences that will leave you wondering about the world around you.
Mysterious Messages
Imagine tuning into a radio station and hearing coded messages. That’s exactly what happened to numerous radio stations across the United States. These mysterious transmissions, believed by some to be communications from a clandestine intelligence service, originated from an HM01 shortwave numbers station in Cuba.
The signals, consisting of six identical messages, were broadcast over a two-day period. Radio operators in Florida and Colorado reported hearing a woman’s voice repeating numbers in Spanish. The origin of the messages was traced back to the same location as Radio Havana, with the voice generated by Windows XP. Some believe these messages were intended for “agents in the field.”[1]
Pillars of Light
In May 2024, Japan witnessed a strange sight: pillars of light in the sky. These mysterious shafts sparked concerns among social media users, with some fearing an extraterrestrial invasion. However, Newsweek’s fact-checkers determined that the lights were actually reflections from fishing boats, a phenomenon that occurs only once every few years.
Scientists identified the lights as “light pillars,” a natural optical phenomenon caused by light reflecting off ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. In this case, it was “isaribi kochu,” or “fish-attracting light pillars,” caused by low overnight temperatures that allowed ice crystals to form high above the ships. So, no need to worry about aliens—for now![2]
Heavenly Portal
Another bizarre celestial phenomenon occurred in Indonesia on June 4, 2024. An eerie elliptical gap in the clouds, described as a portal to heaven, frightened local observers. This unusual sight was actually a “fallstreak hole,” also known as a hole-punch cloud.
These formations appear in altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds when water droplets become supercooled, remaining liquid even below freezing. A disturbance, such as an aircraft, causes the supercooled droplets to freeze into ice crystals, setting off a chain reaction. The ice crystals grow larger, fall out of the cloud, and leave behind a clear patch.[3]
Steve Twins
Described as a weird ribbon of light and a streamer of purple light, “Steve” is short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. This astrological phenomenon, first spotted over Canada, is not an aurora. It’s caused by a stream of extremely hot, electrically charged gas flowing swiftly across the upper reaches of Earth’s magnetic field.
Unlike auroras, which occur when electrons collide with molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere, Steve’s plasma creates its purple glow. Scientists have recently discovered that Steve has a twin. While Steve flows westward at dusk, his duplicate streaks eastward near dawn.[4]
Lightning Sprites
Imagine seeing red lightning shooting upward instead of downward. That’s a lightning sprite! This uncommon, colorful, and brief phenomenon is officially known as a “stratospheric perturbation”. It’s produced by intense thunderstorm electrification as electricity streaks upward.
In August 2023, astronomer Stanislav Kaniansky captured a lightning sprite on film as it hovered in the air like a gigantic jellyfish during a thunderstorm over central Europe. These sprites are one among several other transient luminous events.[5]
Zombie Fires
Zombie fires are exactly as they sound. These fires appear in Alaskan, Canadian, and Siberian peatlands in early May, burn for a while, and then vanish. They smolder underground during winter, reemerging when spring begins again. While this is the general scientific consensus, not all researchers agree.
An alternative theory suggests that the warming atmosphere heats the ground, causing peat soils to burst into flame anew. According to Sebastian Wieczorek and his coauthors, these zombie fires may be a case of climate change-driven spontaneous combustion.[6]
Lake Hillier
Most lakes are either green or blue, but Australia’s Lake Hillier stands out because of its bubblegum-pink color. The reason for this vibrant hue is still unknown, although green algae could be the cause.
These organisms can accumulate high levels of beta-carotene, a red-orange pigment, haloarchaea (a type of microorganism that appears reddish in large blooms), or a high concentration of pink brine prawn. The lake is not only scenic but also offers great buoyancy for swimmers due to its high salinity.[7]
Mobile Microscopic Blobs
Single-cell choanoflagellates, close relatives to animals, move in an astounding manner. Evolutionary biologist Thibaut Brunet observed these rigid, balloon-shaped creatures undergoing a series of transformations as they navigated obstacles, losing their flagella, extending portions of their bodies, and pushing through mazes.
UC Berkeley evolutionary biologist Nicole King and her colleagues studied these organisms further, placing them in chambers with narrow and wide areas. The choanoflagellates readily switched between crawling and swimming to navigate their watery environment, making this a weird mobile microscopic phenomenon.[8]
The Hole in the Galaxy
NGC 247, a spiral galaxy, is remarkable for its bright nurseries and a void on one side of its core that resembles a hole punched through the disc. Initially, astronomers thought gravitational interactions with another galaxy or a collision with dark matter caused the hole.
An imaginative theory from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) community suggests that extraterrestrial engineers created the hole by building Dyson Spheres around stars, capturing solar radiation. While this idea is intriguing, the Dyson Sphere remains purely theoretical.[9]
Mushroom Frog
The Rao’s intermediate golden-backed frog was found with a mushroom sprouting from its side, leaving scientists baffled. Rivers and wetlands specialist Lohit Y.T. discovered this unique phenomenon while surveying amphibians in India’s Western Ghats mountain range.
Fungal biologist Matthew Smith noted that few fungi species give rise to mushrooms because they require specific nutrients and deep roots. The mushroom might have grown from a small piece of woody debris under the frog’s skin. The frog should continue to live well in the wild unless the fungus infects the amphibian. It’s certainly a bizarre and fascinating discovery![10]
These ten bizarre and little-known phenomena remind us that the world is full of surprises. From mysterious messages to mushroom frogs, there’s always something new to discover. These occurrences highlight the complexity and wonder of our planet and beyond.
What do you think about these phenomena? Leave your comment below!
