The cluster of lights is seen in midst of the Atlantic Ocean.
(Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA National Geophysical Data Center)
It sounds like the setup for an episode of “The X-Files.” A satellite records evidence of a mysterious cluster of lights in the Atlantic ocean, far from human civilization. Could it be the reappearance of all the lost ships from the Bermuda Triangle? Could it be a secret alien headquarters hidden in plain sight on the ocean’s surface?
The actual answer is a little more mundane, but still fascinating. The lights, seen in dramatic groupings between 200 and 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, have been identified by NASA as fishermen. The lit-up boats are gathering a particular species of squid (Illex argentinus) found in those waters.
The brightness of the boat lights is due to the fishers shining lamps into the water to attract the smaller critters the squid eat. The squid follow the food source up to the surface and are in turn scooped up to feed humans.
via cnet
