Dan Katen is an astronomer and astrophysicist at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

And one night on his way back from a day trip to nearby Asheville, about two hours away,

Dan thought he would pull off onto a viewing spot on the side of the road and

check out this place called Brown Mountain.

So on the way back, it's dark, I thought, well, I'll just stop.

You just look out for an hour or something.

And I did that, and at some point, I saw this book. I don't know how I even noticed it made halfway up in the sky a bright star-like light

Brighter than Venus brighter than any any normal planet or star you would see in the sky.

It just appeared for a few seconds, several seconds, and then dissipated.

It could have been a satellite, but a satellite moves while you're looking at it.

So probably was not a satellite.

Occasionally you'll see a meteor coming straight at you,

very rare, but one that bright. will see a meteor coming straight at you.

Very rare, but one that bright would have left

to the meteor train, blowing vapor, gas.

And I didn't see anything like that.

So. I didn't see anything like that. So what was that? I have no idea. Dan Katen is by his nature a skeptic. He's a scientist. He wants proof, he wants data sets, but practically right there in Dan's backyard is a mystery that has been dogging him for years.

And bringing spectators to the hills of North Carolina.

If only Dan could tell them. Hills of North Carolina.

If only Dan could tell them what it was they were seeing.

I'm Doolin Thuris, this is Atlas Obscura. Celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and

wondrous places. This episode was produced in partnership with Visit North Carolina.

...