10 bizarre phenomena that lit up the sky (and their scientific explanations)

A halo of right light appears to hover above a town

Weird lights appear in the sky way more often than most people realize. Often, photos of these bizarre light shows come with wild speculation about what caused them, from aliens to secret military weapons.

But unfortunately for conspiracy theorists, there is always a more Earthly scientific explanation for these luminous displays. From UFO-like rings to blood-red arcs, here are 10 bizarre atmospheric light shows with a surprisingly simple explanation.