"What is that"?

Unusual strips of light unsettle the Viennese

Reader reporter S. photographed the lights at Augarten.(Bild: Janina S.)

On Friday night, Viennese from several districts spotted unusual streaks of light. The celestial phenomenon caused uncertainty. UFOs, comets or something else? Weather experts have a simple explanation.

Above Augarten (Leopoldstadt), in Leystraße (Brigittenau) and also from other districts, attentive passers-by noticed four mysterious rays of light over Vienna at around 9.30 pm on Friday night. Several "Krone" reader reporters photographed the unusual phenomenon.

One reader reporter captured the lights at Augarten.(Bild: Janina S.)

"Super bright"
"Certainly didn't have a dirty lens! The lights were moving and could be seen even without clouds!" said Christopher S. "It was permanent and super bright in one place," said another "Krone" reader.

(Bild: Christopher Schneider)

"Came from the ground"
Everyone is asking: "What was that?" UFOs, comets or, given the world situation, even a new type of weapon system? However, weather experts have a completely natural explanation. "It came from the ground. Through so-called sky spotlights, which are used at events or for advertising purposes," says UBIMET meteorologist Nikolas Zimmermann.

These very powerful light machines can produce light effects that are reflected by the cloud layers. Even at a distance of 30 kilometers, these light effects can still be seen, according to the explanation. So no aliens. But some people still found it spooky.