Why is Light 'Bouncing' Over the Sky in Indiana? [Video]

GREENWOOD, Indiana — Strange things were afoot in the skies above Greenwood, Indiana yesterday evening. A video uploaded to YouTube shows what appears to be a ray of light “bouncing” repeatedly. It was supposedly captured by a local cyclist, who was quoted as saying:

“I had no idea what it was until I did some research when I got home and found out that it’s called HAARP, a government research program. Take a closer look at the beginning of the video right when the beam disappears for a second it moves part of the cloud.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIimpCfcLo0

So, what exactly is going on here? Is it indeed a government research program? Or a so-called “cloaked UFO“? Walter Lyons, a Fort Collins-area meteorologist weighed in:

“What you are seeing is sunlight reflecting off ice crystal faces that are constantly being oriented by the developing electric field just above the cumulonimbus top.”

“You spelt ‘Aliens’ wrong”, replied one commenter. Don’t pull out your tinfoil hats just yet, as representatives at NASA already commented on the phenomenon back in 2011:

“What’s happening above those clouds? In the past few years, videos have appeared on the web detailing an unusual but little known phenomenon: rapid light changes over clouds. Upon inspection and contemplation, a leading hypothesis for its cause has now emerged. In sum, this hypothesis holds that a lightning discharge in a thundercloud can temporarily change the electric field above the cloud where charged ice crystals were reflecting sunlight. The new electric field quickly re-orients the geometric crystals to a new orientation that reflects sunlight differently. In other words, a lightning discharge can cause a sundog to jump. Soon, the old electric field may be restored, causing the ice crystals to return to their original orientation. To help this curious phenomenon become better studied, sky enthusiasts with similar jumping or dancing sundog videos are encouraged to share them.”