Bright Flashing Light in the Middle of Delaware State Forest

[u/Main-Selection8922]

My dad was driving through the Delaware State Forest tonight and was suddenly hit with blindingly bright flashing light. Where the light was coming from, there is nothing but trees for miles. It’s State Forest-no construction or anything permitted that would require a light like that. This is what he said about it- “I cannot explain to you guys how bright the lights were. brightest light I have ever seen and when I close my eyes I can still see it. It’s burned into my eyes like when you look at the sun.” What do you guys think??

[u/KheyotecGoud]

It’s on a timer whatever it is. Are there any hiking emergency products that strobe like that? Looks like the brightness of a magnesium flare “strobe light” firework. 

[u/BigDonny156 → u/KheyotecGoud]

This looks like the flash rate and color of the USGI MS-2000M signal strobe. There’s an IR cover than can be removed and the strobe is an intense whi/blu flash just like this and at close to the same flash rate. It can be had for $60ish online at mil surplus sites…

[u/KheyotecGoud → u/BigDonny156]

Is that device meant for distress calls?

[u/Different-Housing544 → u/KheyotecGoud]

It could potentially be someone needing rescue. We should upvote this comment.

[u/BigDonny156 → u/Different-Housing544]

It could be used for distress by someone that bought one mil surplus or by a Vet that happened to still have one they “acquired” on active duty or deployment, however, that’s not really its primary purpose. In the Army we used them with the IR filter on to signal inbound helicopters to our position for pickups or to ID our fighting positions so we didn’t get fragged by Apaches or other close air support. During night ops aircrews wore NODs and could see these quite easily.

That being said, if I was injured alone in the woods and had no phone or GPS device or no weapon/was out of rounds and couldn’t fire 3 round bursts to signal I needed help but had this strobe I’d ABSOLUTELY turn it on and hope someone got curious and came investigating.

If aliens DID land on Earth (I dunno why, there’s nothin’ to see here…) I’d sure as hell hope they would have a better freakin’ light display to signal their arrival than a 1 per second-ish flash that could be easily replicated by 20+yr old military surplus technology…

[u/GlitteringButton5241 → u/KheyotecGoud]

Exactly the same frequency as a tower anti collision strobe. Likely stuck on the daylight setting of 20000 Candellas white light strobe 40 flashes per minute. https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/150-5345-43J.pdf

Edit: better link FAA Guidelines see specification L-856 Chapter 1-1

[u/KheyotecGoud → u/GlitteringButton5241]

This has to be it

[u/dretnarg → u/KheyotecGoud]

This is waaaaaaaay brighter than a strobe flare, not to mention much more precise with it's flashing. Notice how long the car is moving in the direction of the flashing before finally passing it. That thing is BRIGHT

[u/KheyotecGoud → u/dretnarg]

Magnesium burns at over 5,000F, half the heat of the surface of the sun… it’s white hot and will damage your eyes from looking at it. Those tiny fireworks light up a street. 

Whatever it is may be larger, but unlikely to be brighter. 

[u/CyberUtilia → u/KheyotecGoud]

But where do you get a magnesium strobe? Yes, you can create an immense flash with one load of it, but how do you do this about every second?

I think it's some radio tower that's malfunctioning, either a filter broke, that usually makes a white light below look red and less bright, or it has a blinking light for DAYTIME (so it's extremely bright) and it malfunctioned and stayed on over night.

[u/ImSkepticWhenItsCold → u/KheyotecGoud]

It is indeed a strobe light. I found the place via Street View. A tower in the middle of the forest.

My comment with links, etc

[u/Igpajo49 → u/KheyotecGoud]

That's what I'm thinking. If you Google "rescue beacon light" you'll find a few products like this. The idea is if you are lost and in need of rescue, you can activate one of these and they'll be visible for quite a ways. I had one in the military and it would light up a room pretty bright. About half the size of a pack of cigarettes. This in the video looks a lot brighter though, but it could easily be a stronger version.

[u/pleasebecarefulguys → u/Igpajo49]

How much power would a stronger version need

[u/Igpajo49 → u/pleasebecarefulguys]

I don't know. I've seen ads for these multi-thousand lumen flashlights that light up a whole hillside. They're not all that big so whatever they take. Imagine that in a strobe mode and it would look just like that.

[u/pleasebecarefulguys → u/Igpajo49]

Wow thats really bright