Mysterious night lights baffle Germans

MUNICH, Germany -- Hundreds of people have reported seeing strange lights in the sky over Bavaria.

Panicked callers jammed police telephone lines seeking an explanation for the phenomenon which was seen on Saturday.

There was further alarm when pilots flying into Munich airport radioed the control tower with reports of the UFOs.

Reports of an unsettling late-night natural light show came from all over the southern German state as well as the neighbouring region of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

"It had nothing to do with the weather. But I don't think little green men from Mars have landed in Bavaria. It was something burning out in the atmosphere," a meteorologist said.

"It was like a huge firework," a Reuters TV correspondent in Munich said.

"You could even see it through half-closed blinds. It lasted around three seconds," she said.

The German police said NASA scientists initially thought the light was caused by space junk -- floating debris in the Earth's atmosphere -- but later said they were still unsure.

Scientists said the lights may have the result of a meteor breaking through the Earth's atmosphere.

"There are no signs of impact or damage. We can't say what it was," a police spokesman told Reuters.