Strange glowing lights that were seen in the sky over Salina have a not so strange explanation. They were part of a training exercise going on at the Smoky Hill Weapons Range.

Thursday evening at around 7:00 people around the Salina area were puzzled by a series of glowing lights in the sky that could be seen southwest of town. The lights, all in a line, appeared three different times. As quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

KSAL News was contacted by people in both Salina and Lindsborg who saw them.

Officials attribute the lights to training that was going on at the Smoky Hill Weapons Range southwest of Salina. They say that a B-52 bomber was dropping flares. Depending on the conditions, these type of flares can be seen from up to 50 miles away.

Located 10 miles west of Salina, the Smoky Hill Weapons Range is the largest and busiest Air National Guard bombing range in the nation, encompassing 51 square miles, and has more than 100 Tactical targets. The Smoky Hill range provides airspace within an FAA sanctioned Military Operational Area, which permits active and reserve units to operate both piloted and unmanned aircraft in training scenarios.