What was that green glow over the night sky awash with rain?

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Mr. Sun, During the recent rains a green glow appeared in the night sky over the valley. We’re too far south to see the northern lights. What was it?

Several people reported seeing a green glow in the sky from various spots around the valley. Rob Erickson, a local events producer, noticed it while driving on Interstate 15 near the Strip on a recent rainy night.

Erickson solved the mystery later that night when he visited Ghostbar, on the 55th floor of the Palms.

“From up there we could see the glow was centralized above the MGM Grand,” he said. “It was obvious when I got up that high.”

It makes sense that Las Vegas’ own emerald city would cause clouds to glow green on those rare occasions when there are low clouds over the valley, said John Salmen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.

“We rarely do get low clouds, so it would stand out at those times,” Salmen said. “You really see the Luxor light when the clouds are low. We use that to see where the cloud deck is — how low the clouds are. With the MGM glowing green, it makes sense that it would make the sky look green.”

Questions for Mr. Sun should be sent to [email protected].