MYSTERIOUS orange lights spotted hovering over Cranbourne last night were most likely ceremonial lanterns, Venus, or aircraft, an astronomy expert says.

Video footage posted on rea lufos.net shows four bright lights floating low over rooftops near Camms Rd for several minutes, before some disappear.

>> Now see it for yourself - watch the video below and tell us below what you think the lights are

News_Rich_Media: Is this a UFO?

Mt Burnett Observatory president Perry Vlahos said had not received any calls regarding the sighting.

Mr Vlahos said it was difficult to say conclusively what the objects were, without knowing the direction from which the footage had been shot.

"One thing I can guarantee is they were not little green men from Mars," Mr Vlahos said.

Possible explanations included a combination of aircraft, such as helicopters with search lights, a bright planet such a Venus, Rigel or Sirius, weather balloons, or ceremonial lanterns.

"It's really very difficult to say from looking at this footage, without seeing first-hand," he said.

"It could be lanterns, it could be satellites, the international space station, aircraft, the police helicopter, a plane.

"If they were looking west from Cranbourne, they would have been looking over Moorabbin airport.

"Something like the police helicopters have strong search lights, which resemble that from a distance."

Mr Vlahos said a likely explanation was ceremonial lanterns, given the time of year.

"Sometimes people put a candle inside a paper lantern and the heat, because its very light, carries them up into the sky. It's an Asian ceremonial exercise," he said.

"They would float up for a period of time, then disappear once the candle goes out. "