The bright light with diamond-shaped stars spinning clockwise appeared Friday in the security camera of the First Judicial Courthouse in Santa Fe, said a sheriff's deputy who watched it live.

The video drew hundreds of e-mail comments after it was posted to YouTube, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Wednesday.

One viewer of the video said he saw a baby spider while another said she saw five dead spirits. A third pronounced the apparition a "case of 'ball lightning.'"

"This is not a common phenomenon so I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it," the man wrote.

State District Judge Stephen Pfeffer said he thought it was a bug.

"Whatever it is, it has to go through security like anyone else," Pfeffer said.