MYSTERY surrounds six unidentified lights seen "dancing" across the night sky in Cairns, with theories ranging from UFOs to plastic bags set on fire by pranksters.

Several residents of Mooroobool contacted The Cairns Post yesterday morning with stories of the six lights, which were seen to slowly cross the sky between 7pm and 7.30pm on Monday.

"They were like six stars except they were slowly moving from left to right across the sky," resident Rob Johnston said.

"One would go towards another then away, they formed an 'S' shape and a straight line. It was like they were playing with each other.

"I would like a credible explanation of what it was."

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Mr Johnston's wife Leonie said the lights were moving in a peculiar way.

"(The) lights raced across the sky changing formations, making shapes and moving as no aircraft can," she said.

Mrs Johnston said she and her husband were joined by about 10 other members of their neighbourhood, who all saw the strange lights as well.

A spokesman for Air Services Australia said no irregularities were recorded by air traffic controllers at Cairns airport while a navy spokesman said it had no aircraft operating in the area at the time.

Readers of cairns.com.au yesterday said unidentified lights above Cairns were common, but one reader suggested plastic bags were often set on fire and launched from the lookout at Copperlode Dam and drifted across the city.

UFO Research Queensland chairwoman Sheryl Gottschall said the reports had the hallmarks of a classic UFO sighting.

"Certainly groups of lights appearing together are common, but not necessarily six at the same time," she said.

"The thing that you are looking for is unexpected changes of direction, which our technology doesn't do."

Ms Gottschall said sightings of UFOs in Far North Queensland were common about 10 years ago but in recent years had tended to drop off.

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