Mysterious laser in San Francisco sky identified

May 8 (UPI) -- A mysterious laser beam in the night sky over San Francisco sparked a flurry of speculation online before being identified as the work of a data security company.

The blue and green beam of light was spotted pointing up into the sky near Coit Tower on Monday and Tuesday nights.

The laser sparked numerous posts from concerned residents on Reddit , and amateur sleuths offered numerous potential explanations before the man behind the laser came forward.

Barrett Lyon, chief executive officer of the appropriately named MegaLasers and chief technology officer for data security firm Tarsal, revealed the 400-watt laser was being tested out in the Coit Tower parking lot before becoming part of a display at an upcoming tech conference.

Lyon said the laser will be visible in the same place Wednesday night. He said the laser, dubbed "The Architect," is visible from up to 12 miles away.

He said the company received clearance from city officials and the Federal Aviation Administration before activating the laser.

"It's kind of a fun art project, but it's also kind of a fun celebration for our security company," Lyon told SFGate . "We had people from all over the city come up there and ask about it."