wˌaɪl ðə dɪskˈʌvɚɹi ʌvðɪ ˈæʃən lˈaɪt ɪz ˈɔfən ɐtɹˈɪbjuːɾᵻd tʊ ɪtˈæliən ɐstɹˈɑːnəmɚ dʒəvˈɑːni bˈæɾɪstɚ ɹˌɪksɪˈoʊli, ɹˈiːsənt ˈɛvɪdəns fˈaɪndz ðæt dʒˈɜːmən pɹˈiːst ˌæθɐnˈeɪsɪəs kˈɜːtʃɚ mˌaɪthɐv bˌɪn ðə fˈɜːst tʊ əbzˈɜːv ðɪ ˈæʃən lˈaɪt dˈʊɹɹɪŋ hɪz wˈʌn ænd ˈoʊnli tɹˈɪp tə pˈælɚmˌoʊ, sˈɪsᵻli ɪnðə spɹˈɪŋ ʌv wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɪkshˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi ˈeɪt.
While the discovery of the ashen light is often attributed to Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli, recent evidence finds that German priest Athanasius Kircher might have been the first to observe the ashen light during his one and only trip to Palermo, Sicily in the spring of 1638.