UFO FAQ (1994)/02 About UFOs and Related Phenomena

About UFOs and Related Phenomena

When did it all start?

The modern era of UFO reports is held to have started with the report by a Boise, Idaho business man, Kenneth Arnold. On 24th June 1947 near Mount Rainier, Washington State he reported nine strange objects flying in formation.

There were earlier reports than this. During World War II pilots on both sides reported strange lights which followed their aircraft. Each side thought that these were some secret weapon of the other side. These became known as Foo Fighters.

There were earlier cases, but these are more suspect. For example, in the year 810ad the emperor Charlemane is reported as being thrown from his horse when it was startled by a silver ball which flew down from the sky.

Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI)

For many years there have been small unco-ordinated projects to search for evidence to extraterrestrial life. These have been mainly by looking for unexpected radio transmissions using radio-telescopes. Over the past couple of years NASA has funded a co-ordinated effort to scan the whole sky over a wide range of frequencies. The SETI project was cut from the 1994 NASA budget, however donations have been obtained from a number of individuals which will allow it to continue as a private project but at a lower level of activity.

What do we really know about life elsewhere in the universe?

There has been much speculation about life elsewhere in the universe. Unless UFO contactee and abductee reports are evidence of visitation by beings from elsewhere in the universe, there is very little evidence.

Much of the speculation centres around something called tha Drake Equation. This attempts to estimate the number of civilisations in the universe by using a number of inprecise variables. The only planet where we have firm evidence of there being civilisation is a place called Earth.

Evidence of planets around other star systems has relied upon complex calculations based upon minute variations in the star's 'wobble' about its axis. Recent improvements in imaging systems have improved the reliability of these observations. It is likely that the smallest extra-solar planets detected are two to three times the mass of Jupiter. There is no detailed information on the structure or conditions on these planets. It is not known if any of these planets could support life.

Many of the molecules believed to be essential to the formation of life have been detected in interstellar space. Amino acids have been found in some meteorites. These tend to be equal mixes of left and right handed forms, which is more likely to be the result of a chemical rather than a biological process.

Marfa Lights

Marfa lights are balls of lights that appear, change different colors and dance around in the air. These lights where named after the town that they have been appearing in, Marfa Texas. They have also been sited in other areas. Some theories as to what they are include Ball lighting, Car headlights, and Alien space ships. The last current sighting I'm aware of was Marfa Texas on September 1 1992.

A small booklet on the Marfa Lights has been written by Dennis Stacey, editor of the MUFON Journal, discussing many of the cases and the theories. For details contact the author or MUFON.

Main Source: Sightings, FOX Network airdate September 25, 1992

Men In Black (MIB)

These are a group of individuals who are said to wear black suits and drive and fly around in unmarked black cars and helicopters. They go about threatening people who have claimed to have seen UFOs into not talking about what they witnessed.

The very first occurrence of MIB was traced to a man named Albert K. Bender. He was the editor of a flying saucer publication called the "Space Review" In the October 1953 issue he placed an announcement stating that he had come across information that would solve the flying saucer mystery but they could not print it because they were ordered not to. They then ended the announcement warning others in saucer work to be "very cautious" they then stopped their publications. Later in an interview Bender stated that "three men wearing dark suits" had ordered him to stop publishing flying saucer material, and that he had complied with the order because he had been "scared to death" of them. He later published a book called "Flying Saucers and the Three Men in Black"

Mains Source: "A Review of MIBS (Men In Black) : A History" ParaNet File Number: 00171 Published 1991 by ParaNet Information Service

Also see: Flying Saucers and the Three Men in Black by Albert K. Bender

Tectonic Strain Theory (TST)

A theory of electromagnetic effects upon the human brain and/or the physical environment, such that all Forteana including UFOs, ghosts, ESP, sasquatch, and religious fervour can be explained as being caused by seismic activity generating electromagnetic radiation which in turn makes people think they are witnesses to an anomalous event. Alternatively, the EMM radiation can luminesce so that it appears as a UFO. Chief proponent: Michael Persinger. A variant is the "Earth Lights" hypothesis described by Paul Devereux.

Main Source: rutkows@ccu.UManitoba.CA (Chris Rutkowski)

UFOnauts

A term used by the UFO community in reference to the alien abductors or extraterrestrials.

Unusual Ground Markings (UGM)

A broad term which includes crop circles, "tripod marks", saucer nests, burn marks, etc.

Main Source: rutkows@ccu.UManitoba.CA (Chris Rutkowski)

USAF

United States Air Force

Zine

magazine or newsletter pertaining to a specific subject.

circlezine - Crop Circle publication ufozine - UFO publication

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