Statistiche
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
The Silence of Snow ( The Debrief )
“I love the sound of rain”, noted the investigative journalist and author, Leslie Kean, as drops of water were tapping on the dome of the Great Refractor telescope at the Harvard College Observatory.
My reply was poetic. “It’s even better when it snows. There is soft silence and then you open the door to a completely new reality. Similar to the experience we might have with extraterrestrials.” Leslie and I were there for a lengthy conversation on the subject of, you guessed it, everything extraterrestrial. Below are a few highlights of some of the points I brought up in our conversation.
There are two general categories of interstellar objects that we might find in the solar system. One is space trash, like our Voyager spacecraft would look like in interstellar space within a billion years: worn out, defunct, but still a feeble monument for our technological civilization. The second category involves functioning devices with artificial intelligence (AI), which I like to call “AI astronauts”, seeking information and reflecting the blueprint of their senders.
One would naively expect many more defunct objects than functional objects and many more small ones than big ones. But this is not always our experience when walking through a forest and exploring what nature has in store. Self-replicating spacecraft might prove to be the most abundant objects, and their size will be dictated by the machinery they employ to replicate – just like biological creations.
The way to find out the cosmic reality we live in is to look up. The philosophers who placed Galileo Galilei on house arrest and would have canceled him today on social media could have never designed a space mission that would reach Mars because they “knew”, without looking, that the Earth is at the center of the Universe.
In celebration of Galileo’s insight, I am leading the Galileo Project. This Project avoids the strategic mistake of knowing the answer in advance, by using telescopes to collect new scientific evidence on anomalous interstellar objects–like `Oumuamua, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)–like those mentioned in the report of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to Congress. The ultimate goal of the Galileo Project is to eliminate the term UAP from our lexicon by clarifying the nature of all objects we see in the sky. The Project is agnostic about the outcome. If all anomalous objects happen to be of natural origin, like birds, meteors, and atmospheric phenomena; or if they happen to be human-made, like drones, weather balloons, airplanes, or satellites; so be it. No matter what the Project finds, it will serve society by clarifying the fog and allowing the conversation to advance based on new scientific knowledge.
But there is another possibility. If even one object is found to come “extraterrestrially” – the word used by the DNI Avril Haines at the Ignatius Forum in the Washington National Cathedral on November 10, 2021 – this finding could have dramatic implications for humanity’s future. When I pointed out to Avril, who was sitting next to me at the Cathedral, that I do not like science fiction because the storyline often violates the laws of physics, she replied, “we have to work on you, Avi.”
Leslie Kean and Avi Loeb at the observers seats of the Great Refractor
telescope, Harvard College Observatory, on March 19, 2022 (Credit: Avi
Loeb).
Like any other scientific endeavor, the Galileo Project will interpret its data based on known physics. A behavior that cannot be explained by the standard model of physics, like that of dark matter and dark energy, would be doubly revolutionary. Not only will we know that there are smarter scientists in our cosmic neighborhood, but we will learn something new about the universe at large. The laws of physics apply everywhere in the cosmos, unlike the laws of our society.
The Galileo Project will assemble its first telescope system on the same roof of the Harvard College Observatory, where I spoke with Leslie. The telescope system will obtain a continuous video of the entire sky at infrared, visible, and radio wavelengths, accompanied by an audio recording. Our AI software will attempt to identify the nature of objects of interest. Once the system will operate satisfactorily, we will make copies of it and distribute them in many locations. Our agnostic scientific approach will report on any type of fish that will be caught by our “fishing net” of telescopes.
It is not mandatory for scientists to study objects in laboratories, in order to figure out their nature. For example, the Nobel Prizes in 2017 and 2020 were awarded for the study of black holes, even though we never examined a single black hole in our laboratories. So far, black holes were only explored remotely. This is all for a good reason. As I pointed out to a kindergarten class in my role as the founding director of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative – it is risky to get too close to black holes.
Over the past four decades, the mainstream research community in astronomy and physics had been engaged in the search for the nature of dark matter, an invisible substance that makes up most of the matter in the universe. So far, we did not discover any dark matter particles, even after investing billions of dollars in constructing numerous fishing nets of sophisticated detectors. The search for the nature of anomalous objects in the sky could carry broader consequences for our future. Yet, it is currently omitted in federal funding channels for astronomy and physics, even as the US government is about to allocate funds to a new UAP office that will coordinate data assembly and analysis starting in June 2022. This funding landscape might change if we find a vehicle propelled by dark matter as its fuel.
Knowledge about extraterrestrial matters does not adhere to national borders and should not be regarded as a matter of natural security. Like all things scientific, such knowledge should be shared openly with all humans. The more we know about our cosmic neighborhood, the more responsibly we will act in adapting to it.
Avi Loeb
No trespassing: 9 places you’re not allowed to visit ( Local10.com )
‘Destinations’ include North Sentinel Island, Chapel of the Tablet, Area 51
Unless you want to end up in jail, or, well, dead (we’re looking at you, North Sentinel Island), here are some places you’ll want to avoid visiting at all costs.
1. Bohemian Grove, California
Some of the world’s richest, most famous and powerful people -- including business leaders, former presidents and musicians -- are known to descend on the grove for events that reportedly involve party-goers getting wildly drunk. Business deals are to be left outside, according to the Washington Post. The 2,700-acre campground is located in Monte Rio, which isn’t far from San Francisco. The gatherings are pretty historic, as they started in 1872, Vanity Fair reports. And if you try to show up uninvited, it’s very likely that you’ll be arrested for trespassing.
Probably safer if you don't attempt, we'd say!
2. Area 51, Nevada
This is not the real Area 51, as you might have inferred. Area 51 is another name for a portion of Edwards Air Force Base that UFO enthusiasts have theorized contains evidence of visitors from outer space (Sean Gallup/Getty Images).
Yeah, yeah. Everyone's heard of Area 51 by now. If you try to visit, you’ll either be picked up by the FBI, the CIA or aliens. (Kidding). Area 51, located in the remote Nevada desert, actually doesn’t appear on any public U.S. government maps, although you can see the buildings in satellite imagery, according to history.com.
Conspiracy theorists have long speculated that the government uses Area 51 to experiment with extraterrestrials and their spacecrafts. Throughout the years, the CIA, the U.S. Air Force and an aerospace company have also used Area 51 as a staging ground for test flights of experimental aircraft. No matter what, it’s safe to say this complex will likely always retain that air of mystery.
3. Lascaux Caves (France)
The original cave was actually open to the public until 1963. But here’s what happened: according to published reports, Lascaux drew about 1,500 visitors a day, and the carbon dioxide in the human breath soon began to damage the famous Palaeolithic cave paintings that brought people there in the first place.
Today, the original Lascaux is closed, and it remains under close surveillance, in order to preserve the site. We wouldn’t advise attempting to visit, but you can check out a replica cave. (We know, not as cool. Sorry!)
4. Surtsey (an Icelandic island)
This little volcanic island was actually created during an enormous oceanic volcanic eruption in 1963.
Cool story: A person sailing just south of Iceland spotted a column of dark smoke rising from the surface of the sea. The captain of the vessel thought it was a boat on fire and turned around to check. But the pair found an island in the process of being born, according to the website Earth Sky. Oh, and you aren’t allowed to visit, because scientists are studying the island to try to understand how it might become a habitat.
5. Chapel of the Tablet (Ethiopia)
This chapel supposedly holds the Ark of the Covenant, and only the Ark’s guardian is allowed to enter.
So there you have it.
6. Poveglia (Italy)
Poveglia, a tiny island that sits between Venice and Lido, is supposedly haunted (oh snap, did that make you want to visit even more?) and the local government has reportedly banned visitors, because it used to host a mental institution, which allegedly used to torture patients.
“Today, the entire island is abandoned; locals and tourists are prohibited from visiting, and fishermen steer clear of the accursed place,” the Travel Channel posted online. “In recent years, Italian construction crews attempted to restore the former hospital building, but abruptly stopped without explanation, leaving locals to speculate that they were driven away by the island’s dark forces.”
... Would you even want to mess with this place?
7. Niihau (a Hawaiian island)
A solar-electric flying wing soars over the Hawaiian islands of Niihau and Lehua during a test flight in 2001 (NASA/Getty Images).
Niihau has been called Hawaii's “forbidden island,” because for years, no one was allowed to visit. Now, that's kind of half-true. You can take a helicopter tour of Niihau, which includes a visit to the island's secluded beaches, for what it's worth.
The main reason you can’t visit? Niihau has been privately owned by the same family since 1864.
Bummer!
8. Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)
Raise your hand if you knew this place existed.
It's what it sounds like: an actual seed vault, as in, a long-term storage facility, built to stand the test of time — and the challenge of natural or man-made disasters. The Seed Vault represents the world’s largest collection of crop diversity, according to its website. You can actually take a virtual reality tour, but you won't be permitted to visit in the flesh. Unless you're a researcher, of course.
9. North Sentinel Island (in the Andaman Islands)
Yikes. This is probably the scariest place on our list, and for good reason.
In recent years, a 26-year-old American adventure blogger and evangelical missionary was killed on the island by the isolated tribe that calls this place home.
We'll rewind: Deep in the Indian Ocean sits North Sentinel Island, where an indigenous tribe has lived for about 60,000 years. Islanders have been known to fire arrows or toss stones at low-flying aircraft, and then in 2006, two illegal fisherman were also killed by the Sentinelese for drawing too close to their shores, according to published reports.
Needless to say, India’s government has given up on making contact with the people there, and officials established a ban on visitors. In fact, it’s illegal to go within three miles of the island. Steer clear, friends.
Bonus: Ilha da Queimada Grande (Brazil)
“Snake Island” -- what could possibly go wrong?
Yep, we’re here to confirm that this place is home to thousands of golden lance head vipers, a particularly nasty and deadly snake. The Brazilian government won’t let you visit, unless you’re a scientist who wants to study the place, which is similar to the situation at the Seed Vault. Oh, and scientists: Good luck!
Michelle Ganley
UFO researcher says he encountered flesh-eating aliens ( IBT )
The UFO hunter claimed that aliens are torturing humans to boost their adrenaline
The conspiracy theorist who hails from Maine, United States, claimed that these aliens are sacrificing humans.
"I was sitting there and I felt a touch underneath my chin and it lifted up my head. I looked down and I could see a translucent being in front of me with big eyes, a small, maybe three-foot-tall see-through creature. And another creature stepped around from the side of it with an Iron Rod and put it up against my neck. Then that creature disappeared," Malone told Daily Star.
He continued, "The first creature then lowered my head down and then stepped back and disappeared. After that, I was like, oh, my God, they're real. They're here."
Are aliens real?
A few months back, Haim Eshed, a former Israeli space security chief had sensationally revealed that alien existence on earth is real.
During an interview, Eshed claimed that an advanced alien species is working together with world powers like the United States and Israel. He also talked about the existence of a secretive underground base on Mars where human and alien representatives meet together.
A few months, Pentagon too had confirmed the existence of UFOs in the skies, after two video clips of tic-tac UFO went viral.
Nirmal Narayanan
In Argentina esiste l’autostrada degli UFO. Chi ha il coraggio di percorrerla? ( siviaggia.it )
È nel cuore più incontaminato dell'Argentina che sorge un luogo davvero magico: per arrivarci, bisogna percorrere l'autostrada degli UFO, un'esperienza unica
Amanti del paranormale, semplici curiosi e – perché no? – anche increduli scettici provenienti da ogni angolo del mondo: è qui, tra le montagne dell’Argentina, che trova spazio un luogo ricco di misteri. Nel cuore del Paese, tra mille bellezze, si dipana infatti l’autostrada degli UFO. Pronti per un’avventura che ha dell’incredibile?
L’autostrada dell’UFO, la magia dell’Argentina
Ebbene sì, esiste davvero una strada divenuta famosa per i suoi avvistamenti alieni. Soprannominata “autostrada degli UFO”, è quella che conduce alla volta di Capilla del Monte e dell’imponente vetta di Cerro Uritorco, che si staglia nel cuore di un’immensa vallata dell’entroterra argentino. Siamo a poco più di 100 km da Cordoba, dove la natura è ancora incontaminata e nei villaggi si respira un’atmosfera autentica. Lungo la strada, almeno stando alle tantissime testimonianze dei turisti che l’hanno già percorsa, non sarebbe affatto raro abbattersi in alcuni eventi soprannaturali.
C’è chi dice di aver avvistato delle strane luci muoversi a zig zag nel cielo, chi invece non ha alcun dubbio e rivela di aver visto un vero e proprio UFO. La verità, naturalmente, è ben lontana dall’essere scoperta: quel che sappiamo per certo è che l’autostrada in questione ha un fascino decisamente surreale, soprattutto quando si è ormai ad un passo da Capilla del Monte. Questo delizioso villaggio incastonato tra le montagne vive infatti una realtà che sembra ben diversa da quella a cui siamo abituati. È il paradiso del new age, tra negozietti di cristalli e pietre magiche, terapeuti di ogni arte esoterica e – ovviamente – persone che hanno avuto contatti alieni.
Qui, quasi tutti i residenti hanno una storia da raccontare, e sono moltissimi i visitatori che, una volta giunti nella cittadina, avvertono un’energia diversa. Per i più curiosi, c’è un osservatorio astronomico che permette di ammirare l’immensità dello spazio (e magari avvistare qualche movimento sospetto). E naturalmente non può mancare una visita presso il locale museo dedicato proprio all’ufologia, che custodisce cimeli decisamente bizzarri. Nel mese di febbraio, inoltre, Capilla del Monte celebra il suo Alien Festival: per tre giorni ci si sbizzarrisce tra concerti e sfilate in costume.
L’incredibile mistero di Cerro Uritorco
Se Capilla del Monte vi sembra un luogo ricco di misteri, non avete ancora sentito parlare di Cerro Uritorco, una delle sette meraviglie naturali della regione. Si tratta della vetta più alta delle Sierras Chicas, situata a circa 3 km dal villaggio: per raggiungere la sua cima ci si inerpica in un lungo sentiero di trekking immerso nella natura, non particolarmente difficile se si ha un minimo di allenamento. Pare che sia proprio questa montagna il centro dell’attività extraterrestre dell’intera Argentina. Addirittura, per molti sarebbe nientemeno che un portale verso altri mondi.
Nelle vicinanze, c’è un’altra attrazione che riconduce al mistero alieno. Il 9 gennaio 1986, dopo che un ragazzino disse di aver visto un UFO sorvolare la montagna, sulla vetta di Cerro Pajarillo apparve una grande impronta circolare di erba bruciata, di circa 100 metri di diametro, che sembrava proprio lasciata dall’atterraggio di un disco volante. Inutile dire che questo incidente diede linfa vitale ad un turismo dedito proprio alla ricerca di UFO e altre testimonianze del passaggio extraterrestre. Un turismo che ancora oggi, dopo tanti anni, non accenna a trovare tregua.
Mogoro e Marmilla: arrivano gli UFO ( mediterranews )
A Mogoro negli ultimi anni non si erano segnalati avvistamenti UFO ma in questo fine settimana sembra ci siano stati diversi oggetti volanti in cielo.
In questo fine settimana, invece, diverse sono le segnalazioni di scie luminose, strane luci e persino oggetti volanti. Il 13 marzo a Mogoro la sera intorno alle 20.00 un uomo mentre fumava ha notato un oggetto particolare verso le colline della Marmilla.
Collinas- Gonnostramatza: avvistato disco volante
Sempre la stessa sera, a quanto pare, il disco voltante è stato avvistato tra Collinas e Gonnostramatza. La cosa particolare è che avrebbe emanato un fascio di luce conica verso il suolo. Sarebbero diversi i testimoni ad aver notato questa strana scia luminosa. Un uomo a Mogoro e due ragazzi che a quell’ora erano in auto all’entrata di Collinas.
Sardegna: marzo ricco di avvistamenti
Il mese di marzo è stato particolarmente ricco, gli Ufo sono stati notati nel Sud Sardegna con maggior riguardo al paese di Monastir dove sono stati notati davvero tante volte. Non mancano poi altri paesi dell’hinterland cagliaritano e del Campidano. Per i più scettici si tratterebbe di una strana coincidenza con la guerra Russia/Ucraina. Infatti si sarebbero intensificati proprio in corrispondenza del periodo. Sarebbero movimenti aerei, droni ed altro dalla base di DecimoMannu o da CapoFrasca.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Analysis: Newly Released Version of Once-Classified Report Presents New Clues About the U.S. Government’s UAP Investigations ( The Debrief )
On June 25, 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report on the early findings of the Navy’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF). At just nine pages long, the brief report, entitled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” left much to be desired for the many readers anticipating specific details about the U.S. government’s collection of data about these aerial mysteries.
Nonetheless, the report did offer a few details about the frequency that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) are encountered by military personnel (a total of 144 incidents were cited in the report) along with the potential national security challenges they might present.
Days before the unclassified report appeared at the website of the ODNI last June, members of the House Intelligence Committee received a classified briefing detailing some additional information that was not included in the public version of the document.
While many details included in that classified version of the ODNI report remain withheld from the public, now a redacted copy of the full report has been obtained by researcher John Greenewald Jr. An expert on the use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Greenewald is the longtime operator of The Black Vault, a website showcasing the impressive trove of official documents he has obtained over the years, many of which relate to the U.S. government’s collection of information about UAP.
Greenewald called his latest acquisition “a small triumph in the effort to get transparency on a hot topic issue,” adding that rather than a typical FOIA request, the present effort resulted from the issuance of a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) case he filed within 24 hours of the release of the public version of the report.
“Although heavily redacted, the released classified UAP report does tell us quite a bit about how the U.S. military and government views this phenomenon,” Greenewald told The Debrief, also emphasizing “their reluctance to tell the public about it.”
Compared with the report made available to the public at the website of the ODNI last June, there are several notable differences in the complete version, which is slightly longer at a total of 17 pages. While much of the new information appearing in the version supplied to Greenewald was redacted before its release, it nonetheless provides enough context to offer new insights into the UAPTF’s investigations.
What follows is a breakdown of the primary differences between the reports, along with what can be gleaned from the new information that did make its way through redactions in the version obtained by The Black Vault.
What the Newly Released “Full” Report Reveals
On page two of the full version obtained by Greenewald, one of the earliest redacted portions appears to reference a government agency that was removed entirely from the unclassified public report from last June.
Following the release of the unclassified version of the report last summer, The Debrief noted that one agency that likely contributed to the ODNI assessment—the Central Intelligence Agency—was curiously absent.
“Notably missing as a contributor to the report is America’s principal foreign spy agency, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),” wrote Tim McMillan in a detailed analysis of the ODNI report published by The Debrief.
“Because the CIA’s activities are primarily bound to operating under Title 50, and outside U.S. soil, any UAP contributions by the spy agency would likely come during covert foreign intelligence collections,” McMillan wrote.
“An unwillingness to even acknowledge foreign spying on the unclassified version of the UAP report could be one reason why the CIA isn’t listed,” he added. “Conversely, it could also mean the CIA isn’t involved.” However, in light of the appearance of the short redaction on page two of the originally classified full version, it appears the CIA might have appeared in the original draft of the report.
Also early in the report within its Executive Summary section, minor differences in the wording also seem to provide more specifics about the sources of information on UAP incidents reviewed, although portions of that information are redacted.
One of the notable inclusions within the version of the report newly obtained by Greenewald is the revelation that many of the 144 UAP reports described in the report occurred during what the Navy calls “Range Fouler” incidents.
“Of the 144 USG reports,” reads a partially redacted portion of the full version of the report, apparently several incidents “originated from Navy ‘Range Fouler’ reports which provide basic information, such as the time, date, location, description, and what occurred during the event.”
According to an entry in the full version of the ODNI report’s appendix, Range Fouler is a term used primarily “by U.S. Navy aviators based on observations of UAP interrupting pre-planned training or other military activity in military operating areas or restricted airspace.” This definition, along with all other mentions of “Range Fouler” cases, were removed from the public version of the report.
Other differences between the two reports included details about the limitations of identifying UAP based on the design and functions of sensors on U.S. military platforms, particularly in relation to certain kinds of UAP, although the characteristics defining the specific variety of UAP cited in the full version of the report were also redacted.
“As a result, those sensors are not generally suited for identifying UAP which can be [REDACTED],” the full report states.
Also removed from the public version of the report had been a section on page five of the original, classified version which details the “most common shape described by military personnel in their reporting”. All details on these common UAP types, as well as a diagram in an additional Appendix section included in the full report displaying relevant images, remain redacted.
Page six of the full report also includes commentary by the UAPTF on altitudes where UAP were most frequently observed operating, which was removed before release of the public version. “Altitudes varied for these objects,” a portion of the document notes, “but frequently registered between [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] mean sea level (MSL).”
Among the other intriguing details that appear in the version of the report obtained by The Black Vault include various UAP behaviors associated with their apparent demonstration of advanced technology, as well as references to “recordings of radar displays” which appear to indicate observations by the UAPTF that related to the detection of radio frequencies (RF) in association with UAP events.
Unlike the public version of the ODNI report, which included no specifics about the 144 UAP incidents cited, the full version includes several sections with portions redacted that appear to convey descriptions of UAP observations by Navy pilots.
One account describes a Navy pilot who had flown in winds great enough that he had been “fighting to keep his aircraft in the airspace” while observing UAP nearby which, according to the pilot, remained unaffected and seemingly was able to hover motionless in such conditions.
Missing Details, and More Questions
Many redacted portions of the full version of the report raise intriguing questions. These include an entirely redacted pair of short paragraphs that appears before a section of the report outlining five potential explanatory categories for UAP, and similar redactions within various descriptions of the categories themselves.
Intriguingly, beneath the “Airborne Clutter” category description in the full report, the authors make references to objects that might fall into this category, along with references to statements provided by pilots. Here again, all specifics about these intriguing additional items constituting the UAPTF’s definition of “airborne clutter” are redacted.
Similar redactions appear beneath the “USG or Industry Developmental Programs” category, as well as “Foreign Adversary Systems”, suggestive of information reviewed by the UAPTF that could relate to such potential sources for some UAP.
Despite these intriguing redacted portions of the full report, there are also unredacted new portions that help provide an idea about which explanatory categories seem the least likely in terms of UAP reports being collected by the government. Beneath the “Natural Atmospheric Phenomena” category, the authors appear to confirm that virtually none of the UAP incidents studied by the UAPTF could be conclusively linked to natural atmospheric phenomena.
The East Facility of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Public Domain).
“Although we cannot definitively classify any UAP occurrences in our dataset as caused by atmospheric phenomena,” the authors state in the full version of the report, “we also cannot rule out the possibility that these factors may account for some of what pilots have observed.”
Toward the end of the document, a series of tables appearing in two additional Appendix sections omitted from the public version of the report bear the titles “Table 1. USG UAP Reports by [REDACTED] (144 total)” and “Table 2. UAP Detected by [REDACTED]”, as well as “COMMON SHAPES” and “LESS COMMON/IRREGULAR SHAPES”, all of which are mostly redacted.
To the frustration of many who will read it, one of the omitted Appendixes also features a sub-section entitled “Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT)”, and while mostly redacted, nonetheless references “The images and videos captured” in an unredacted portion of the section’s first paragraph, an apparent reference to imagery possibly obtained by satellite or some similar means by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
The existence of such images has been addressed in the past by former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who made references to satellite photos of UAP with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in March 2021.
“Frankly, there are a lot more sightings than have been made public,” Ratcliffe told Bartiromo. “Some of those have been declassified, and when we talk about sightings, we’re talking about objects that have been seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that, frankly, engage in actions that are difficult to explain.”
Also included in one of the additional Appendix sections in the full version of the report is a section titled “Federal Bureau of Investigation Support of Attribution Efforts,” outlining Bureau’s apparently renewed role in supporting the government’s UAP investigations.
“Given the national security implications associated with potential threats posed by UAP operating in close proximity to sensitive military activities, installations, critical infrastructure, or other national security sites, the FBI is positioned to use its investigative capabilities and authorities to support deliberate DoD and interagency efforts to determine attribution,” this portion of the full report states.
While the full version of the report obtained by The Black Vault still leaves many questions—and even gives rise to new ones—the additional information it provides does present a clearer picture of the current U.S. government efforts toward resolving the UAP question.
“The release of this report, although discouraging with the level of redactions, does tell us a story worth pursuing,” Greenewald told The Debrief. “Some of this involves speculation, as we clearly just have to guess at what is behind some of this black.”
“But, it does give me hope that although we may never know the entire puzzle, with a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears, we can get a hold of quite a few of more pieces than we originally had.”
Micah Hanks
Long Before the Phoenix Lights There Was “Incident 40” ( The Debrief )
Including photos of an alleged UFO, and perhaps one of the first appearances of the Men in Black
When people interested in the UFO topic hear the name of the city of Phoenix, Arizona, most will immediately think of the famous Phoenix Lights incident of 1997. But it turns out that Phoenix has been the host of numerous incidents of sightings of anomalous unidentified objects in our skies for quite some time. In fact, such reports date back to the earliest days of what is considered to be the “modern history” of ufology, and the United States government has taken considerable interest in many of them. One of these sightings was reported on the same day that the infamous Roswell crash took place, though it attracted far less attention in the media. But the event drew lengthy scrutiny from the U.S. Air Force over the course of an investigation that would last for several years.
The event in question took place in Phoenix, Arizona in the late afternoon of July 7, 1947. William A. Rhodes, a professional musician and amateur photographer, radio operator, and electronics technology enthusiast, was leaving his home to go to his workshop which he had constructed in his back yard when he heard a curious noise coming from the west. According to the witness, from his yard, he saw nothing in that direction but quickly noticed an unusual sight to the northeast. He described it as an elliptical, flat, gray object, measuring 20-30 feet across, traveling at 400-600 miles per hour, spiraling downward from approximately 5,000 feet in altitude to 2,000 feet. Rhodes quickly ran into his workshop and grabbed his Kodak Brownie 120 box camera. Returning outside, he captured one picture of the object as it approached its lowest trajectory and another after it ended its spiraling descent and began to rapidly accelerate upwards at a 45-degree angle.
After the object disappeared into the sky, Rhodes wasted little time in sharing his experience with the Arizona Republic newspaper. They ran an article on their front page the following day including the two photos that the witness had taken and quite a bit of excitement ensued. What William Rhodes didn’t know at the time was that the federal government was also aware of the story almost immediately and had taken a keen interest in his account. What followed was an investigation spanning more than five years and a personal journey for Rhodes that was not always positive in nature. His story would go on to become part of Project Grudge, identified simply as “Incident 40,” and later Project Blue Book. And his story may have featured one of the earliest recorded appearances of the individuals referred to in UFO mythology as “the Men in Black.”
The Investigation Begins
Rhodes would go on to provide interviews to multiple newspapers and magazines in the coming weeks. Many media outlets of the time were highly interested in the “flying saucer” topic because only two weeks earlier the world had learned of Kenneth Arnold’s infamous report of multiple enigmatic craft sighted near Mt. Ranier in Washington State. The press incorrectly reported Arnold’s description of the craft as “flying saucers,” but the name stuck. It is worth noting that Mr. Rhodes’ photographs eerily matched the actual description that Arnold gave of the craft that he observed, a fact that would be noted later in the Project Grudge investigation. Rhodes’ sighting also may have been pushed off of the front pages fairly quickly because by some cosmic coincidence (if that’s what it was), it took place on the same day that a newspaper in Roswell, New Mexico, reported the famous recovery of a “flying disc” that eventually became the benchmark for all UFO reports of that era.
As William Rhodes took his story to the world, what he was unaware of was that military and government officials were aware of it and were looking into his report almost immediately. Within 24 hours of the incident being reported in the Arizona Republic on July 8, 1947, the newspaper had been contacted by officials from the Air Force requesting copies of the two photos he had provided. The newspaper complied with the request. This was all documented in records of the Project Blue Book investigation which are preserved at the National Archives Catalog today. It is also worth noting that William Rhodes’ name is redacted in all of the documents we will link to and provide here except in one instance where the name “Rhodes” was left intact. But the publicly available media records leave no doubt that this was the case being investigated and his identity was never made a secret in his public interviews and appearances.
While the attention of the world may have quickly shifted away to other stories of potentially unearthly phenomena, the attention of the government did not. Inquiries were made through a number of Air Force and federal intelligence agency offices into Rhodes’ sighting. This information was all being directed to several offices, including the Air Materiel Command at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Coordinating with other federal agencies, an interview with Mr. Rhodes himself was finally arranged to be held in late August of 1947, less than a month after the sighting took place. What happened next may have fed into a variety of longstanding theories about how the United States federal government handled questions regarding sightings of UFOs.
The Arrival of the Men in Black
On August 29, 1947, an interview with William Rhodes was arranged. He was spoken to by Special Agent George Fugate jr. from Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) and Special Agent Brower (no first name given) of the FBI. Curiously, while Special Agent Fugate later revealed his identity, the agents initially were only introduced as “representatives of the United States Government.” In later interviews, Special Agent Brower would state that he found the suppression of his full identity to be “a peculiar procedure,” but it was “none of his business” and he continued with the interview. Rhodes was asked for his original photos of the craft and the negatives from his camera. He gave the photographs up but informed the agents that the negatives were not at his home, but would give them to them the next day, which he did. He was also informed that it was “unlikely” that he would have his photos and negatives returned to him.
This is a peculiar part of the record. The few available images of FBI agents in the 1950s indicate that they would typically show up for assignments wearing a stereotypical male black business suit and dress shoes. (Hats or dark glasses were obviously optional.) In the modern era, when law enforcement officials at any level visit citizens, it is standard procedure to produce valid identification including the agency they work for and the reason for their visit. This was not the case with Special Agent Brower in 1947. And the information doesn’t come to us from some UFO conspiracy outlet. The information is documented in archived government reports.
The reader may well question whether this was some unique approach suggested by Fugate or if this was a standard approach in UFO investigations. If the latter, perhaps Special Agent Brower was unwittingly recruited as one of the first documented “Men in Black.” Anonymous men in official-looking attire claiming to be “from the government” asking a witness to surrender evidence to them clearly fits the mold of the entire “Men in Black” legend. But Wiliam Rhodes would turn out to be unhappy with the seizure of his evidence, leading to complications in the ensuing investigation.
The Government Investigation Takes Curious Turns
While the investigation by various elements of the United States military and intelligence agencies began literally the day after William Rhodes took photos of something unusual in the skies near his home, it stretched on for a period of several years. Even before Rhodes was interviewed in late August of 1947, inquiries were being made about the photos he submitted. Some of these investigations were indeed technical in nature, looking into the validity of the images, the weather conditions at the time, and other data that might substantiate or invalidate the claims of the witness.
But at the same time that the investigators were checking into the possibility of “flying discs” being seen over Phoenix, they were looking even more deeply into William Rhodes himself. The investigative records that were later assembled as part of Project Grudge clearly showed that the government was looking into virtually every aspect of Rhodes’ life to determine the “nature of his character” and how “patriotic” of a citizen he was.
Multiple reports showed that the government had requested a full record of Rhodes’ credit history, as well as his personal history, with his neighbors being interviewed to determine what sort of person he was. One early report stated that “there are other undesirable aspects to this case. The observer’s character and business affiliations are presently under investigation.” And subsequent reports show that the investigation took a great deal of interest into many aspects of Rhodes’ life that had nothing to do with unidentified aerial phenomena.
Those investigations resulted in reports that delved into very private matters. One report recorded that his mother was a Russian immigrant, with suggestions that the family’s loyalties might lie elsewhere. It was noted that he was a musician and that his wife was the only source of income for the family. The report claimed that Rhodes was “not religious and is a registered Democrat,” along with the fact that he “did not vote in the last election.” All of this was recorded despite the fact that interviews with his neighbors recorded him as being “an excellent neighbor” who “devotes considerable time to community projects.”
Conclusions About Incident 40 Went in Two Distinct Directions
The final reports from the investigation were conflicting in many regards. Some investigators found the sighting highly compelling while others wrote it off entirely. But it was clear that there were questions being raised about Rhodes from the beginning. One report, in particular, highlighted the divided nature of opinions into both the photographic evidence and the credibility of the witness. On the first page of the report, investigators concluded that “no astronomical explanation seems possible for the unusual object cited in this incident.” It goes on to say, “This case is especially important because of the photographic evidence and because of the similarity of these photographs to the drawings by [redacted] in Incident 17.” (Incident 17 was the Kenneth Arnold sighting.)
The report goes on to marvel that “these two best-attested, entirely independent cases should agree so closely concerning the shape of the object and its maneuverability.” The report further describes Incident 40 as being “one of the most crucial in the history of these objects” and recommends a continued investigation and the gathering of more evidence.
But on page two of the very same report, a caveat is added. In a complete about-face, it cautions that “there remains the strong possibility that the entire incident is spurious, and the invention of an excitable mind. This strengthens the need for reinvestigation. If spurious, this fact should be highlighted and even publicized, to quash enthusiasm for the irresponsible reporting of ‘saucers’ and like objects.” These patterns of alternating support for the credibility of Rhodes’ sighting and the possibility that it was entirely a hoax continue throughout the documents.
But one person who seemed to come down on the side of lending credibility to Incident 40 was J. Allen Hynek. In his analysis of the reports listed in Project Grudge, he broke down all of the sightings into three categories with multiple subcategories for each. Category 1 covered astronomical phenomena such as meteors, stars, planets, or related naturally occurring lights in the sky. Category 2 was described as “non-astronomical, but suggestive of other explanations.” These included objects such as balloons, conventional aircraft, rockets, flares, birds, or other mundane things that are regularly observed. Category 3 was reserved for events characterized as being “non-astronomical, with no explanation evident.” He broke this category down into subsection (3.a) which was written off as having a “lack of evidence precluding explanation.” Category (3.b) was identified as “Evidence offered: Suggests no explanation.” Incident 40 is listed in category (3.b).
So What Happened to the Photos and the Negatives?
One of the great bones of contention in the entire Incident 40 case was what became of the photos and the negatives from William Rhodes’ camera after the initial investigation in 1947. By 1952, the Air Force somehow discovered that Rhodes had been in contact with a magazine that published an account of his story and had been asking about the possibility of suing the government to have the negatives returned. This seemed to cause some consternation among government officials who had been studying the sighting, leading the Air Force Directorate of Intelligence at Wright-Patterson to report that they did not have the negatives, but if they were found, they should be returned to Rhodes “with apologies” in order to “avoid press excitement.”
This led the Air Force Office of Intelligence (AFOIN) to send a letter to Captain Edward J. Ruppelt of Project Blue Book fame, asking for the negatives to be “returned to us soonest.” Ruppelt was assured that if the negatives were returned, copies would be made for his records. Ruppelt quickly responded, saying that his office did not have the negatives. He also went further, advising that he wasn’t even sure if Rhodes had ever sent the negatives to the government, saying that his office had concluded that the photos were “probably not authentic.” He then went on to suggest that Rhodes was attempting to get on “the picture selling bandwagon,” and if the government confirmed that they had been in possession of the negatives, it could lead to “a touchy situation.”
These questions about the provenance and possession of the negatives are not borne out by the government records, however. A routing and record sheet shows that the negatives were in the possession of the Technical Projects Office of the Air Materials Command at Wright-Patterson on Feb. 19, 1948. Other records in the archive demonstrate that the negatives had been examined and analyzed by a variety of experts to determine the equipment used to take the pictures, the type of film used, and the potential veracity of the images. While it may be possible that Ruppelt’s office had somehow lost the negatives by the time the investigation was reaching its conclusion, it remains well documented that the negatives traveled back and forth between Wright-Patterson and other offices for some time.
Conclusions
William A. Rhodes’ “fifteen minutes of fame” came and went fairly quickly in July and August of 1947. That may have been because he reported his sighting and submitted his photographs to the local media only two weeks after the Kenneth Arnold sighting caught the attention of the nation and the world learned of the Roswell incident the day after his report reached the press. But behind the scenes, the government found reason to describe his report as one of the “two best-attested, entirely independent cases” of UFO sighting reports. Even J. Allen Hynek found the evidence to be compelling with no obvious, alternate explanation.
While some inside the government examination sought to describe Rhodes as a crank, interviews with his neighbors and family described him as a scientifically-minded fellow who had pursued interests in astronomy, radio and television technology, and photography since an early age. Skeptics may reasonably point to the timing of his sighting as “riding on the coattails” of the Kenneth Arnold sighting, but the similarities between the two were even acknowledged by Project Blue Book. Also, Rhodes’ interest in all of this technology far predated the dawn of the modern stories of strange objects in the skies. And his documented experience with what we might today refer to as “the Men in Black” certainly provides reasons to ask if this event was something of a hallmark in the history of ufology.
As always with these early cases, the conclusions are left to the observer. But what is only generally known as “Incident 40” in the Project Grudge and Project Blue Book files may deserve a closer look for those studying parallels between the earliest days of our examinations of these subjects and what is unfolding in the new Pentagon UAP investigative offices today.
Jazz Show
13% of all UFO sightings in Arizona are spotted in Tucson ( 9 KGUN )
Sourced through National UFO Reporting Center
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — According to the National UFO Reporting Center's online database, 13% of all UFO sightings in Arizona are spotted in Tucson.
The non-profit Washington State corporation has a four-decade-old compilation of eye-witness testimonies.
This collection of reports reveals 604 of the 4,639 documented UFO sightings in Arizona are Tucson based.
The Grand Canyon state only accounts for 3.64% of the country's total of 127,302.
Arizona's latest spotting happened in Phoenix Thursday, March 3 at about 8 in the morning. A witness described it as egg shaped.
In addition to having a vast database, the center also includes explanations for what people may assume is a UFO, but is actually not.
Anyone interested in filing a report may do so on their website.
Caleb Fernandez
This town says 'space ships welcome' with hopes of becoming the UFO capital of Kansas ( KCUR 89.3Mhz)
Visit a small town that hopes to be known one day as the UFO Capital of Kansas.
GENESEO — In the Rice County town of Geneseo, population 200, there is a sign at the entrance of the city museum beckoning visitors. All kinds of visitors.
"Space Ships Welcome."
Welcome to Geneseo, where a movement is underway to name the town the UFO Capital of Kansas and perhaps even host a special global event on July 2 — World UFO day.
Evidence of otherworldly visitors is in a new permanent exhibit at the Geneseo City Museum.
When it comes to viewing the exhibit, think of a mix of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast of 1938, and episodes of "Lost in Space" and "My Favorite Martian" from the 1960s.
The UFO collection was originally gathered by Elmer Janzen, a Geneseo chiropractor.
The museum first opened in the 1960s and, when Janzen died in 1977, he donated his house and collection to the city of Geneseo. In recent years, the museum board's focus has been to help tell the unique stories of Janzen, along with the history of northern Rice County — including railroad history and early pioneer families.
"We call him Doc Janzen, and he was very interested in everything Geneseo," said Jim Gray, president of the Geneseo City Museum board and one of the people responsible for the museum's space alien exhibit. "He collected all kinds of early histories.
"But he was also a minister, and he had a belief the future could be seen in the scriptures."
And somehow, Gray said, Janzen believed beings from outer space were Christian.
"So, he was very much involved with this idea of alien visitation to our planet," Gray said.
"The whole thing begins for these guys with the atomic explosions in Japan, and they claimed that we were being visited by these alien beings to warn us that we were messing with the polarity of the earth by exploding these atomic weapons — and we were not only threatening our planet but the entire solar system."
So, Janzen had friends from the 1940s through the '70s, Gray said.
There was John Dean from Nickerson, who drew multiple illustrations of spaceships — both inside and out. Janzen collected spring water from Buck Nelson's farm in Missouri — that the space aliens liked to drink — and the hair of a dog from Venus … because just like humans, space aliens like to travel with their pets.
Photos of the dog, however, look suspiciously like a Pomeranian.
"When it comes to the flying saucer collection, I know no collection like this one … OK, so Roswell is like the cream of the crop," Gray said wryly.
"And I have been there, and it is a wonderful collection and story to tell — but it's not this story, and I don't think this story is told anywhere in the country in the way that we can tell it."
In fact, the exhibit and museum may be the only one of its kind in Kansas, Gray said.
Janzen had many interests beyond visitors from outer space. He became knowledgeable on Braille and magnetic tape recordings.
Part of his collection includes the letter Janzen received from Hellen Keller, the American author and educator who was both blind and deaf.
But the outer space aliens aspect is so intriguing.
"This is classic Americana of a specific time period," Gray said. "They (Janzen and other believers) did not think that these were little green men. They describe them as looking just like us. And they were living amongst us and actually influencing our direction.
"They early on believed that there was this simple kind of Christian-type movement — that these alien beings were also Christianized — and then there were different branches that not all were interested in our welfare.
They began developing ways of identifying whether these were good beings or not."
Gray, whose family has lived in the Geneseo area for five generations, said he remembers as a child when Dean, Janzen's friend from Nickerson, came to Geneseo and made a presentation about spaceships.
"They did a PTA program here at Geneseo … and, of course, most the community was somewhat embarrassed by the whole thing," Gray said. "A lot of folks just thought of him (Janzen) as a crackpot, and they didn't want other folks to know about this guy's stuff.
"But he represented a culture that was widespread across the country."
And now, it may be the one thing that draws tourism visitors to Geneseo.
"They (believers of UFOs) understood that there were people visiting our planet from Venus, from Saturn and from far off planet they called Coriander," Gray said. "That's certainly some wild stuff.
"I've always said that the thing about being a Kansan is that when you grew up seeing the vast horizon, you get a sense that all things are possible. You get a sense of the openness of the prairie that you can't get if you are living in the eastern part of the country.
"A strong value amongst Kansans is that we are neighborly — whether it is our neighbors down the road or space aliens. They are just another neighbor and somebody to say howdy to."
PUT IN A BOX?
The Geneseo City Museum is located at 907 Silver Ave. in Geneseo. It is open the second Saturday of each month from 2 to 5 p.m. or by special appointment by contacting Jim Gray at 785-531-2058.
Beccy Tunner
200 UFO sightings reported in Ohio last year ( Mansfield News Journal )
Retired military personnel becoming more vocal about the phenomena
Reports of UFO visits to North Central Ohio have increased in the nearly 50 years since one of the world's most believable encounters was documented above Mansfield by a military helicopter crew.
The phenomenon has spread throughout the Buckeye State as well. Ohio ranks No. 8 among states for UFO sightings with 4,110, based on a recent study by Outforia, a company that calls itself "the world's new favorite place to discover everything you seek — plus much more you never knew about — regarding the beautiful wilderness of Planet Earth."
Ohio forecast: Ohio weather goes from tornado warnings this week to snow storms this weekend
The most UFO sightings have been reported in California with 15,072, about twice the number reported in second-place Florida, which has had 7,513. Coming in third was Washington with 6,720.
Other states ahead of Ohio were Texas (5,631), New York (5,403), Arizona (4,604) and Pennsylvania (4,592).
'The object... took off and left him'
Ohio is one of the more active states for UFO activity, according to Tom Wertman, Ohio director for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
"We always rank in the top 10," he said.
Places such as California and Florida rank higher because of population and climate — there are more people who have more days with weather nice enough to be outside seeing unexplainable phenomena.
Investigators from MUFON have noticed that UFO sightings have increased in recent years, with many credible sources reporting them.
Saving jobs: Bucyrus GE Lighting plant workers rally outside Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's Columbus office
"There are a number of instances involving the military," Wertman said.
Several former military officials have gone public in the past few years with detailed encounters of unidentified objects they encountered while on duty.
One of the men provided authentic video recorded from an F-18 fighter jet that depicts a UFO performing what engineers consider to be impossible maneuvers.
"The object basically, when he tried to intercept it, took off and left him," Wertman said.
What may be even more interesting is the lack of response or explanation from current military officials.
"The government's not coming out and saying they're (UFO spotters) making this up," Wertman said.
Mansfield encounter still world famous
One of the most famous military encounters with a UFO took place in the skies above Richland and Ashland counties the night of Oct. 18, 1973.
For investigators of the unexplained, Wertman said the incident remains "in the top 10 cases of all times."
Members
of the Army Reserve helicopter crew who reportedly encountered a UFO in
October 1973 drew this diagram of the object they witnessed.
Submitted Photo
The event took place about 11 that night when helicopter pilot Maj. Lawrence Coyne was flying his Army Reserve crew of three others home from Columbus to Cleveland.
"I lived in Ashland at the time," Wertman said. "When I went to work the next day, guys at work were talking about it."
Several eyewitnesses reported the same thing as the four military personnel — when the helicopter got to about Charles Mill Lake, an object with a solid red light started approaching the helicopter in the sky.
"It appeared to be pacing the helicopter," Wertman said.
The men were concerned it might be a jet stationed at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, since the 179th had not yet transitioned from a tactical fighter group to an airlift wing.
"Mansfield Lahm at that time was operating F-100 fighters," Wertman said.
The crew decided the craft was on an intersecting path with their helicopter, so they monitored its progress as Coyne sent radio messages to the air base. Those messages went unanswered.
Army Reserve Capt. Lawrence Coyne speaks with
crew member Arrigo Jezzi, who was flying Coyne’s helicopter when the
crew reportedly encountered a UFO in October
Submitted Photo
Coyne dove the helicopter to try to avoid colliding with the cigar-shaped craft, but it followed his lead and eventually hovered directly in front of them, shining a blinding green light into their cockpit.
"Roughly about one minute was all it lasted," Wertman said.
When the UFO finally turned off its light and flew away, the crew realized their helicopter had been pulled about 2,000 feet above where they had been when the craft had intercepted them.
The crew barely made it home to Cleveland as their fuel supply was mysteriously gone.
"Coyne said the next day he checked with Mansfield and they said they had no records of his communications whatsoever," Wertman said.
Marion UFO sighting debunked
Not every reported UFO sighting in North Central Ohio proves to be mysterious.
Just this winter, MUFON received a tip that a Marion resident had recoded a video of two sets of four lights flying together on Jan. 16, 2022.
"The video was getting attention out there," Wertman said.
The organization's investigators decided the report was credible enough to research.
"We eventually found out the individual was in a smaller town about 30 to 40 miles north of Marion," Wertman said.
He used the new location to search a database of all flight records throughout the state.
"I found right around that time frame a C-130 had left Lahm doing a training exercise that night," Wertman said. "He was going directory through that area at 3,000 feet at night."
The flight was a tandem, meaning two cargo planes were flying next to one another through the night sky.
"It looked very unusual from the ground," Wertman said. "The time frames, everything, matched up 100%."
'Left with the truly unknown'
Proving the incident was not a UFO is not considered a bad thing by MUFON investigators. Their goal is to eventually discover the truth behind every report.
"I think it's great to look into cases like this," Wertman said.
It's also good training, and the investigators have received plenty of training opportunities as of late.
"Last year we got roughly 200 cases in Ohio that we had to investigate," Wertman said. "Of those, you're looking at about 20% that aren't explained."
Sometimes, the reports cannot be explained because there just aren't enough resources for researchers to analyze. The phenomena could be airplanes, satellites, or even drones.
"We do the best job we can investigating and researching these cases," Wertman said.
Once all of their efforts are exhausted, the investigators start to get excited because they then know they're not dealing with an airplane or other common aircraft mistaken for a UFO.
"Now you're left with the truly unknown that you were going after to begin with," Wertman said.
It might be aliens, but maybe not
In general, nothing about the phrase "UFO" is supposed to imply that an alien creature has built or is piloting the craft.
Many who are interested in solving the mysteries of UFOs have stepped away from the phrase to avoid association with a stigma that has been created by decades of pop culture and science fiction.
A new term gaining popularity is "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," or "UAP" for short.
"That implies it may be a man-made system we're seeing of some sort," Wertman said "We just don't know who is operating it."
Getting to the bottom of what's happening is not only intriguing for the curious, but important for national defense.
"If you've got something off the coast going through our air space, we have to figure it out," Wertman said. "Does somebody have the technology that they've developed that we're just not aware of?"
He said the entire discussion is being embraced by the military, rather than being avoided.
"They're also wanting personnel to come forward and talk about experiences like this," Wertman said. "What they're saying is they're not going to hold it against them."
It could even be a mixture of aliens and humans — companies or governments on Earth could be experimenting with otherworldly ideas discovered from mysterious wrecks around the globe.
"You don’t know what may have been obtained over the years," Wertman said. "We may just now be able reverse engineer some of those items."
Zach Tuggle
Ancora Ufo dalla Sardegna, avvistato un “disco volante” in provincia di Oristano ( Il Faro )
Questa volta il caso in questione sembrerebbe essere diverso dagli altri che si sono susseguiti nella regione nei giorni scorsi (leggi qui). Non capita tutti i giorni di ricevere testimonianze che fanno riferimento ad una forma discoidale che non sia semplicemente un cerchio di luce (troppo spesso dovuto in realtà ad una fonte luminosa che gira ad alta velocità, ad esempio se posizionata sulle pale di un elicottero).
Il fatto si è svolto così: il 13 marzo scorso verso le ore 18:30 a Mogoro ( foto sopra ), in provincia di Oristano, nella casa situata in campagna il testimone principale mentre si trova sul balcone a fumare, nota un “disco illuminato con luci rosse attorno” fermo verso le campagne a circa 5 chilometri di distanza, tra Gonnostramatza e Collinas. il disco scompare dopo pochi secondi, poi dopo altri 3-4 secondi ricompare fermo nello stesso punto ed emette un fascio di luce bianca verso terra per una durata di 2-3 secondi, infine, sembra partire velocemente lasciando una scia e sparendo dalla vista, nonostante il testimone avesse una visuale aperta di diversi chilometri.
Dal racconto non si riesce però a capire se il disco sia stato completamente illuminato (come un piatto “solido”) o se si sia percepita la forma circolare solo dal fatto che le luci siano state tutte intorno, come una circonferenza illuminata, senza altri colori al suo interno. Infatti viene aggiunto della descrizione il fatto che non ci sia stata una variazione del colore, a parte l’emissione del raggio luminoso bianco (il quale sembrava una potente fotoelettrica che stava illuminando il terreno sottostante).
Ecco, quindi, la differenza sostanziale con gli altri avvistamenti sardi: innanzitutto la zona. Non più nel sud della regione (nelle vicinanze di Cagliari e dell’aeroporto militare di Decimomannu) e, fatto interessante, il colore del tutto diverso: rosso invece di blu/azzurro. Ci sono poi altre diversità nella dinamica, a cominciare dalla partenza veloce con scia, forse luminosa, lasciata dall’oggetto (non c’era la Luna e l’oscurità della sera ha messo di certo in risalto quella scia). La dimensione angolare stimata non è così grande, essendo valutata pari a quella del pianeta Venere, per cui non ci aiuta ai fini del tentativo di identificazione. Però, qualcosa di importante il testimone ce lo riferisce all’ultimo, ovvero che il fenomeno è terminato dirigendosi verso ovest. Cosa c’è ad ovest rispetto Mogoro? C’è Capo Frasca, zona militare, con il suo poligono, l’eliporto e la base della 123esima Squadriglia Radar Remota. C’è, quindi, una correlazione tra l’avvistamento di Mogoro e quelli dell’ondata di cui abbiamo parlato le settimane scorse, tutti avvenuti nelle vicinanze di zone militari importanti in questi tempi di guerra, dove si presume si svolgano esercitazioni e controlli, forse per evitare pericoli per le infrastrutture stesse. Siamo consapevoli che questo tipo di considerazioni potrebbero portare a dichiarazioni del genere “gli alieni ci spiano e controllano per evitare che ci autodistruggiamo con le bombe atomiche”, ma non è quello il dubbio che viene a noi, che siamo più interessati ad un lavoro di analisi razionale delle testimonianze.
Stefano Innocenti
CISU - Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici
CISU - Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici
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