|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 19:00:56 GMT -6
Welcome to:
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects)
The purpose of this new thread will be to illustrate to both laypersons and Investigators examples of various natural and man made phenomenon often reported into UFO data bases.
Besides educating and familiarizing about the sky above, it is hoped this will help in discerning the wheat from the chaff as the old analogy goes. To help observers discern between IFO's and something truly anomalous.
This series will include nighttime video examples of Iridium satellites, satellites, birds, bats, flocks of geese, Boeing 747's, meteors, cosmic rays, sprites, camera stills of digital artifacts, flying Chinese/Japanese lanterns known as 'Khoom Fay'.
An appearance of a 'UFO' will be slipped in too just to spice up the thread. So keep a look out!
Enjoy,
Steve
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 19:31:33 GMT -6
IFO's - Identified Flying Objects Part 1
Iridium Satellites
Iridium satellites are relatively small communications satellites which provide cell phone like - satellite mobile telephone communications anywhere on Earth (no dead zones like with Cell phones). These satellites often provide spectacular visible reflective flares/glints to observers on the ground.
This photo was taken by Chris Dorreman on Sept 20, 1997 at 19:10:23 UT. It is believed to be one of the earliest pictures taken of a unpredicted (before any Iridium flare prediction Internet programs were published) magnitude -8 (estimated) flare produced by satellite 'Iridium 12' (annaD 24837/COSPAR 97-030-B). Details: 1 minute exposure on Fuji chrome 400ASA. Zenith is UP with sat moving left to right.
The mechanism providing the flare/glint are the MMA's (Main Mission Antennas) on each of the satellites (see illustration above). These antennas (of which there are three - 120 degrees apart, 188 cm wide x 86 cm long x 4 cm thick each) are highly reflective aluminum flat plates (treated with silver-coated Teflon for thermal control) that are angled 40 degrees away from the axis of the body of the satellite.
Photo of Iridium 40 at predicted magnitude of -5 on August 22, 1998 at 01:26:13 UT from 45.46N/10.72E in Northern Italy.
So why are Iridium satellites so reflective compared to the seemingly countless other satellites orbiting our planet? The axis of the Iridium satellite body is maintained vertical to the Earth's surface. It is the maintenance of the operational satellite's axial and longitudinal position oriented for optimum communication for the ground/satellite's MMA's links that allows the flares to be predicted.
The flares from these Iridium communication satellites can appear during daylight hours too. The Iridium concept employs a constellation of 66 satellites in six orbital planes around the Earth at an altitude of 780 km. (485 miles). Iridium satellites have been launched since May 1997.
There are now 6 separate orbital planes for Iridium satellites spaced approximately 30 degrees apart -called orbital 'slots'. Boeing has replaced Motorola in the maintenance of the Iridium satellite orbits. A number of Iridium satellites have also become inoperable, their orbits over time then allowed to decay and reenter the Earth's atmosphere. In each of the 6 orbital planes are several 'spare' Iridium satellites to maintain the system.
Video Example of Iridium Flare img339.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Myxv
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 20:11:14 GMT -6
IFO's - Identified Flying Objects Part 2
Satellites
Since October 1957, the launching of the Russian artificial satellite Sputnik 1 has changed so much the course of our world.
In little more than a generation, the launching of a satellite has gone from stopping the nation's business to guaranteeing that it runs like clockwork. Today, satellites, like clocks, telephones, and computers, are commonplace tools of technology. They help us navigate, communicate, monitor the environment, and forecast weather. Appropriately, the word satellite means an "attendant." The influence of these satellites upon our world society is incalculable.
A satellite is any object that goes around, or orbits, a larger object, such as a planet. While there are natural satellites, like the moon, and the multitude of moons around other planets in our solar system, including other solar systems far beyond now discovered (exo planets), hundreds of man-made or artificial satellites also orbit the Earth.
On any clear evening, you have an excellent chance to see a satellite about 1 to 1 1/2 hours after sunset. Most will be observed in north-south/south-north orbit or just as often, Northwest to south east, or south west to north east. In the space of an hour or more, a dozen satellites can be spotted. Brightness of the objects will vary depending on orbital altitude, size, and spin rate.
Although part of the Earth is in the sun's shadow at night, the satellite is still in sunlight, and the reflected sunlight illuminates it for Earth-bound observers. Many of these are debris from payloads and rocket bodies, called 'space junk'. Sometimes these artificial satellites will even sometimes dim and brighten to the observer in a repetitive pattern. This due to some space junk being a tumbling satellite body - such as a discarded third stage of a rocket.
Video Example of a Satellite img816.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Mm20031009185813sateli
Orbits
Human-made satellites circle the Earth in mainly three special ways: Low Earth orbits, polar orbits, and geostationary orbits.
A satellite in a polar orbit travels over the North and South Poles. A polar orbit may be several hundred miles to several thousand miles above Earth. A satellite in a relatively low orbit circles the Earth approximately 14 times each day, while higher-orbiting satellites orbit less frequently. Because the Earth is turning more slowly than the satellite, the satellite gets a slightly different view on every revolution. Over the course of a few days, a satellite in a polar orbit will cover almost all of the planet.
A satellite in a high-altitude, geostationary orbit circles the Earth once every 24 hours, the same amount of time it takes for the Earth to spin on its axis. The satellite turns eastward (like our Earth) along the Equator. It stays above the same point on Earth all the time. To maintain the same rotational period as the Earth, a satellite in geostationary orbit must be 22,237 miles above the Earth. At this distance, the satellite can view half of the Earth's surface. (Its viewing area is called its "footprint.") Because the high-altitude satellite appears to remain fixed in one position (it's really orbiting at the same rate as the Earth turns), it requires no tracking to receive its downlink signal. That is why when we turn our home satellite dish to receive the TV signal from a particular geostationary satellite, we don't have to keep jumping up to adjust its position.
One of the advantages of geostationary satellites is that imagery is obtained and displayed constantly, compared to imagery transmitted more sporadically by low Earth-orbiting platforms.
Navigation
The idea of using satellites for navigation began with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. Monitoring that satellite, scientists at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory noticed that when the transmitted radio frequency was plotted on a graph, a curve characteristic of the Doppler shift appeared. By studying this apparent change of radio frequency as the satellite passed overhead, they were able to show that the Doppler shift, when properly used, described the orbit of the satellite.
Most navigation systems use time and distance to calculate location. Early on, scientists recognized the principle that, given velocity and the time required for a radio signal to be transmitted between two points, the distance between the two points can be computed. To do this calculation, a precise, synchronized departure time and measured arrival time of the radio signal must be obtained. By synchronizing the signal transmission time between two precise clocks, one in a satellite and one at a ground-based receiver, the transit time could be measured and then multiplied by the speed of light to obtain the distance between the two positions.
This three-dimensional satellite navigational system (NAVSTAR) enables a traveler to obtain his or her position anywhere on or above the planet. Data transmitted from the satellite provides the user with time, precise orbital position of the satellite, and the position of other satellites in the system. Currently, there is a full constellation of 24 orbiting satellites devoted to navigation.
Using a commercial Global Positioning System (GPS) locator, the user can calculate distance by measuring the time it takes for the satellite's radio transmissions, traveling at the speed of light, to reach the receiver. Once distance from four satellites is known, position in three dimensions (latitude, longitude, and altitude) can be calculated by triangulation, and velocity in three dimensions can be computed from the Doppler shift in the received signal. The new GPS receivers do all of the work; a traveler simply turns on the unit, makes certain that it's locked onto at least four satellites, and the precise position of the GPS unit is displayed automatically.
(ISS) International Space Station
Most who observe the night sky are very familiar with the appearance and behavior of orbiting satellites. However, to many still very large satellites such as the ISS (International Space station) with it's size of a football field - often cause many to report them as possible UFO's. So many ISS /UFO reports come into MUFON's data base, I sometimes wonder if the long historical 'Queen of the UFO's' - the planet Venus has been displaced from this honor. It is the ISS brightness (as much as -8 magnitude) under certain conditions is usually what surprises many witnesses. As many as a dozen such reports of the ISS come into Mufon monthly from all over the world.
Websites like the free 'Heavens Above.com' website - www.heavens-above.com/ once the observers location and time zone is established, provides a very accurate verifiable tool for further investigation whether an object is most likely a ISS sighting or not.
I am often impressed by the detailed accuracy of many witness UFO reports that turn out to likely be a ISS sighting. Witnesses will describe direction, flight path, and timing of their sighting. These accurate reports provide sometimes a baseline for credibility with a known object compared to when they report something truly anomalous.
'Heavens Above provides a very useful ground track feature which illustrates the satellite related to the witnesses ground location. Along with sighting time, and sighting duration in easy visual fashion.
A rare photo of the completed ISS International Space Station photographed from a departing Soyuz with Space Shuttle Endeavour docked (STS-134) too. The ISS length & width is about the size of a football field!
When I was a Chief Investigator, sometimes relating back to the witness (s) our conclusions the object was a ISS sighting often has mixed reactions. From 'I know what I saw' to 'wow, that is neat!' Since I have always regarded investigation of UFO reports as a 'very human' experience, I am always mindful of the witnesses reaction.
So the witness may not feel sometimes embarrassed (most aren't) I turn their experience they were kind enough to report into a scientific experiment they themselves can become involved in. I give them the times and direction of future predicted ISS sightings in their area. If what they see in these future sightings more or less matches, the investigators hypothesis is further confirmed too by scientifically 'repeating the experiment'. The cooperative witness sense of pride sometimes is soothed as well, and even pleased to be able to participate in their investigation.
Here is a common example of one witness report I investigated (one among a great many I have done) that later was identified as a ISS sighting.
'Bright white round light moving silently, SW to NE'
Location: Sonoma, California, Time: 9/27/2009 (19:37 hours) (Note the precise time - a credit to the witness)
"Sitting outside in my lawn chair enjoying the evening as it was just becoming dark. Live in a rural area with open skies, good visibility ... often look at the evening sky, watch celestial bodies, airplanes, man-made satellite, owls, etc. Take notice of all moving objects, but this one more intently because the light seemed brighter than other airplanes, and it made no noise. When I first spotted it, assumed it was just another airplane; but after a few seconds, wondered if it was a satellite. It was a bright white, round light, about the size and brightness of Venus or Jupiter. Moving from NW to SE at about the same speed and altitude as a plane. Deduced that it was not a plane because (1) no flashing red or other lights; (2) never heard a noise coming from it; (3) moved more like a satellite ... gliding, floating ... propulsion seemed different than that of a plane. Possibly a hard body / craft beneath the light, but hard to distinguish in the dark. Although it moved like a satellite, it was too low and too bright to be one. It was out of the ordinary ... I questioned if a plane would be flying without the red blinking lights ... and the silence was definitely odd. I lost sight of it when it seemed to vanish before reaching the horizon in the SE, probably due to cloud cover."
Case Deposition by attending Investigator: IFO - Man made object = ISS
The 'Heavens Above' ISS ground track for the 9/27/2009 sighting.
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 20:48:59 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) Part 3
Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites, Bolides, and Asteroids
The term 'Meteor' comes from the Greek word 'meteoron', meaning phenomenon in the sky. It is used to describe the streak of light we sometimes see produced as matter in the solar system falls into Earth's atmosphere creating temporary incandescence resulting from atmospheric friction. This typically occurs at heights of 80 to 110 kilometers (50 to 68 miles) above Earth's surface.
The term 'Meteorite' is also used loosely with the word 'Meteoroid' referring to the particle itself without relation to the phenomena it produces when entering the Earth's atmosphere. A meteoroid is matter revolving around the sun or any object in interplanetary space that is too small to be called an asteroid or a comet. Even smaller particles are called micrometeoroids or cosmic dust grains, which includes any interstellar material that should happen to enter our solar system. A meteorite is a meteoroid that reaches the surface of the Earth without being completely vaporized. The broader term 'Bolide' refers to either an extraterrestrial body that collides with the Earth, or to an exceptionally bright, fireball-like meteor regardless of whether it ultimately impacts the surface.
Meteorites that are recovered after being observed as they transited the atmosphere or impacted the Earth are called 'Falls'. All other meteorites are known as 'Finds'. As of February 2011, there are approximately 1,086 witnessed 'falls' having specimens in the world's collections.
In contrast, there are over 38,660 well-documented meteorite finds currently. Some meteors have trajectories that in some cases fortunately skip off the Earth's atomosphere.
Video example of a Meteoroid (#12) img26.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=M4tb
Video example of a Meteoroid (#2) img195.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=May3
One of the primary goals of studying meteorites is to determine the history and origin of their parent bodies. Several achondrites sampled from Antarctica since 1981 have conclusively been shown to have originated from the moon based on compositional matches of lunar rocks obtained by the Apollo missions of 1969-1972.
Sources of other specific meteorites remain unproven, although another set of eight achondrites are suspected to have come from Mars. These meteorites contain atmospheric gases trapped in shock melted minerals which match the composition of the Martian atmosphere as measured by the Viking landers in 1976. All other groups are presumed to have originated on asteroids or comets; the majority of meteorites are believed to be fragments of asteroids.
Meteorites have proven difficult to classify, but the three broadest groupings are stony, stony iron, and iron. The most common meteorites are chondrites, which are stony meteorites. Radiometric dating of chondrites has placed them at the age of 4.55 billion years, which is the approximate age of the solar system. They are considered pristine samples of early solar system matter.
Notable Meteorites collected here on Earth (four among thousands):
'The Martian Meteorite' - There are 34 meteorites confirmed to have originated from the planet Mars, but generally refers to the famous 'Martian Meteorite', a basalt lava rock nearly indistinguishable from many Earth rocks, provided the first strong proof that meteorites could come from Mars. Originally weighing nearly 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds), it was collected in 1979 in the Elephant Moraine area of Antarctica. The side of the cube at the lower left in this image measures 1 centimeter (0.4 inches).
This picture shows a sawn face of this fine-grained gray rock. (The vertical stripes are saw marks.) The black patches in the rock are melted rock, or glass, formed when a large meteorite hit Mars near the rock. The meteorite impact probably threw this rock, dubbed "EETA79001," off Mars and toward Antarctica on Earth. The black glass contains traces of Martian atmosphere gases. This meteorite is 180 million years old.
The Mars Rover 'Opportunity' has discovered that a rock dubbed "Bounce" at Meridiani Planum has a very similar mineral composition to this meteorite and likely shares common origins. Bounce itself is thought to have originated outside the area surrounding Opportunity's landing site; an impact or collision likely threw the rock away from its original home.
The Peekskill Meteorite- This meteorite is famous for the fact that when it fell on October 9, 1992 it destroyed the trunk of a car in Westchester County, New York. (But did the Insurance company honor the claim? lol)
The Vesta meteorite- This meteorite is assumed to be a sample of the crust of the asteroid Vesta, which is only the third solar system object beyond Earth where scientists have a laboratory sample (the other extraterrestrial samples are from Mars and the Moon). The meteorite is unique because it is made almost entirely of the mineral pyroxene, common in lava flows. The meteorite's mineral grain structure also indicates it was once molten, and its oxygen isotopes are unlike oxygen isotopes found for all other rocks of the Earth and Moon. The meteorite's chemical identity points to the asteroid Vesta because it has the same unique spectral signature of the mineral pyroxene.
The Willamette Meteorite- Discovered in 1902, the Willamette meteorite is an iron-nickel meteorite discovered in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the largest meteorite found in the United States and the sixth largest in the world. No impact crater was preserved at the discovery site; it is possible that the meteorite landed in what is now Canada and was transported to the Willamette Valley during the Missoula Floods in ice as a glacial erratic. It is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History.
The Big Ones: When Meteoriods are measured in Tons or in Miles= Asteroids
The average meteoroid enters the atmosphere at velocities between 10 and 70 km/sec. (70 km/sec. = 156,585 MPH). But all but the very largest are quickly decelerated to a few hundred km/hour by atmospheric friction and hit the Earth's surface with very little fanfare. However meteoroids larger than a few hundred tons are slowed very little; only these large (and fortunately rare) ones make craters.
A good example of what happens when a small asteroid hits the Earth is Barringer Crater (a.k.a. Meteor Crater) near Winslow, Arizona. It was formed about 50,000 years ago by an iron meteor about 30-50 meters in diameter. The crater is 1200 meters in diameter and 200 meters deep. About 120 impact craters on Earth have been identied so far. One of these arriving near you could ruin your whole day (potentually even mass extinctions). www.solarviews.com/eng/…..nguska.htm
Landsat 4 satellite image of Barringer Crater, Arizona. December 14, 1982.
The Science of meteorites & ' Meteor 'Showers'.
The science of meteor astronomy began in 1833, when a storm of 60,000 meteors an hour shocked the world. By the 1860s, it had become clear that many meteor showers were annual — including the normally placid Leonids, which produced the big storm — and that they were somehow related to comets. Astronomers now consider comets to be "dirty snowballs" consisting of a mixture of dust and frozen gases. At each pass near the Sun, the comet ejects a stream of material.
Concentrated initially near the comet, the debris diffuses along each stream's orbit and eventually forms a thin band of material that Earth encounters every year. A meteor shower occurs on the date in the year when Earth passes nearest to the band of material associated with a comet's orbit.
Raining Perseids! August 11/12, 2004. Original image: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070812.html
A brief summary of the best meteor showers throughout the year:
Quadrantids. Generally visible between December 28 and January 6, the Quadrantids have a sharp activity peak around January 3. Typical rates vary between 40 and 100 per hour; about 5 percent leave trains. When the shower was first recognized as annual in 1839, the radiant occurred in a constellation no longer recognized — Quadrans Muralis (Wall Quadrant). It's now divided between Hercules, Boötes, and Draco. The cold nights of northern winters and typically faint meteors keep this shower from being truly popular.
Until late 2003, this was the only major meteor shower whose parent body remained unknown. But that year astronomers found a near-Earth asteroid named 2003 EH1. When astronomers estimated the theoretical speed and radiant for a hypothetical meteor shower caused by particles from 2003 EH1, the results fell squarely in the middle of those measured for the Quadrantids by meteor observers. Astronomers suspect the object is a fragment from the breakup of a comet — and perhaps the event that gave birth to the Quadrantids.
Lyrids. The Lyrids appear from April 16 to 25 and peak (at 10 to 15 per hour) around April 21; the radiant lies between Hercules and Lyra. Chinese observations of this display date back to 687 b.c., making the Lyrids the earliest recorded meteor shower. Astronomers recognized the Lyrids as an annual shower in 1839 and connected it it to its parent comet, C1861 G1, in 1867. Lyrid meteors are bright and rather fast (30 miles [48 km] per second), and about 15 percent leave persistent trains.
Eta Aquarids. The first of the year's two showers that derive from Halley's Comet, the Eta Aquarids occur from April 19 to May 28, with a peak (10 to 20 per hour) around May 6. This shower is best for observers in the Southern Hemisphere, where the hourly rate climbs to about 50. The radiant is located near the Y-shaped asterism in Aquarius and named for one of those stars. The shower was discovered in 1870 and linked to Halley in 1876. The meteors are among the fastest (42 miles [67 km] per second) and are faint on average, but the brighter ones have a yellowish color; about 30 percent leave trains.
Southern Delta Aquarids. This is the most active of a diffuse group of streams and, as the name suggests, is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere. These meteors may be seen between July 12 and August 19 and peak (15 to 20 per hour) near July 28. The meteors are medium speed (27 miles [43 km] per second); they tend to be faint, and few leave trains.
Perseids. The best known of all meteor showers, the Perseids never fail to put on a good show and — thanks to the shower's late-summer peak — are usually widely observed. The earliest record of this event comes from China in a.d. 36. Generally visible from July 17 to August 24, meteor speed (37 miles [60 km] per second), brightness, and a high proportion of trains (45 percent) distinguish the Perseids from other showers active at this time. It became the first meteor shower linked to a comet (109P/Swift-Tuttle) in 1865. Models of the Perseids predict a gradual decline in activity from a peak in 2004.
Draconids. The Draconids are sometimes called the Giacobinids; in a break with convention, this name honors the shower's parent comet, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Draconid activity occurs between October 6 and 10, with a peak on October 8 (if it occurs at all). In 1933 and 1946, the shower produced brief but intense meteor storms (more than 5,000 per hour); in 1998, it reached a rate of about 500 meteors an hour over eastern Europe.
The occurrence of the shower is intimately tied to the proximity of its parent comet. According to Donald Yeomans, a comet expert at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the most intense showers occur when Earth grazes the comet's orbit within a few months of its passage. Most researchers agree that a full-fledged meteor storm — defined as 1,000 meteors an hour or more — will occur in 2018. Draconids are slow-moving meteors, encountering Earth at less than 12 miles (20 km) per second, and they typically are faint.
Orionids. This is the sister stream of the Eta Aquarids, also arising from the debris of Halley's Comet. Discovered in 1864, the Orionids were not linked to Halley until 1911. Orionid meteors can be found between October 2 and November 7, with a peak of about 25 per hour around October 21. Orionid meteors are among the fastest (42 miles [67 km] per second); they generally are faint, and about 20 percent leave trains that persist one or two seconds. Southern Taurids.
Visible between October 1 and November 25, this is the strongest of several streams originating from Comet Encke. A broad maximum occurs between November 3 and 5, but this shower usually brings an hourly rate of less than 15 meteors. The shower was first recognized in 1869 and was associated with Comet Encke in 1940. Its meteors generally are faint and quite slow (19 miles [30 km] a second) because they approach Earth from behind and must catch up.
Leonids. Leonid meteors generally arrive between November 14 and 21, with a peak hourly rate on November 17 of between 10 and 15 meteors per hour; about half of these meteors leave trains that can persist for several minutes. Because Earth runs into the orbiting particles almost directly head-on, Leonid meteors travel faster than those of any other shower — 45 miles (71 km) per second. The shower's most notable feature is its habit of producing periodic, dramatic meteor storms as Earth intercepts streams of dense material ejected at previous returns of Comet Tempel-Tuttle.
Our planet passed through such streams annually from 1998 to 2003. Computer models show that Jupiter's tug on the dense Leonid streams causes them to miss Earth until at least 2098. Because the stream responsible for the predicted outbursts was ejected in 1933, only its smallest particles have been able to drift into a path that Earth will intersect. This means any outburst, if one occurs at all, will be rich in faint meteors.
Geminids. The Geminids are active between December 7 and 17 and peak near December 13, with typical hourly meteor rates around 80 but occasionally more than 100. Because the Geminids intersect Earth's orbit near the side directly opposite the Sun, this shower is one of the few that are good before midnight. The parent body of the Geminids is a curious object designated 3200 Phaethon. What makes Phaethon interesting is that it appears to be an asteroid instead of a comet. Planetary scientists suggest that many of the asteroids whose orbits cross Earth's may be, in fact, worn-out comets.
Possible Evidence of life – A meteorite called - 'Antartica ALH84001'. Several Martian meteorites have been found to contain what some think is evidence for fossilized Martian life forms. The most significant of these is a meteorite found in the Allan Hills of Antarctica (ALH84001). Ejection from Mars seems to have taken place about 16 million years ago. Arrival on Earth was about 13 000 years ago. Cracks in the rock appear to have filled with carbonate materials (implying groundwater was present) between 4 and 3.6 billion-years-ago. Evidence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified with the levels increasing away from the surface. Other Antarctic meteorites do not contain PAHs.
Earthly contamination should presumably be highest at the surface. Several minerals in the crack fill are deposited in phases, specifically, iron deposited as magnetite, that are claimed to be typical of biodepositation on Earth. There are also small ovoid and tubular structures that might be nanobacteria fossils in carbonate material in crack fills (investigators McKay, Gibson, Thomas-Keprta, Zare).[17] Micropaleontologist Schopf, who described several important terrestrial bacterial assemblages, examined ALH 84001 and opined that the structures are too small to be Earthly bacteria and don't look especially like lifeforms to him. The size of the objects is consistent with Earthly "nanobacteria", but the existence of nanobacteria itself is controversial.
In August 2002, a NASA team led by Thomas-Keptra published a study indicating that 25% of the magnetite in ALH 84001 occurs as small, uniform-sized crystals in a crystal form that, on Earth, is associated only with biologic activity. The remainder of the material appears to be normal inorganic magnetite. The extraction technique did not permit determination as to whether the possibly biologic magnetic was organized into chains as would be expected.
Many studies disputed the validity of the fossils. For example, it was found that most of the organic matter in the meteorite was of terrestrial origin. But, a recent study suggests that magnetite in the meteorite could have been produced by Martian microbes. The study, published in the journal of the Geochemical and Meteoritic Society, used more advanced high resolution electron microscopy than was possible in 1996
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 20:53:07 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) part 4 (or is it?)Here is the video from the same surveillance cameras of something 'unidentified' (UFO).... as promised in the series introduction. Notice in video the group of lights seem to yaw slightly. What is it? Steve Video example of a 'UFO' or 'UAP' (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena)img190.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=M16000138[/i]
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 21:08:58 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) Part 5
Mirages
Remember those mirages we watched in cartoons as a child? You know, the ones where a magical oasis appears to a weary, hot traveler in the desert. More common are road mirages. Very common sights, frequently making the asphalt appear to have large pools of collected water. Mirages are optical illusions, caused by light rays bending and creating visible “objects” – which, of course, are subjective.
In most 'Hollywood' versions depicting a Mirage, most of course are humorious more associated with heat stroke/hallucination - or the eloquent 'PC' version - "the interpretive faculties of the human mind" - "your 'seeing thangs bub".
Like the desert hamburger stand and soon later - Dorothy Lamour in the funny scenes from 'Road to Morocco' - Mirages are a real optical phenomenon captured on camera (not Dorothy, Bing, & Bob).
A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirare, meaning "to look at, to wonder at". This is the same root as for "mirror" and "to admire". Also, it has its roots in the Arabic mirage.
In contrast to a hallucination, a mirage is a real optical phenomenon which can be captured on camera, since light rays actually are refracted to form the false image at the observer's location. What the image appears to represent, however, is determined by the interpretive faculties of the human mind. For example, inferior images on land are very easily mistaken for the reflections from a small body of water.
An artificial mirage, here sugar solutions are used to simulate the inversion layers in a glass of water. The cat seen looking through the glass has three layers of solution, with decreasing refractive index from bottom to top. The cat appears in multiple images. This simulates an atmosphere with two inversion layers.
Mirages can be categorized as "inferior" (meaning lower), "superior" (meaning higher) and "Fata Morgana", one kind of superior mirage consisting of a series of unusually elaborate, vertically-stacked images, which form one rapidly-changing mirage.
mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/mirages/mirintro.html
Cold air is denser than warm air and has therefore a greater refractive index. As light passes from colder air across a sharp boundary to significantly warmer air, the light rays bend away from the direction of the temperature gradient. When light rays pass from hotter to colder, they bend toward the direction of the gradient. If the air near the ground is warmer than that higher up, the light ray bends in a concave, upward trajectory.
Once the ray reaches the viewer’s eye, the visual cortex interprets it as if it traces back along a perfectly straight "line of sight". This line is however at a tangent to the path the ray takes at the point it reaches the eye. The result is that an "inferior image" of the sky above appears on the ground. The viewer may incorrectly interpret this sight as water which is reflecting the sky, which is, to the brain, a more reasonable and common occurrence.
In the case where the air near the ground is cooler than that higher up, the light rays curve downward, producing a "superior image".
The "resting" state of the Earth's atmosphere has a vertical gradient of about -1° Celsius per 100 metres of altitude. (The value is negative because it gets colder as altitude increases.) For a mirage to happen, the temperature gradient has to be much greater than that. According to Minnaert,[1] the magnitude of the gradient needs to be at least 2°C per metre, and the mirage does not get strong until the magnitude reaches 4º or 5°C per metre. These conditions do occur when there is strong heating at ground level, for example when the sun has been shining on sand or asphalt and an inferior image is commonly generated because of this.
Inferior Mirage
The model given above explains the cause of the inferior mirage, called "inferior" because the image seen is under the real object. The real object is the (blue) sky or any distant object in that direction, meaning we see a bright bluish patch on the ground in the distance. For exhausted travelers in the desert it appears as a lake of water. On tarmac roads it may seem that water or even oil has been spilled. This is called a "desert mirage" or "highway mirage". Note that both sand and tarmac can become very hot when exposed to the sun, easily being more than 10°C hotter than the air one meter above, enough to cause the mirage. Light rays coming from a particular distant object all travel through nearly the same air layers and all are bent over about the same amount. Therefore rays coming from the top of the object will arrive lower than those from the bottom. The image usually is upside down, enhancing the illusion that the sky image seen in the distance is really a water or oil puddle acting as a mirror.
Inferior images are not stable. Hot air rises, and cooler air (being more dense) descends, so the layers will mix, giving rise to turbulence. The image will be distorted accordingly. It may be vibrating; it may be vertically extended (towering) or horizontally extended (stooping). If there are several temperature layers, several mirages may mix together, perhaps causing double images. In any case, mirages are usually not larger than about half a degree high (same apparent size as the sun and moon) and from objects only a few kilometers away.
Bottom photo - Yellowstone Nat. Park - a hot-road mirage, "fake water" on the road, the most common example of an inferior mirage.
Highway Mirage
A highway mirage is an inferior mirage which can be seen very commonly on roadways by day or by night. This hot-road mirage is usually most noticeable on hot sunny days. Warm air is less dense than cool air, and the variation between the hot air at the surface of the road and the denser cool air above it creates a gradient in the refractive index of the air. Light from the sky at a shallow angle to the road is refracted by the index gradient, making it appear as if the sky is reflected by the road's surface. The mind interprets this as a pool of water on the road, since water also reflects the sky.
Superior Mirage
An artificial mirage, using sugar solutions to simulate the inversion layers. A cat is seen looking through a glass, which has three layers of solution, with decreasing refractive index from bottom to top. The cat appears in multiple images. This simulates an atmosphere with two inversion layers. A superior mirage occurs when the air below the line of sight is colder than that above. This is called a temperature inversion, since it does not represent the normal temperature gradient of the atmosphere. In this case the light rays are bent down and so the image appears above the true object, hence the name superior. Superior mirages are in general less common than inferior mirages, but when they do occur, they tend to be more stable, as cold air has no tendency to move up or warm air to move down.
Superior mirages are most common in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice with a uniform low temperature. They also occur at more moderate latitudes, although in those cases they are weaker and less smooth and stable. For example, a distant shoreline may appear to tower and look higher (and thus perhaps closer) than it really is. Because of the turbulence, there seem to be dancing spikes and towers. This type of mirage is also called the Fata Morgana or hillingar in the Icelandic language.
A superior mirage can be right-side up or upside down, depending on the distance of the true object and the temperature gradient. Often the image appears as a distorted mixture of up and down parts.
Superior mirages can have a striking effect due to the Earth's curvature. Were the Earth flat, light rays that bend down would soon hit the ground and only nearby objects would be affected. Since Earth is round, if their downward bending curve is about the same as the curvature of the Earth, light rays can travel large distances, perhaps from beyond the horizon. This was observed and documented for the first time in 1596, when a ship under the command of Willem Barents in search of the Northeast passage became stuck in the ice at Novaya Zemlya. The crew was forced to endure the polar winter there. They saw their midwinter night come to an end with the rise of a distorted Sun about two weeks earlier than expected. It was not until the 20th century that science could explain the reason: The real Sun had still been below the horizon, but its light rays followed the curvature of the Earth. This effect is often called a Novaya Zemlya mirage. For every 111.12 kilometres (69.05 mi) the light rays can travel parallel to the Earth's surface, the Sun will appear 1° higher on the horizon. The inversion layer must have just the right temperature gradient over the whole distance to make this possible.
In the same way, ships that are in reality so far away that they should not be visible above the geometric horizon may appear on the horizon or even above the horizon as superior mirages. This may explain some stories about flying ships or coastal cities in the sky, as described by some polar explorers. These are examples of so-called Arctic mirages, or hillingar in Icelandic.
If the vertical temperature gradient is +12.9°C per 100 meters (reminder: Positive sign means temperature gets hotter as one goes higher), then horizontal light rays will just follow the curvature of the Earth, and the horizon will appear flat. If the gradient is less the rays are not bent enough and get lost in space. That is the normal situation of a spherical, convex horizon. But if the gradient gets larger, say +18°C per 100 meters, an observer would see the horizon as concave, the right and left ends turned upwards as if one were standing at the bottom of a saucer.[citation needed]
In some situations, distant objects can get elevated or lowered, stretched or shortened with no mirage involved.
Fata Morgana
A Fata what? A Fata Morgana, the name of which comes from the Italian translation of Morgan le Fay - the fairy shapeshifting half-sister of King Arthur, is a very complex superior mirage. It appears with alternations of compressed and stretched zones, erect images and inverted images.[2] A Fata Morgana is also a fast-changing mirage.
Fata Morgana mirages are most common in polar regions, especially over large sheets of ice with a uniform low temperature, but they can be observed almost anywhere. While in polar regions a Fata Morgana may be observed on cold days, in desert areas and over oceans and lakes a Fata Morgana may be observed on hot days. For a Fata Morgana, temperature inversion has to be strong enough that light rays' curvatures within the inversion are stronger than the curvature of the Earth
The rays will bend and create arcs. An observer needs to be within an atmospheric duct in order to be able to see a Fata Morgana.[3] Fata Morgana mirages may be observed from any altitude within the Earth's atmosphere, including from mountaintops or airplanes.[4][5]
Distortions of image and bending of light can produce spectacular effects. In his book Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the "Bismarck", the author Ludovic Kennedy describes an incident that allegedly took place below the Denmark Strait during 1941, following the sinking of the Hood. The Bismarck, while pursued by the British cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk, passed out of sight into a sea mist. Within a matter of seconds, the ship re-appeared steaming toward the British ships at high speed. In alarm the cruisers separated, anticipating an imminent attack, and observers from both ships watched in astonishment as the German battleship fluttered, grew indistinct and faded away. Radar watch during these events indicated that the Bismarck had in fact made no changes of course.
A changing Fata Morgana mirage of the Farallon Islands - 27 miles (43 km) outside the Golden Gate off San Francisco.
Mirage of Astronomical Objects
A mirage of an astronomical object is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon, in which light rays are bent to produce distorted or multiple images of an astronomical object. The mirages might be observed for such astronomical objects as the Sun, the Moon, the planets, bright stars and very bright comets. The most commonly observed are sunset and sunrise mirages.
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 21:31:43 GMT -6
IFO's - Identified Flying Objects Part 6
Camera Artifacts. Orbs, Lens Flares, & Digital Image Sensors.
Orbs:
The term 'orb' describes unexpected, typically circular artifacts that occur in flash photography — sometimes with trails indicating motion — especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras.
Orbs are also sometimes called backscatter too, orb backscatter, or near-camera reflection. These artifacts are especially common with compact or ultra-compact cameras, where very short distances between the lens and the built-in flash decreases the angle of light reflection to the lens, directly illuminating the aspect of the particles facing the lens and increasing the camera's ability to capture the light reflected off normally sub-visible particles.
These orb image artifacts usually appear as either white or semi-transparent circles, though may also occur with whole or partial colors too, purple fringing or other chromatic aberration. With rain droplets, an image may capture light passing through the droplet creating a small rainbow effect. Digital images using a flash capturing orbs are even more common when the fine water droplets of fog are present. Orbs have become a very commonly seen digital artifact related to supposed paranormal and sometimes UFO images too. The very small lenses and short focal lengths common with digital cameras are prone to this, less so with longer focal length lenses, more common with SLR cameras. Orbs on stills cameras and camcorders were not identified and called 'orbs' until the mid-1990s. These orb appearances coincided with the mass production and distribution of digital still cameras.
Raindrop Orbs
Orb closeup.
Lens Flares:
Lens Flare is the light scattered in camera lenses. A 'Flare' appears usually in two ways: firstly as a haze across the image, making the image look "washed out" by reducing contrast and color saturation (adding light to dark image regions, and adding white to saturated regions, reducing their saturation), and secondly as visible artifacts.
Example of a visible artifact lens flare. Even a top-quality Zeiss lens on a Hasselblad can have flares!
Example of a haze lens flare across an image, making the image look "washed out" reducing contrast and color saturation.
The spatial distribution of the lens flare typically manifests often as several starbursts, rings, or circles in a row across the image or view. Lens flare patterns typically spread widely across the scene and change location with the camera's movement relative to light sources, tracking with the light position and fading as the camera points away from the bright light until it causes no flare at all. The specific spatial distribution of the flare depends on the shape of the camera aperture. For example, if the lens has a 6-bladed aperture, the flare may have a hexagonal pattern. Artificial lens flares are even sometimes created in motion pictures and video games.
Digital Camera Image sensors:
An image sensor is a device that converts an optical image to an electric signal. It is used mostly in digital cameras and other imaging devices. Early sensors were video camera tubes but a modern one is typically a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor.
Both types of sensor accomplish the same task of capturing light and converting it into electrical signals. Additional circuitry on the chip may be included to convert the voltage to digital data.
Related to lens flares, when a digital camera's image sensor receives too many electrical signals, due to intense very bright light such as the sun, the image sensor will essentually 'zero out' the digital data in that area of the image - so the sensor is not damaged.
Note in two UFO photographs related to actual UFO cases I investigated below, there appears in the images a 'black spot' ironically shaped like a disk flying object. This is not a UFO flying nearby, just a digital artifact of the camera's image sensor coping with the intense light source being photographed.
In both cases, the witnesses were very cooperative, and at my suggestion they reproduced the same lighting effects, with the sun on the edge of the camera frame using the same cameras.
In each case, the same artifact was reproduced exactly. Both cases solved - ' IFO - digital artifact'. One case photo taken at Lake Shasta, the other along the coast at Capitola, California. These saucer shaped digital artifacts are common from camera cell phones.
Conclusion: (for part 6)
So have digital cameras really been a blessing to the human race in uncovering the UFO mystery? That maybe debatable. More cameras spread around, but the quality overall is again - debatable. Digital images to UFO investigators may have become the visual equivalent of today's annoying car alarms.
Many notable UFO investigators will often site the Heflin 1964 series UFO images, or the famous McMinnville, Oregon - May 11, 1950 images as perhaps more definitive proof of alien visitation - film images. Digital images offering such proof will likely ever be possible, or ever be completely trusted.
The famous McMinnville, Oregon - May 11, 1950 UFO , one of two series of images taken by Paul Trent. These two photos have withstood the test of time--through generations of researchers. In this digital age, are the Trent & Heflin photos 'the last honest pizza'?
The next IFO's - Identified Flying Objects will be (Part 7) - Lenticular Clouds.
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 21:44:33 GMT -6
IFO's - Identified Flying Objects Part 7
Mount Shasta in Northern California. A setting well known in the local culture oddly connected with UFO activity. Lenticular clouds can form anywhere under the right conditions, even in Antarctica.
Lenticular clouds
Lenticular clouds (Altocumulus lenticularis) are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned perpendicular to the wind direction. Lenticular clouds can be separated into altocumulus standing lenticularis (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular (SCSL), and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL). Due to their shape, they are often associated (or mistaken) as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).
In a sense, Lenticular clouds are a Rorschach Ink Blot test in the sky. A simple often revealing insight of a subjects' perceptions & interpretations. The human mind sees an unusual cloud formation, and associates to find a familiar visual match. The media often has a huge influence in these visual associations.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test
Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. As the moist air moves back down into the trough of the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapor. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form near the crest of each successive wave, creating a formation known as a 'wave cloud.' The wave systems cause large vertical air movements and so enough water vapor may condense to produce precipitation. The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs (or "visual cover" for UFOs) because these clouds have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape. Bright colors (called Irisation) are sometimes seen along the edge of lenticular clouds.
Pilots of powered aircraft tend to avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the powerful turbulence that accompany them, but glider pilots actively seek them out. The precise location of the rising air mass is fairly easy to predict from the orientation of the clouds. "Wave lift" of this kind is often very smooth and strong, and enables gliders to soar to remarkable altitudes and great distances. The current gliding world records for both distance (over 3,000 km; 1,864 mi) and altitude (15,460 m; 50,721 ft) were set using such lift. Australian glider pilot slang often for lenticular clouds is a 'Bunyan wave'. In most other places glider pilots refer to Lenticular clouds as 'Lennies'.
'A Lennie' or (Bunyan Wave) in the distance. Surfs up glider dudes! Glider pilots are the surfers of the clouds - their keener astute awareness of weather plays an essential part of their skillful use of gravity, updrafts, and efficient use of flight 'energy'.
Video of a Lenticular cloud using time lapse.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KlRCq5SDTE&feature=player_embedded [/youtube]
One of the most famous lenticular cloud photograph pitched as a UFO. Ella Louise Fortune worked as a nurse at the Mescalero Indian Reservation near Three Rivers, New Mexico, took this picture while driving along Highway 54 at about 1:30 PM on 16 October 1957. Not surprisingly she stated the UFO was hovering motionless. Seen over Holloman Air Force Base. (film over-exposure resulted in this "blob of light" effect).
A similar lone lenticular cloud with the same 'streak' as the 1957 photo is displayed here - recently photographed near sunset.
Imagination is the fuel that propels the pursuit of new knowledge. If we must from time to time be reminded of scientific facts, between the two - knowledge and imagination - we remember what Einstein once said - "but imagination is the most important".
These IFO articles I hope will enhance your experience, and hopefully will make you better observers.
I am preparing a completely new series to open soon once this 'IFO's: Identified Flying Objects' series (now on Twitter) is completed. It will delve into the known scientific characteristics of UFO's.
Enjoy.
Steve
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 21:56:18 GMT -6
IFO's - Identified Flying Objects Part 8
The Moon.
The Moon? An IFO? This will be the briefest addition in the series. I wondered if I should even include a segment on the Moon, our nearest celestial neighbor. Added here just for the sake of completeness describing most of the of natural phenomenon in our sky.
I won't fill this post with numerous statistics & facts. There are plenty to find on the Internet already.
Moon phases: www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php
Just from a simple Investigators observational viewpoint, the full moon is the size of an aspirin held at arms length, according to the Field investigators manual. Related to UFO's, I remember the line from 'The UFO Incident' when Betty Hill (played by ' Estelle Parsons) little dachshund 'Delsey' is seen barking out their bedroom window days after their encounter before their sessions with Dr. Simon (played well by Bernard Hughes). She picks up her little dog, "it's only the moon silly". If only dogs could speak to us.
This beautiful YouTube video captures the beauty and mystery of our nearest natural neighbor and it's many guises seen through the vale of our atmosphere. Like the Sun, our Moon marks the time. Hope you enjoy 'Crater Face: The Moon Show' - music by 'Technician.'
Steve
Moon Rings , Winter Halos, Moon Dogs
A Moon Ring , also known as a Winter Halo, or Moon Dog , is a phenomenon that usually appears in conjunction with a full moon. There appears to be a whitish ring, approximately 10 to 20 times the size of the moon, surrounding the moon and centered on it. It is caused by refraction of the light from the full moon in the ice particles floating in the clouds, as opposed to a rainbow, where light refracts in the water vapor that makes up the clouds. Since this happens most effectively at a certain angle, this ring appears at the bottom of the clouds, and since similar triangles must form between the moon, the refracting surface, and the observation point, the "highlighted" clouds are at approximately the same distance from the moon, creating the image of a ring.
In ancient times, it is believed that a moon ring meant very warm days before the winter storm. It is also said that the number of days can be counted by counting the stars inside the ring. If you count 15 stars then you have 15 days before a winter storm is to come.
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 22:25:08 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) Part 9
Birds & Bats:
BATS:
Bats. Or as Johann Strauss would say 'Die Fliegenmaus*'. Bats constitute some twenty percent of all classified mammal species on Earth. (Maybe aliens should refer to Earth as the 'Bat planet'?).
So it stands to reason some UFO's reported maybe only the natural coming and going of these ecologically important little animals.
Recently, a small number of people (or even one person frequenting a number of UFO conventions) have been soliciting the public attempting to sell very expensive low light night vision goggles. Proclaiming the night skies are filled with space ships in vast epic battles between various alien species, the sellers of these night vision goggles too only wishing humanity was fully aware of these grave happenings just above our heads!
In reality, what is witnessed are the still amazing but terrestrial nightly habits of bats simply feeding on insects. Caveat emptor!
Bat Video Example: img638.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Medp
Bats seem to bring to mind both fear and humor too. Try ever shooing one out of your house with a broom that came down the chimney? A funny scene from 'Love at First Bite'. Bats (black chickens) can lay eggs? Not quite.
BIRDS:
Birds are winged bipedal, endothermic (warm blooded) egg laying, vertebrate animals. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most varied of vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
Some birds, especially parrots, are among the most intelligent of animal species. A number of bird species have even been observed manufacturing and using tools. Many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.
Many bird species migrate to take advantage of global differences of seasonal temperatures, seeking other available food sources and breeding habitat. These migrations vary among the different groups and can cover amazing distances.
So how do birds relate then to UFO reports?
Other possible misidentification's maybe migrating birds in a natural flying 'V' formation. Could many 'Triangle' objects by persons determined to see something anomalous be actually birds in formations at night?
Municipal amber colored street lighting (ironically amber lighting is used by municipalities to reduce light pollution in consideration of astronomers) reflecting off of birds? I wonder if a study has ever been done to correlate migration patterns of birds with Triangle reports.
Bird Video Example 1: img36.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=M52g
Bird Video Example 2: img405.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Mfy5m
Also a great many digital camera images of UFO's often turn out to be birds, which are often classified as 'digital artifacts'.
Photos from one of my UFO Investigation cases: Knights Ferry, California - April 17, 2008
A close up of a bird mistaken by the witness as a UFO craft that must have strayed into the background. Photographer noticed object in photo after the fact.
Photo Analysis:
Case summary: These images are usually always seen after they are downloaded later into the computer - the object never seen first and a photo taken. One clue is often the object in question in the photo is never centered in the photo's composition. Contacting the local Audubon Society (they were thrilled to assist in a UFO mystery). The Audubon's local raptor expert confirmed the UFO was not only a bird - but a red tailed hawk.
Witness states:
"I was taking a picture of a man standing next to a big tree on the top of a large hill. I did not notice anything unusual in the sky until I was looking at my pictures days later. While I was at Knight's Ferry Park in Knight's Ferry, CA, I did not see this object with my naked eye,nor did I hear anything unusual. My main interest for taking the photo was the perspective of the man standing next to the tree. Upon noticing the object in the picture, I enlarged that portion of the picture as much as I could. If you notice, the object does not cast a shadow on the hill below leading me to think it is behind the hill not on top of it. If you look closely, the object appears to be reflecting the sun. The man on the hill did not appear to notice the object as he and his dog continued their walk along the top of the hill."
Investigator writes:
"May 7, 2008
Hi XXXXXXX,
Here is the photo. Photo taken at Knight's Ferry, California. On April 17, 2008. Time 11:30 am.
The photo was of the man and the tree, but the artifact was seen to the right. No apparent shadow. Suspect it is a bird or a insect. Could you possibly enlighten as to what it might be please?
Thank you,
Steve
The local Audubon's local raptor authority then writes in reply:
Subject: Re: UFO photo artifact Date: May 9, 2008 2:11 AM Hi, Steve. We got your message tonight, but it was about 10:30 when we got home--from a XXXXXXXXX Area Audubon Society meeting. We did receive the photos, and Kris and I agreed the UFO is a bird. Judging by its size in the distant view, using the tree and the man for perspective, we suspected it's a large raptor. Several other people experienced in hawk identification, including XXXXXXXXX, director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory at the Marin Headlands, who (conveniently) was our speaker tonight, agreed, and we all guessed it's probably a red-tailed hawk.
Although the blown-up image is blurry, you can see what appear to be wing feathers on the left side, and the general color suggests it's a red-tail. Nonetheless, XXXXXX asked me to email him the photos, and he'll ask others at the XXXXXXX for their opinions. I'll let you know their response, but for now, that's our consensus. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to offer an opinion--it was fun to participate in a real UFO investigation! And thanks for validating the prophecy in my Chinese fortune cookie!
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 22:32:19 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) Part 10
SPRITES:
Sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, or cumulonimbus, giving rise to a quite varied range of visual shapes flickering in the night sky. They are triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground.
Sprites appear as luminous reddish-orange flashes. They often occur in clusters within the altitude range 50–90 km above the Earth's surface. Sporadic visual reports of sprites go back at least to 1886, but they were first photographed on July 6, 1989 by scientists from the University of Minnesota and have subsequently been captured in video recordings many thousands of times.
Sprites are sometimes inaccurately called upper-atmospheric lightning. However, sprites are cold plasma phenomena that lack the hot channel temperatures of tropospheric lightning, so they are more akin to fluorescent tube discharges than to lightning discharges.
History
Transient optical phenomena including Sprites above thunderclouds can be found in anecdotal reports from as early as 1730 (see Johann Georg Estor). Nobel laureate C. T. R. Wilson had suggested in 1925, on theoretical grounds, that electrical breakdown could occur in the upper atmosphere, and in 1956 witnessed what possibly could have been a sprite. They were first documented photographically on July 6, 1989 when scientists from the University of Minnesota, using a low-light video camera, accidentally captured the first image of what would subsequently become known as a sprite.
Several years after their discovery they were named sprites (air spirits) after the mischievous character Puck in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Since their 1989 discovery, sprites have been imaged tens-of-thousands of times, from the ground, from aircraft, and from space, and have become the subject of intensive investigations.
Characteristics
Sprites have been observed over North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Southern Africa (Zaire), Australia, the Sea of Japan and Asia and are believed to occur during most large thunderstorm systems. Sprites are colored reddish-orange in their upper regions, with bluish hanging tendrils below, and can be preceded by a reddish halo. They last longer than normal lower stratospheric discharges, which last typically a few milliseconds, and are triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between the thundercloud and the ground. They often occur in clusters of two or more, and typically span the altitude range 50 kilometers (31 mi) to 90 kilometers (56 mi), with what appear to be tendrils hanging below, and branches reaching above.
Optical imaging using a 10,000 frames per second high speed camera shows that sprites are actually clusters of small, decameter-sized (10–100 m, 30–300 ft) balls of ionization that are launched at an altitude of about 80 km and then move downward at speeds of up to ten percent the speed of light, followed a few milliseconds later by a separate set of upward moving balls of ionization. Sprites may be horizontally displaced by up to 50 km from the location of the underlying lightning strike, with a time delay following the lightning that is typically a few milliseconds, but on rare occasions may be up to 100 milliseconds. (So don't blink )
Steve
Video Example of a 'Carrot Sprite' img859.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=Pzhu
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Jun 27, 2011 22:41:59 GMT -6
IFO's (Identified Flying Objects) Part 11
KHOOM FAY (Sky Lanterns)
Sighting report - Witness contact details deleted. Witnesses: 4 Date of sighting: January 1, _____ (01:00 hours). Shape: Amber colored glowing cube shape. Object passing over head (about 300 feet?) above them traveling in a very straight & level flight path east to west. Duration of sighting 1 minute, 10 seconds. All witnesses agree.
Object reported moved in a very straight & level flight path. No sound. Object would have had to pass directly over ___________airport, ________, California, about 1 to 2 miles due east of witness location (in front of their home - _______________________. All witnesses reported being sober (I asked directly). Witness reported was baby sitting his niece during New Years, and did not leave home. Object appeared 30 minutes after conclusion of street fireworks on their neighborhood street.
Witness Sketch:
Identified as: Khoom Fay (Chinese Sky Lanterns) released 15 miles away to the east (up wind) of witnesses.
Video Example by unsuspecting witnesses (Chinese lanterns) Lincoln, United Kingdom.
History:
A Chinese Lantern Advertisement states:
"Khoom Fay (Sky Lantern) launching is one of the most renowned folk activities, during the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival in Taiwan. Originating back hundreds of years, sky lanterns were used as signaling devices by armies, and later were adopted by local folk to convey their wishes to the heavens. The locals believed the floating candles offered poignancy and tranquility, rekindling their ancestral spirits. Locals believed that the launching of Khoom Fay into the sky would rid them of all their troubles. Moreover, if the lanterns were offered to monks, they would receive wisdom in return as the flame in the lantern was said to symbolize knowledge and the light would guide their life in the right path.
If the Khoom Fay, (made from mulberry paper and a bamboo frame) rose high and traveled far, it would be a sign of prosperity. Khoom Fay can rise as high as 1,000 meters, and can travel vast distances.
In short, the local folk in Asia believed that as the Sky Lantern rose, it takes away their troubles and bring good luck in the future.
The annual Yipeng Lantern Festival is celebrated by millions. Yipeng means the full moon of the twelfth lunar month in the Buddhist calendar (or the second lunar in the Asian calendar). In 2005 (the year of the Sheep) the number of lanterns launched reached 200,000 each floating toward the heavens, each with its own small wish."
As one would imagine with new ethnic diversity in many populations - unaccustomed with some traditional celebrations - such as Chinese lanterns celebrations - often comes UFO reports. One example are Chinese Lanterns - now popular in the United Kingdom often released during weddings. Not surprisingly, some distributors of Chinese Lanterns even label their products as 'UFO lanterns'.
In my own area, a number of such reports would occur every New Years Eve. One year a number of New Years Eve block parties in my own city reported several UFO reports witnessed by dozens. Knowing this, and living in California just East (up wind) of the above UFO report, the witness's detailed drawing and - importantly the sighting report date provided the most important clues to the solution.
Sky lanterns, also known as Kongming Lantern are constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and contain a small candle or fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, thus lowering its density causing the lantern to rise into the air. The sky lantern is only airborne for as long as the flame stays alight, after which the lantern floats back to the ground. These sky lanterns have been known to travel great distances. In fact, in Chinese traditions, a sky lantern that travels many miles is believed to bring greater fortune.
In the United States:
Launching sky lanterns or fire balloons was once a common way to celebrate the American 4th of July. They appear in short stories by the science fiction author Ray Bradbury. And sky lanterns are prominently featured in the 2010 animated Disney musical, Tangled, which has contributed to a resurgence of their popularity.
Dangers:
As sky lanterns contain a flame, there is the danger that they can cause a fire when landing on flammable ground. They can achieve quite a height and launching them in strong winds is not recommended. After the balloon lands, the leftover thin wire frame may present a hazard to any animal tempted to swallow it.
The city of Sanya (Hainan Province) of China has banned sky lanterns due to hazard to aircraft. They are also forbidden to be used in parts of Germany. In Austria it is illegal to sell, produce or import them, or to distribute them in any other way.
Steve
The above You Tube video is for educational purposes only. It is not a product endorsement by either 'Steve' or by the 'The Edge of Reality' proboards website. Both 'Steve' & 'The Edge of Reality' website recognizes it's potential fire danger and does not encourage its use in anyway.
|
|
|
Post by Steve on Oct 9, 2011 21:45:15 GMT -6
I investigated for a number of years many 'Triangle' reports over Kettleman City and Fresno along California Interstate 5. Look up on you tube the many reports, some with the most foul mouthed cussing I have ever heard from so called ladies too excited to hold a camera steady. Other reports though had impressive art work giving detailed descriptions. This one below from the NUFORC, and even appeared on the infamous Peter Jennings UFO Documentary. My own case field photos of the very same Manning Ave. overpass in the drawing. Note importantly the telephone lines - the object in the witness drawing would have had to fly through these lines -over or under? The witness who did the drawing would likely have not noticed these lines since he observed his 'UFO' at night. Unless an alien hotshot pilot - this was an important clue - possibly about a witness's distance perception at night - details only known if Field Investigators make the effort to go to the scene. Through this 'mess' I began plotting all of these, dates and times, the text of witnesses reports, all on a computer map. Dozens & dozens of sightings amazingly. Video showed something in the usual unsteady poorly photographed images. These lights began appearing in many of the reports. Once the many cases were arranged in order geographically, a number of clear patterns within the human noise began to appear. The sightings were always at night, usually between 9pm and 3 am, always between April and October. Always usually along the same stretch of highway. A low flying object either described as a triangle and /or a low flying & banking row of four bright lights. Apparently in some witness reports even brazenly 'buzzing' cars. Often the lights were reported from the observers vantage point to be hovering at times. One huge clue emerged. Just from reading all the reports, all the witnesses that filled these reports were always traveling through this area, never a report by local witnesses living in the area. Why? It was obvious from this it was something unusual to travelers on this stretch of highway either leaving LA traveling to Yosemite, or SF Bay area travelers driving down to Disneyland. But whatever it was, it was activity familiar to the locals. I then thought who watches or spends more time on the highway than anyone else? Police officers. The California Highway Patrol (to those not from California - The CHP is our state Police). Contacting the local Fresno CHP office, working up the CHP office food chain till there was no one else to refer a UFO investigator too...I was referred to the CHP senior officer there finally. He said it was crop dusting planes flying at night. At night? I contacted local crop dusting pilots, and sure enough, before I knew it - I was actually interviewing the pilots of these very UFOs! I ran off dates and locations....Hwy 5 and Manning Ave., and others...they checked their flight log books...sure enough..."that one was mine", "that one was...."....and on and on. Some 50 UFO reports over period of years solved at once! So why at night? Because of the local farm labor unions. The workers pick the crop (mostly cotton lately around Kettleman City) by day, so pilots spray at night. This is done in the lower end of the California Central valley, Arizona, parts of New Mexico and Australia. Helicopters spraying around Modesto, Ayers Thrush Turboprops usually from Fresno south & the Imperial Valley. The pilots provided me with a wealth of information. Including how to check some of our UFO reports with the local county Dept. of Agriculture. Each crop dusting pilot is required before hand to log where and when and what they are spraying beforehand. All public record easily accessible if one knew were to look. Having the final word, these pilots added - confessing a secret wish to see a UFO sometime, but in their 20 to 30 years most had been flying the area...not a one had ever seen anything unusual they confessed sadly to me. Like the 'cool' funny scene at the dog races with Carl Reiner in 'Oceans Eleven' - Reiner tells Brad Pitt.... "I saw you at the Paddock before the second race, outside the mens room before I placed my bet....I saw you even before you got up this morning." ;D So don't just 'watch the skies'.... 'know 'your' skies'. Seems no one still does analysis in that 'other UFO organization'...checking for historical reports in their area. Seems they still get frenzied UFO reports down in the Kettleman City area too... see link below....they should have read my reports along with other reports from good investigators now departed "that other....". Glad I have moved on...still investigating, It is always helpful to do your homework. Steve www.weirdfresno.com/2011/07/strange-lights-still-being-reported.htmlEpilogue Here is the 'UFO'. The Ayres 'Thrush' Turboprop, the most common crop-dusting aircraft, and the ones used around Kettleman City, California too. Ayres also developed a special anti-narcotics crop-spraying version of the Turbo-Thrush for the US State Department. This version, known as the Narcotics Eradication Delivery System (NEDS) featured an armored cockpit and engine to protect against hostile ground fire. Only nine were ever sold to the State Department in 1983-85. (NEDS) and (WYTDW) Where your tax dollars went. New you tube videos since these UFO cases were completed. Perhaps a public service announcement by the drop dusters themselves? One video shows from the observer on the ground, the other video from the pilots view. Compare the ground video to the witness drawings. The pilots use a more sophisticated GPS, and flood lights on the front edge of their wings. They bank to turn, they switch off the front floods, and on the pilots stick witch on a flood light angled 90 degrees to see where they are going in the turn, then they switch back on the other lights. They are spraying cotton. Amazing. Compare the hysteria in the earlier videos, to the calm observers voices in these final videos. Many many cases closed.
|
|