Insects as unidentified flying objects

Magazine Overview

This issue of APPLIED OPTICS, Volume 17, Number 2, dated 1 November 1978, features an article titled "Insects as unidentified flying objects" by Philip S. Callahan and R. W. Mankin. The cover price was $2.00. The main cover headline reflects the article's central theme.

Insects as Unidentified Flying Objects

The article proposes a novel explanation for many nocturnal unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings: that they are actually large swarms of insects emitting Saint Elmo's fire. The authors, P. S. Callahan and R. W. Mankin, draw parallels between eyewitness accounts of UFOs and the behavior of insect swarms, particularly those of night-flying moths.

Introduction and Background

Saint Elmo's fire, a natural phenomenon of static electricity discharge, is described as a reddish-purple, green, or bluish glow seen on prominent points during storms. The authors' interest was sparked by Frank B. Salisbury's book, "The Utah UFO Display: A Biologist's Report," which documented numerous UFO sightings in the Uintah Basin, Utah, between 1965 and 1968. The descriptions of these UFOs, with their blinking lights and humming sounds, reminded the authors of the flight patterns of insect swarms.

Laboratory Experiments

To test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted experiments using five species of insects: *Trichoplusia ni* (cabbage looper), *Euthyrhynchus floridanus* (predatory stink bug), *Tylocerina nodosus* (long-horned beetle), *Conotrachelus nenuphar* (plum curculio), and *Choristoneura fumiferana* (spruce budworm). Insects were subjected to high electric fields using a Molectron high voltage DC power supply and a Tesla coil. At electric field strengths of approximately 2.1 kV/cm, the insects began to emit brilliant colored flares or brushes of bluish-white light from various external points, such as mandibles, antennae, and leg joints. Occasionally, red, green, or orange flares appeared near the spiracles. The display was continuous with the Tesla coil and intermittent with the capacitor. The insects appeared agitated initially but settled down and suffered no apparent injury. Even dried insects, when rehydrated, could exhibit the flares.

A Photovolt model 502M photometer measured the radiant flux density of these insect emissions in the near-UV to blue spectral range.

Physics of Corona Discharge

The article explains that the colored lights surrounding the insects are a form of corona discharge, similar to Saint Elmo's fire and related to Kirlian photography. This discharge occurs when gas molecules are excited by energetic electrons released during collisions in a strong electric field. The pointed, exposed surfaces of the insect, where binding forces are weakest, facilitate the release of electrons. The predominantly bluish color suggests radiation from nitrogen.

A corona discharge requires a conductor. Live insects, with their electrolyte-rich body fluids, meet this requirement. The necessary strong electric fields can be generated by triboelectric processes (static charges from rubbing particles) in the atmosphere, particularly under thunderheads. Studies indicate that local electric fields can reach intensities of 1.7-2.2 kV/cm under such conditions, sufficient for a corona discharge.

Linking Insects to UFO Sightings

The authors postulate that the spruce budworm (*Choristoneura fumiferana*) might be responsible for the UFO sightings in the Uintah Basin. This hypothesis is based on the fact that the Uinta Mountains, north of the basin, are covered with Douglas Fir, a habitat for spruce budworms. Mass flights of spruce budworms are known to occur, sometimes in clouds of significant size, and these moths are known to collect high static charges due to their dielectric scales.

Mass flights of spruce budworms are often associated with convective storms preceding cold fronts. These storms create updrafts that can carry insects aloft, potentially into high voltage fields where they might emit Saint Elmo's fire. The timing of the Uintah Basin UFO display (starting in summer 1965) coincided with years of severe spruce budworm infestations in the region.

Eyewitness descriptions of UFOs, including erratic flight, blinking colored lights, and humming sounds, are presented as consistent with the behavior of disturbed insect swarms.

Location and Infestation Correlation

Analysis of U.S. Forest Service infestation maps revealed startling similarities between areas reporting budworm infestations and locations of UFO sightings in the Uintah Basin. Eight major sites of budworm infestations were identified along a line from Roosevelt to a phosphate plant north of Vernal, Utah, with many UFO sightings occurring in the rolling country south of the Uinta Mountains in this same general area.

Conclusion and Further Research

The authors suggest that while visitors from outer space may exist, the explanation for these specific UFO sightings lies in the natural phenomenon of insect swarms emitting Saint Elmo's fire. They propose that releasing U.S. Air Force tapes of UFO sightings could allow for correlation with insect infestations across the U.S. and Canada, potentially providing valuable data on insect migration, a poorly understood natural phenomenon.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme of this issue is the exploration of natural phenomena as explanations for seemingly anomalous events, specifically UFO sightings. The editorial stance, as presented by the authors, is scientific and evidence-based, seeking rational explanations rooted in physics and biology rather than solely relying on extraterrestrial hypotheses. The article advocates for interdisciplinary approaches, using entomological and atmospheric physics knowledge to re-examine existing data on UFO reports.