UFO Nyt - No 3 2009

Magazine Overview

Title: ufo nyt
Issue: Nr. 3
Volume: 51. årg.
Date: 3. kvartal 2009 (July 2009)
Publisher: SUFOI (Skandinavisk UFO Information)
Country: Denmark
Language: Danish
ISSN: 0049-4976
Price: kr. 307,00

Editorial Content

Editorial: "Vil vi høre svarene?"

The editorial, written by Kim Møller Hansen, questions whether people truly want answers to their UFO-related questions or if they already have their own versions of the truth. Hansen notes that most inquiries come from ordinary people who have witnessed unexplained phenomena and are seeking explanations. He distinguishes these from the more insistent, conspiracy-minded individuals who prefer supernatural or conspiratorial explanations over logical ones. Hansen emphasizes the importance of evidence and the burden of proof for extraordinary claims, cautioning against jumping to unlikely conclusions when simpler explanations exist.

Feature Article: "BT-svindelen i 1959" (The BT Hoax in 1959)

This extensive article commemorates the 50th anniversary of a notorious hoax perpetrated by two students, Ole Strandgaard and Jørgen Ekvall. On July 8, 1959, they submitted photos of what they claimed was a flying saucer over Amager to the Danish newspaper B.T. The newspaper ran the story on its front page, creating a sensation. The following day, the students confessed that the 'saucer' was made of two plastic plates and four tennis balls, and the photos were staged to prove how easily the public and media could be fooled. The article details the students' motivations, their interactions with the press, and the reactions from various authorities and experts, including the Danish Air Force and civilian aviation officials. It highlights the media's eagerness to publish sensational news and the subsequent embarrassment when the hoax was revealed. The students expressed regret for the extent of the deception, stating their initial intention was merely to debunk UFO claims.

Other Articles and Sections:

• "I kølvandet på arkivets offentliggørelse": Discusses the implications of an archive's public release.
• "Officer fortæller om radar-ufo": An officer shares an account of a radar-detected UFO.
• "Arkiv åbnes i Uruguay": Reports on the opening of a UFO archive in Uruguay.
• "SETI fylder 10 år": Celebrates the 10th anniversary of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project.
• "Da ufoerne blev rumskibe, 1. del": The first part of a series exploring how UFOs came to be associated with spaceships.

SUFOI Information:

The magazine also includes standard information about SUFOI, its purpose, leadership, and contact details. It lists the editorial staff, publication schedule for 2009, subscription prices, and guidelines for submitting articles. The copyright information and details regarding the use of material are also provided. The editorial stance is that articles published in UFO-Nyt represent contributions to the knowledge of UFO research, and SUFOI does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of UFO-Nyt heavily focuses on the theme of UFO hoaxes and media sensationalism, exemplified by the detailed account of the 1959 BT incident. The editorial questions the public's genuine desire for answers, suggesting a tendency to cling to pre-existing beliefs. The magazine maintains a critical and investigative approach, seeking factual information and debunking false claims while acknowledging the persistent public interest in unexplained aerial phenomena. The inclusion of topics like SETI and UFO archives indicates a broader scope within the field of ufology, encompassing both scientific inquiry and historical cases.

Title: UFO-NYT
Issue: 3/2009
Date: 2009
Character: This issue of UFO-NYT focuses on historical UFO events and contemporary sightings, with a significant portion dedicated to the 50th anniversary of a notable Danish UFO hoax.

The 1959 Amager UFO Hoax: 50 Years Later

The lead article, "For 50 år siden" (50 years ago), delves into the sensational "flying saucer" story that broke in Danish media in July 1959. The incident, involving two young men from Amager who claimed to have photographed a UFO, caused a media frenzy. The article details how newspapers like B.T. and Aarhus Stiftstidende reported on the story, with some publications initially treating it as credible.

Kaptajnløjtnant H.C. Petersen of SUFOI (the Danish UFO organization) and his publication UFO-Nyt are mentioned in relation to the event. The article highlights the media's role in sensationalizing the story, with some critics, like Børge Outze in Information, suggesting that military experiments might be mistaken for UFOs. The piece also touches upon the political climate of the Cold War, implying that such stories could be exploited for propaganda.

Further analysis is provided by Hans Kirk, who criticizes the media's eagerness to believe the story without sufficient proof. The article also notes the involvement of journalist Bertel Thomsen, who is described as a specialist in "tall tales about flying saucers." The hoax was eventually exposed, with the two young men admitting their deception. The article includes a photograph from a 1967 American magazine, "Look," presenting the Amager hoax photo.

Contemporary Danish UFO Sightings

The issue features several recent UFO observations from Denmark:

Haubro Observation (November 2002)

A teacher recounts an experience from 2002 where two separate groups of students independently observed a strange, bright, rod-shaped light phenomenon in the sky near Haubro. The light moved rapidly, stopped, and then faded away.

Horsens Observation (April 2009)

An observer from Horsens describes witnessing a large, white, disc-shaped object in the sky, accompanied by six smaller, metallic objects. The objects exhibited unusual maneuvers, speeds, and behaviors, including hovering and rapid acceleration. The observer's father also witnessed the event.

Hobro Observation (Date not specified, likely around 2009)

Another observation from Hobro describes a long, metallic tube-like object crossing the sky silently, rotating, and reflecting sunlight. This report is compared to the Horsens sighting due to the metallic nature of the objects.

Sønderborg Observation (May 2009)

A man from Sønderborg reported seeing three orange lights in the sky that he initially mistook for planets but later realized were moving.

UFO Investigations and Archives

Uruguay Opens UFO Archive

The Uruguayan Air Force (FAU) has made its UFO archive public, granting access to the newspaper El Pais. The archive contains hundreds of reports dating back to 1947, including detailed eyewitness accounts, photographs, and sketches. Approximately 40 cases remain unexplained after decades of investigation. Notable cases include fighter pilots chasing a luminous sphere and pilots observing two luminous spheres during an exercise.

Officer's Account of Radar UFO

Kaptajn Thomas Pedersen from the Danish Air Force's Flyvertaktisk Kommando (FTK) discusses the opening of the Danish UFO archives. He shares an experience from his time in the radar unit "Marktime" where an unidentified object was detected by radar but not visually by pilots, highlighting the challenges in distinguishing between known and unknown aerial phenomena.

Chaff Explained

A section defines "Chaff," a radar countermeasure used by aircraft and ships to confuse enemy radar systems. It explains its historical use, particularly during World War II, and its function in creating false targets on radar screens.

SETI Project

SETI Celebrates 10 Years

The article highlights the 10th anniversary of the SETI@home project, which utilizes the computing power of millions of personal computers worldwide to search for extraterrestrial signals. Despite no signals being detected yet, the project continues its search, comparing it to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores UFO phenomena with a critical yet open-minded approach. It emphasizes the importance of detailed reporting, investigation, and the debunking of hoaxes, as exemplified by the extensive coverage of the 1959 Amager incident. The editorial stance appears to be one of encouraging public reporting of unexplained aerial phenomena while maintaining a scientific and evidence-based perspective. The publication also highlights the role of military and civilian organizations in documenting and investigating UFO reports, and the ongoing scientific efforts to detect extraterrestrial intelligence.

Title: UFO-NYT
Issue: 3/2009
Volume: 21
Date: 2009
Publisher: SUFOI
Country: Denmark
Language: Danish
Cover Headline: Da ufoerne blev rumskibe (When UFOs became spaceships)

This issue of UFO-NYT, dated 3/2009, features a historical analysis titled "Da ufoerne blev rumskibe" (When UFOs became spaceships), exploring the reasons behind the shift in public perception of UFOs, particularly in 1947. The magazine also touches upon distributed computing projects and the role of media in shaping public opinion.

Historical Context: The Road to Fear

The article posits that the perception of UFOs as alien spaceships was not solely based on sightings but was deeply intertwined with the prevailing atmosphere of fear and anxiety in the post-World War II era. The author highlights that despite the official end of the war, the preceding years had instilled a profound sense of unease in the American population.

The Legacy of War and the Dawn of the Cold War

Drawing on the theories of Italian General Giulio Douhet, who advocated for terror bombing to break enemy morale, the article notes that this strategy was employed throughout World War II. The constant exposure to news of atrocities, bombings, and the devastating power of new weapons like the atomic bomb (used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945) created a lasting psychological impact. Even after the war's conclusion, this ingrained fear persisted, amplified by the burgeoning Cold War tensions and the perceived threat of global conflict.

The article cites various newspaper headlines from October 1945 to October 1946, illustrating the ongoing anxieties. These include reports of civil war in China, the rise of communism, Stalin's rhetoric interpreted as a prelude to World War III, Soviet actions against American aircraft, sightings of 'ghost rockets' and 'rocket bombs' over Sweden, and continued atomic testing by the USA. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Henry Wallace, is quoted warning that those who rely on the atomic bomb will eventually be destroyed by it. Furthermore, rocket-like objects were reported exploding near German towns in the Soviet zone.

The Role of Media and Public Perception

The media played a significant role in shaping and reinforcing these fears. The article suggests that the constant stream of negative news and the demonstration of increasingly destructive military capabilities led the public to feel vulnerable. This climate made people more receptive to explanations for unexplained phenomena, especially those that suggested an external threat.

Kenneth Arnold's Observation: A Pivotal Moment

Kenneth Arnold's sighting on June 24, 1947, is presented as a crucial event. While the article acknowledges that Arnold's experience might have had natural explanations and that he himself initially linked the objects to American technology, its timing was critical. Occurring within this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, his report of 'flying saucers' captured the public's imagination and provided a tangible focus for their anxieties. The extensive press coverage transformed his observation into a defining moment in UFO history, solidifying the image of UFOs as extraterrestrial craft.

Distributed Computing Projects

Beyond the historical analysis of UFOs, the magazine briefly mentions contemporary scientific endeavors utilizing distributed computing power. Projects like SETI@home, led by Werthimer, use personal computers to analyze radio signals from space in search of extraterrestrial intelligence. Another project, Rosetta@home, uses donated computing power to design new proteins for medical research, while Einstein@home analyzes satellite data for gravitational waves. These projects highlight a modern approach to tackling complex scientific problems through collective effort.

Media and Conspiracy Theories

The latter part of the magazine discusses the role of the internet in the spread of conspiracy theories. Media researcher Frands Mortensen and historian Dan H. Andersen are quoted, suggesting that conspiracy theories are persistent and that believers exhibit a strong resistance to factual evidence. The internet is described as a democratic forum where misinformation can spread rapidly, influencing public perception, including that of UFO phenomena. Andrew Keen's book "The Cult of the Amateur" is referenced, highlighting the challenge of discerning truth from falsehood in the digital age, where "a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the historical roots of UFO beliefs, the psychological impact of war and the Cold War on public perception, and the influence of media and the internet on shaping narratives and spreading information (and misinformation). The editorial stance appears to be one of critical historical analysis, seeking to understand the socio-political and psychological factors that contributed to the UFO phenomenon's cultural significance, rather than focusing solely on the physical reality of sightings. The magazine aims to provide context for the evolution of UFO beliefs, linking them to broader societal anxieties and technological advancements.