AMSKAYA

Magazine Overview

Title: AMSKAYA
Issue: No.76
Date: October 2008
Publisher: STAR Fellowship
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of AMSKAYA, the newsletter of the STAR Fellowship, presents a collection of recent UFO sightings and related phenomena, primarily focusing on events in the UK during 2008. The cover story highlights a potential UFO sighting from Patrick Moore's garden during a broadcast of 'The Sky at Night'. The newsletter includes reports from various newspapers, witness testimonies, and discussions about the increasing number of unexplained aerial phenomena.

UFO SEEN FROM PATRICK MOORE'S GARDEN?

The lead article discusses a picture shown on 'The Sky at Night' broadcast in October, which featured a lighted object in the sky observed from Patrick Moore's garden. The object did not exhibit unusual movements but was not identified as conventional aircraft. The commentary during the broadcast noted clear weather conditions. The article also references other potential UFO-related images connected to 'The Sky at Night', including a long object seen near Saturn's rings and objects photographed during a Turkey eclipse.

Newspaper Reports of Increased Activity

The newsletter compiles several reports from newspaper websites detailing a recent increase in UFO activity:

Daily Mail, Sunday, October 26, 2008

Caught on camera: Mysterious speeding object leaves UFO experts puzzled

Photographer John Farley captured an unusual image of a speeding object at Berry Head in Brixham, Devon. While reviewing his photos, he noticed a mysterious round object in the background. Experts found the object's blurriness baffling, suggesting it was moving very quickly. This sighting was part of a night with a record number of sightings in the UK.

Devon Couple's Sighting

A Devon couple, Wayne and Jo Taylor, reported witnessing 'unusual activity' near their home in Barnsey Gardens, Ashburton. They described a spectacular light show with about a dozen slow-moving circular lights in formation heading towards Dartmoor.

Daily Telegraph, 7th July 2008

British UFO sightings at 'bizarre' levels

This article reports a flood of UFO sightings across Britain during the summer. A map illustrates sightings stretching from Liverpool to Dover. Malcolm Robinson, a UFO phenomenon researcher, noted the unusual number of sightings and suggested a link to global warming or extraterrestrial concern about human actions. The article mentions a 'glowing' disc seen above the M5 motorway by Royal Navy engineer Michael Madden, and a fleet of 12 orange objects seen in Basingstoke. It also recounts a police helicopter chasing a UFO near St. Athan.

Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2008

UFOs spotted by Navy engineer above the M5 motorway

Michael Madden described seeing a disc-shaped object hover above the M5 motorway before it 'zoomed off at incredible speed'. He watched it for three minutes near Weston-super-Mare.

Daily Telegraph, 18th April 2008

Huge rise in British UFO sightings

This report states that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) received 135 UFO sightings in 2007, a significant increase from previous years. The MoD has opened its 'X-Files' for 2007. The article notes that details of classified reports, previously kept secret for 30 years, are now being released. Various types of objects were reported, including discs, formations, lights, and triangular craft. Specific incidents mentioned include fifty objects with orange lights seen in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, and two pilots reporting a bright orange craft in Alderney. A witness in Portsmouth described an oval/spherical object accelerating rapidly. In the West Midlands, a UFO shone a light into a witness's window. Hilary Porter from BEAMS stated that sightings were becoming 'enormously' common, with many calls about huge formations and close encounters.

Ministry of Defence Stance

A spokeswoman for the MoD stated that they do not investigate every report, only those where British airspace might be compromised by hostile or unauthorized military aircraft, or if there is evidence of a potential threat.

LETTERS

Norman Darwen, Bolton, Lancashire

This letter references a Manchester Evening News story about UFOs seen over Stretford. The observer described the objects as 'massive' and 'huge'. The letter also mentions a similar massive UFO seen in the 1990s and notes Manchester's proximity to the 'Pennine Corridor'.

Riddle of the strange lights above Stretford

This section details a sighting of mysterious orange lights over Stretford, described as intensely bright and the colour of the setting sun. Dozens of residents witnessed eight or nine 'bright orange orbs' that were not helicopters or planes, making no smoke or sound. Matthew Darsley described them as 'massive' and like the filament of a light bulb. Manchester Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority reported no unusual activity. A Defence Ministry spokesman reiterated their limited investigative scope. Mum Beverley Clarke also reported seeing huge, bright orange spheres over Abbey Close.

Experts suggest that many UFOs might be atmospheric phenomena. However, Steve Mera of the Manchester Association of Paranormal Investigation and Training noted a 40% increase in UFO sightings, with 150 in the last three months, and about six percent remaining unexplained. A police spokesman suggested the Stretford lights might be a meteor shower.

Pilots Call for New UFO Investigation

This article discusses a group of retired pilots demanding the US government take UFOs more seriously. They cite dramatic accounts of witnessing UFOs, including transparent discs and triangular craft. They call for the reopening of a government file closed 30 years ago and want to stop the myth that all UFOs are conventionally explainable. Fife Symington, former governor of Arizona, is quoted advocating for this.

UFO-Kontakt, ofIG AP-Deutschland (Germany), September/December 2008

UFO sightings over England in June 2008

UFO expert David Coggings reported that pilots are reporting UFOs over the Bristol Channel two to three times per week, with 15-20 percent unidentified.

Orbs in ancient site

This brief note describes anomalous lights, possibly 'earthlights', photographed at the Lower Innisidgen Entrance Tomb on the Isles of Scilly.

Memories of Philip Rodgers by Tony Wedd

This personal account by Tony Wedd details his experiences with Philip Rodgers in 1960, involving experiments related to 'Space People' and communication. They discussed the construction of a 'Yonskaler' and engaged in telepathic communication. The narrative also touches upon George Adamski and the 'Chiding Day' festival. Wedd recounts building a prototype 'Cofoostin' coffee pot intended to be operated by free energy, based on information from Reinhold Schmidt. A memorable train journey involved a communication session about the coffee pot's interior heating mechanism, where Wedd perceived a 'figure of eight' with a gap, which Philip Rodgers described using specific measurements ('linus') and units of time ('mervin'), suggesting a connection to 'Space People's' measurements.

Publications and Products

The final pages advertise several publications and a CD-ROM related to UFOs and related phenomena:

• THE HIDDEN UNITY and BEGINNINGS: Booklets by J. Goddard, exploring subconscious siting of ley points, earth energy detection, natural antigravity, and cognitive dissonance. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and drawings. (£2 + 30p p&p)
• EARTH PEOPLE, SPACE PEOPLE: A booklet by Tony Wedd, detailing extraterrestrial contact claims, the history of the STAR Fellowship, and evidence for life in the Solar System. (£2 + 30p p&p)
• THE LEGACY OF TONY WEDD: A CD-ROM of Tony Wedd's travelling exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology. (£9.99)

AMSKAYA itself is described as a newsletter of the STAR Fellowship, with four quarterly issues costing £2. Subscription details are provided.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of AMSKAYA are the increasing frequency and variety of UFO sightings in the UK, the challenges in identifying these phenomena, and the official responses (or lack thereof) from government bodies. There is a clear emphasis on witness testimonies and photographic evidence, alongside reports from media outlets. The newsletter also touches upon the historical context of UFO investigation and the ongoing efforts of organisations like the STAR Fellowship to understand these events. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into unexplained aerial phenomena, presenting various reports and perspectives without necessarily endorsing any single explanation, while also highlighting the perceived inadequacy of official investigations.