OMNI

Magazine Overview

Title: OMNI
Issue Date: April 1985
Price: $2.50

This issue of OMNI magazine, dated April 1985, delves into the intriguing realms of illusion and perception, featuring "The Science of Illusion and the Mysteries of Perception." It also presents "The World's Hardest I.Q. Test." The cover art depicts a stylized human head with a glowing, abstract internal structure, surrounded by electric blue energy, visually representing the themes of mind, perception, and perhaps technology or the unknown.

Anti Matter: UFO Update - Pine Bush Sightings

The "Anti Matter" section includes an "UFO Update" focusing on the experiences of Ellen Crystall, who claims to have had dozens of close encounters with UFOs over 14 years. Crystall's first sighting occurred in 1971 in California after her family moved there. She recounts how UFO sightings became more frequent and closer, leading her parents to move back to New Jersey, where she continued to see them.

By 1981, Crystall was actively searching for alien visitors in rural Pine Bush, New York, collaborating with ufologist Harry Lebelson. She describes nightly expeditions to photograph spaceships landing in farmers' fields, and in one instance, claims to have made out a group of five aliens resembling characters from the "Star Wars bar scene" in an enlarged photograph.

The UFO activity reportedly ceased in Pine Bush in November 1981, but Crystall continued to revisit the area. In August of the following year, she claims the UFOs returned. She states that she has since taken many people to the location who have also witnessed the phenomena. Crystall describes how the UFOs seem to "hold their breath" until observers begin to leave, at which point lights appear ten feet away and shoot straight up.

Crystall faces significant challenges in substantiating her claims due to photographic difficulties. She believes that the aliens control who can take pictures, noting that one person might get clear images while another gets nothing. She also mentions that her photographs often appear as "showers of sparks" and require development by custom labs, as standard services like Fotomat would reject images that did not depict conventional subjects like people, houses, or dogs.

She speculates that the craft are made of a transparent metal and can generate their own cloud formations. She recalls one night witnessing vertical streaks forming with moving lights, accompanied by a loud mechanical screeching heard by a group about a mile away. Crystall believes that ordinary camera lenses block the short-wavelength light emitted by these craft, suggesting that a quartz lens might capture better images, though such equipment is prohibitively expensive for her as a graduate student musician working part-time.

UFO skeptic Robert Sheaffer offers a contrasting view, suggesting that Crystall's "UFOs" might simply be "dimly lit planes or stars," and that the confusion is common.

Key Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of OMNI magazine appears to explore the intersection of science, perception, and the unexplained. The cover story on illusion and perception suggests an interest in how the human mind interprets reality, which ties into the UFO reports by examining the challenges of objective observation and evidence collection. The inclusion of "The World's Hardest I.Q. Test" further emphasizes a focus on human intellect and cognitive abilities. The "Anti Matter" section, dedicated to UFOs, indicates a continued interest in paranormal and unexplained phenomena, though the inclusion of a skeptical viewpoint suggests a balanced approach to reporting.

The magazine's stance seems to be one of exploring cutting-edge scientific ideas, psychological phenomena, and intriguing mysteries, while also acknowledging differing perspectives and the difficulties in verifying extraordinary claims.