1952 09 00 Popular Science Swezey

Magazine Overview

This issue of Popular Science Monthly, dated September 1952, features a cover story titled "How They've Made Hot Rods Safe" (page 142) and a prominent article by Kenneth Swezey titled "How to See Flying Saucers" (page 167).

How to See Flying Saucers

Kenneth Swezey's article delves into the phenomenon of flying saucers, proposing that many sightings can be explained as optical illusions caused by atmospheric conditions and tricks of light. Dr. Donald H. Menzel, a professor of astrophysics at Harvard, is quoted stating that these phenomena might be akin to mirages and rainbows.

The article suggests that common objects and light sources can create the illusion of flying saucers. For instance, automobile headlights, searchlights, or distant street lights, when viewed through layers of warm air above cooler air, can have their rays bent downward, making the light source appear overhead. Conversely, a pilot flying above a warm air layer might see lights from the sun, planets, or clouds bent upward, appearing below them.

These mirages are suggested to be more common over desert areas due to specific atmospheric conditions. The article explains that during the day, the ground heats up, creating a layer of warm air above cooler air. At night, the ground cools rapidly, leading to a similar effect where cooler air is near the ground and warmer air is higher up.

Kitchen-Table Experiments

To demonstrate these principles, the magazine details several experiments:

• Milk Bottle Setup: A square milk bottle filled with water is used to simulate the bending of light. A flashlight beam, shone through a small hole in cardboard at an angle from below, is directed at the water's surface. The light appears to bend downward, seemingly coming from above the surface, illustrating how warm air can bend light rays.
• Duplicate of the Lubbock Lights: A photograph of the "Lubbock Lights" is presented, which Swezey claims was taken using the milk-bottle setup. The article suggests these lights were likely distant street lights distorted by atmospheric conditions.
• Plane View Simulation: An experiment involving a bottle with water and a layer of mineral oil is shown. Mineral oil bends light more than water. When a flashlight beam is viewed through this setup, it appears lower than the reflecting surface, simulating how a pilot might see objects below them when flying above a warm air layer.
• Air Density Fluctuations: An experiment using a gas range demonstrates how fluctuations in air density distort light waves. Shining a flashlight across the burners, the light appears to blink and move when the gas is lit, illustrating how rapid changes in warm air could make "saucers" appear to dart about.
• Lens Theory: This theory suggests that weather balloons punching through warm air layers can create imperfect lenses of cold air, forming smaller images of objects like balloons that appear farther away and can seem to move as the lens shape changes.

Trick Photography and Misjudging Speed/Distance

The article also addresses the photographic evidence of flying saucers. It explains a trick photo used to demonstrate that without knowing an object's size, its distance and speed cannot be accurately judged. In this photograph, enlargements of a "saucer" were mounted on wires, and the largest, which appeared closest, was actually the farthest away. This highlights the difficulty in assessing the speed and distance of unidentified aerial phenomena.

How They've Made Hot Rods Safe

While not detailed in the provided text, the cover indicates a separate article discussing safety improvements made to "hot rods," which are modified cars.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine's stance, as presented in this issue, is to demystify the phenomenon of flying saucers by offering scientific explanations rooted in physics and atmospheric optics. The editorial emphasis is on rational explanations through observable phenomena and experimental demonstrations, rather than embracing extraterrestrial theories. The inclusion of practical experiments and explanations of optical illusions aims to educate the reader and provide a framework for understanding unusual aerial sightings.