UFO Mail - No 021 - 2003

Magazine Overview

Title: Skandinavisk UFO Information
Issue: nr. 21
Date: August 12, 2003
Publisher: Danmarks UFO Forening

This issue of Skandinavisk UFO Information covers a range of topics related to UFOs and unexplained phenomena, including a look into the Soviet UFO archives, insights from the Tycho Brahe Planetarium on extraterrestrial life, and the debunking of a mysterious creature found in Austria.

Sovjetisk ufo-arkiv (Soviet UFO Archive)

The lead article reveals that former Soviet leader and KGB chief Yuri Andropov was fascinated by UFOs. His former political bureau assistant, Igor Sinitsin, recounts how Andropov, in 1977, established two committees to investigate UFO phenomena. This initiative was prompted by foreign press interest in a large UFO sighting over Soviet territory, which was actually a gas cloud from the launch of Cosmos-955 in September 1977.

Sinitsin was surprised to discover that Andropov maintained a UFO archive, compiled by counter-intelligence officers. This archive contained thousands of reports on observations collected before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. The conclusion drawn from these reports mirrored those of British and American official investigations: "Most cases have a natural explanation and are due to rocket launches and similar events."

Tycho Brahe Planetarium

Written by Ole Henningsen, this section explores the Tycho Brahe Planetarium's perspective on UFOs and life in the universe. The planetarium, located in Copenhagen, is described as Denmark's advanced center for popularizing astronomy and space research. Its website, www.tycho.dk, has recently been updated for better structure and clarity.

The article poses questions to the planetarium, such as "Is there life on Mars?" The planetarium's response indicates that while definitive proof of life elsewhere has not been found, NASA researchers in 1996 identified signs of past bacterial life on Mars. These findings have been debated, but newer results from the previous year support the idea that bacteria may have existed on Mars and possibly still do.

Regarding life in the universe, the planetarium states that "We live in space, and we are beings, so yes, there are aliens!" However, they acknowledge that no signs of life have been observed elsewhere in the universe yet. Projects are actively listening for radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrial beings, but no convincing signals have been received.

The planetarium emphasizes that life is confirmed on Earth, but the existence of life elsewhere remains an open question. They also mention the SETI project (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) and direct readers to www.rump.dk/homepage/andrew/SETI@home/ to participate in processing data from radio telescopes.

Furthermore, the planetarium has a section called "Himlen netop nu" (The Sky Right Now) which provides descriptions of visible celestial objects, meteor showers, and the International Space Station, weather permitting. The planetarium defines UFO as "Unidentified Flying Object" and notes that many observed phenomena are often identified as celestial bodies like Sirius and Venus, or atmospheric events such as lenticular clouds. They reiterate that no reliable reports of encounters with intelligent beings from other parts of the universe have been received, and that belief in such life is a matter of faith.

Mystisk væsen fundet i Østrig (Mysterious Creature Found in Austria)

This article by Ole Henningsen details the discovery of a peculiar, dried-out creature on the bank of the Kirchheimer stream in Radenthein, Carinthia, Austria, by Olga Schilke in April 2003. Initially, the creature's unusual appearance led to speculation about it being a new species, a relic from the past, or even an alien.

Olga Schilke described the creature's "unusual face" as resembling something "unearthly." After leaving it initially, she returned the next day to retrieve it. The creature's identity was unknown, prompting an inquiry to Sabine Happ, an expert in exotic creatures.

Sabine Happ, after some investigation, identified the creature as a type of ray fish. She explained that the "eyes" were actually the gill slits through which water normally flows, and the mouth on the underside is adapted for crushing prey like crabs, fish, and shrimp. The characteristic flat, almost rhomboid body, pointed mouth, and long, thin tail are typical of the ray family.

The article notes that the discovery would not turn Radenthein into a UFO pilgrimage site. Geologist Friedrich Hans Ucik confirmed that the area had been underwater, but this was 6-7 million years ago, ruling out the creature originating from that ancient sea.

The mystery then shifted to who might have placed the dried and altered ray fish so far from its natural habitat for amusement. The article mentions that a similar "ray-like creature" was featured in the Italian skeptical journal "Scienza & Paranormale" in its winter 1997/98 edition, which described a "red mummy in a chicken coop - red as a Martian."

This Italian specimen was described as having a shape resembling a human with a head, arms, and legs, leading some to believe it was an alien. The author mentions seeing a similar dried ray in a souvenir shop by Lake Garda in Italy, where its "wings" had been cut and tied to give it a more human-like form.

The article also references historical depictions of such creatures, including woodcuts by the naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi from the 16th and 17th centuries, which show sea serpents and sea monsters, including a dragon explicitly described as "Draco alter ex Raia exsiccata concinnatus" – another dragon clearly made from a cut and shaped ray.

It also touches upon Frank E. Stranges from the USA, who in a December 1966 publication of "UFOs Uncensored" displayed a box containing such a ray, speculating it was a "maritime creature from our own planet" and grouping it with other alleged "Humanoids from the stars."

Bognyhed: Det uforklarlige (Book Review: The Unexplained)

This section reviews the book "Det uforklarlige" (The Unexplained) by Lars Thomas. The book explores phenomena that lie in the grey zone between the known and the unknown.

The review contrasts the scientific view that most of nature's mysteries have been solved with the reality of unexplained events. It lists phenomena such as spontaneous human combustion, objects falling from the sky, people turning to ash in seconds, ghosts, animal behavior deviating from zoological descriptions, and the widespread belief in intelligent extraterrestrial visitors.

"Det uforklarlige" covers a wide array of these seemingly inexplicable phenomena, including haunted houses, spontaneous combustion, moving stones, reincarnation, psychokinesis, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and UFOs. The book is described as being 192 pages, illustrated, and bound, priced at 249.00 DKK.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores UFO sightings, extraterrestrial life, and unexplained phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting information from various sources, including official investigations, scientific institutions like planetariums, and skeptical analyses, while also acknowledging the public's fascination with the unknown. The debunking of the Austrian "mysterious creature" highlights a critical approach to sensational claims, grounding them in natural explanations where possible. The inclusion of a book review on "The Unexplained" further reinforces the magazine's focus on the fringes of scientific understanding and the enduring human curiosity about mysteries.