UFO Mail - No 046 - 2004

Magazine Overview

Title: Skandinavisk UFO Information
Issue: nr. 46
Date: October 5, 2004
Publisher: Danmarks UFO Forening

This issue of Skandinavisk UFO Information delves into several intriguing topics, ranging from unexplained aerial phenomena to astronomical events and media coverage of UFOs.

Article 1: Hvad er det for en kugle på himlen? (What is that sphere in the sky?)

This article, written by Ole Henningsen, addresses a photograph sent to SUFOI by Jørn Pilkjær from Rødby, Lolland. Pilkjær submitted a photo taken on September 7, 2004, at 19:55, showing an unusual object in the western sky after sunset. He noted that it resembled the moon but set earlier. The photograph was taken with an HP PhotoSmart C935 digital camera using a 1/60 second exposure and flash. The explanation provided is that the bright spot is not a celestial object but rather a small particle in the air, such as a dust grain, illuminated by the camera's flash. This particle, being close to the lens, appears blurry in the photograph. The magazine mentions that they have previously published an article on similar 'Orbs' phenomena in their journal 'ufo-nyt' (issue 1/2004) and invites readers to submit similar photos.

Article 2: Blimp i luften over Baltimore (Blimp in the air over Baltimore)

Ole Henningsen also reports on an incident where the 911 emergency line in the Baltimore, USA area was flooded with calls from citizens reporting an unusual sight in the night sky. It turned out that the U.S. Army was testing a new airship, referred to as a 'blimp', over the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas. The airship, described as 178 feet long and costing between 2-4 million US dollars, is equipped with infrared cameras and can remain airborne for 24 hours. It is being used as part of the American terror preparedness efforts. The article provides a link to a news report from WBAL-TV for those who can view it with media playback software.

Article 3: Toutatis forbi i sikker afstand (Toutatis passes at a safe distance)

This section, also by Ole Henningsen, discusses the asteroid 4179 Toutatis passing Earth at a safe distance on Wednesday, September 29, 2004. Astrophysicist Michael J. D. Linden-Vørnle from Tycho Brahe Planetarium is quoted, stating that the asteroid was observed by two observatories in Chile shortly before its closest approach to Earth, allowing its distance to be precisely determined. The asteroid, approximately four kilometers in size, passed at a distance of 1.55 million kilometers, which is about four times the average distance to the Moon. This passage was the closest of such a large object in the current century and was utilized for detailed study, including radar observations and visible light observations. The article explains the 'parallax effect' using the two observatories located 513 km apart in Chile (Paranal and La Silla) to demonstrate how the asteroid's position relative to distant stars appeared different from each location, enabling the calculation of its distance. An illustration shows the asteroid's orbit intersecting Earth's orbit. The article concludes by stating that while Toutatis is a significant object for study, it poses no collision threat to Earth in the coming centuries. A link to Michael J. D. Linden-Vørnle's full article is provided.

Article 4: Ufoer i medierne (UFOs in the media)

Ole Henningsen discusses the presence of UFO phenomena in Danish print media, including weekly and daily newspapers. These mentions often occur in connection with UFO sightings, where the media might be seeking additional witnesses, or in articles discussing UFO phenomena in general, or interviews with local UFO enthusiasts. Skandinavisk UFO Information (SUFOI) collects and registers these media clippings, publishing short notes about their content on their website (www.ufo.dk) under the heading 'avisklip' (newspaper clippings). The organization has been collecting Danish media coverage of UFOs for over 45 years, primarily through a subscription to a newspaper clipping service. They encourage readers to send in any articles or mentions of UFO phenomena they encounter in newspapers or magazines to help them build a more complete archive. The article also mentions that UFO programs appear on electronic media (radio and TV) and asks readers to send in information about upcoming broadcasts to SUFOI.

Call to Action: Send ufo-mail til familie, venner og bekendte! (Send ufo-mail to family, friends, and acquaintances!)

This section encourages readers to forward the 'ufo-mail' to their contacts, allowing them to receive free and non-binding updates on new Danish and international observations, photographs, celestial phenomena, and special offers on UFO materials.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on unexplained aerial phenomena, astronomical events of interest, and the reporting of such topics in the media. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging reader participation through submissions of sightings, photographs, and media clippings. There is a clear effort to provide explanations for reported phenomena, as seen with the 'sphere' photograph, while also documenting the broader context of UFO reporting and related scientific events like asteroid passages. The organization, SUFOI, acts as a central hub for collecting and disseminating information within the Danish UFO community.