UFO Mail - No 050 - 2005

Magazine Overview

Title: Skandinavisk UFO Information
Issue: nr. 50
Date: January 12, 2005
Publisher: Danmarks UFO Forening

This issue of Skandinavisk UFO Information focuses on local group activities and a specific photographic case that generated online debate.

Lokalgruppen »Storkøbenhavn« Meetings

The magazine announces upcoming meetings for the "Greater Copenhagen" local group, led by Susanne Skovlund. These meetings are for like-minded individuals to gather monthly for lectures, discussions, and sharing experiences on a variety of topics, including UFOs, crop circles, the night sky, conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, and even ghosts. The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, January 13, 2005, at 7 PM in Vanløse. The special topic for this evening was "Radar observations of UFOs," with a presentation by Michael Linden-Vørnle, a former vice-chairman of SUFOI and an astrophysicist at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium. Attendance was open to all interested individuals, with a fee of 35 DKK per person to cover expenses. The meeting had been originally planned for November 11, 2004, but was postponed due to illness.

UFOer på radar: The Peter Lorentzen Photograph

A significant portion of the magazine is dedicated to a photograph taken by Peter Lorentzen of a sunset on November 7, 2004, near Køge. The photo features a striking white stripe above the setting sun, which initially mystified observers and led to a lively debate on TV2 Vejret's website. Lorentzen himself, an amateur photographer, captured the image during a sequence of 32 photos taken within a minute. He noted that he did not notice the stripe at the time but discovered it when reviewing the images later. He initially considered it might be something entering the atmosphere and leaving a trail, or perhaps a jet fighter, though he felt he would have heard it.

Analysis and Expert Opinion

The debate on TV2 Vejret's website included various explanations, such as meteorites, space debris, parachute jumps, waterspouts, leaking balloons, and even aircraft toilet waste. However, many participants leaned towards the explanation of a contrail from an aircraft. The article provides a link to the full debate on TV2 Vejret.

Peter Lorentzen added further thoughts, stating he was open to solutions but leaned towards the object being from space, either burning up or dissolving. He found the stripe too vertical and long for a descending jet fighter and noted how it changed and dissolved with the weather, suggesting it stopped abruptly as if something had burned up or dissolved. He concluded that the mystery might never be fully solved.

SUFOI's photo consultant, Hans Bødker, a former pilot and air traffic controller, was consulted. He quickly concluded that the phenomenon was a contrail from an aircraft flying towards the setting sun. Bødker explained that even though some debaters pointed out the lack of nearby airfields, it was still plausible for a plane to be flying over the Køge area, having taken off from Sweden or Finland, as many flights pass through this region. He emphasized that contrails can be visible from hundreds of kilometers away, especially when illuminated by the setting sun, appearing to glow. The aircraft itself is rarely visible unless its body or wings reflect the sun. Bødker was certain it was a contrail from a high-altitude flight.

Peter Lorentzen added that he had observed numerous aircraft (at least 20 in one hour) in the same area on November 11, reinforcing the probability of it being a contrail, though he still found it difficult to reconcile with his visual impression of the photo, which he felt still looked like something descending vertically.

Reader Contributions and Subscription

The magazine invites other readers who have taken similar photos or observed strange phenomena to submit them to Skandinavisk UFO Information via www.ufo.dk. It also encourages readers to forward the "ufo-mail" to friends and family, offering them the opportunity to receive free and non-binding updates on Danish and international observations, photographs, current atmospheric phenomena, and special offers on UFO materials.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the activities of local UFO groups, the investigation of photographic evidence of unexplained phenomena, and the importance of expert analysis in understanding these events. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, encouraging reader participation and the sharing of information, while also valuing scientific and expert evaluation to distinguish between mundane explanations like contrails and genuinely unexplained phenomena.