UFO Mail - No 096 - 2008

Magazine Overview

This issue of Skandinavisk UFO Information, dated February 7, 2008, is titled 'Engelske ufo-arkiver åbnes!' (English UFO Archives Open!) and is published by Danmarks UFO Forening. The main cover story, written by Ole Henningsen, details the British Ministry of Defence's (MoD) decision to release its extensive archive of UFO reports.

British UFO Archives to Open

Ole Henningsen reports that the British MoD decided in 2007 to open its archive containing approximately 7,000 UFO reports, covering a 30-year period. Although the decision was initially announced in May 2007, renewed media attention in early 2008 highlighted the impending public release. The information release is largely due to the persistent efforts of David Clarke, a Ph.D. in folkloristics and lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, who has authored seven books on the subject and runs the website www.drdavidclarke.co.uk. Clarke states that the decision is a direct result of his and his colleagues' efforts to persuade the MoD to follow the French example of opening their UFO archives.

Asbestos Contamination Issue

An additional complication for the MoD was the discovery of asbestos in the basement of 'The Old War Office' in London. This led to the permanent closure of 24 filing cabinets, containing around 63,000 documents from the mid-1970s to 2002, which had been examined by the Defence Intelligence Analysis Staff.

Rescue and Digitization of Archives

Despite fears that the archives would be destroyed, they were ultimately saved after 18 months of work and an expenditure of 3 million Pounds. The process involved scanning and reviewing selected files for public release. These files will be made available on websites belonging to The National Archives and through the MoD's 'Freedom of Information Act' portal. The DI55-UFO archive was specifically chosen for release due to significant public interest.

A letter from the MoD to David Clarke dated March 26, 2007, confirmed the decision to rescue and scan the 24 affected filing cabinets. The documents, once restored, would be made accessible via the MoD's FOI website. The MoD indicated that it would take several weeks to determine the exact timeline for publication.

7,000 UFO Reports and Analyses

David Clarke estimates that it will take considerable time to put the entire archive online, given that the 24 filing cabinets contain about 7,000 reports, analyses, and correspondence. He notes that his brief look at the 1979 files revealed reports from pilots and other crew members that had not previously been seen by the MoD's public 'UFO Desk'. The archive also includes 3,000 reports received by the MoD between 1987 and 1997. Clarke considers the opening of these archives a major breakthrough for British ufology and the broader 'Freedom of Information Act' campaign in the UK.

10 Years of Pressure on the Ministry

Clarke describes this as the culmination of his personal 10-year campaign to get the MoD to release its UFO reports. He cites his first success in 2001 (Rendlesham) and subsequent successes achieved through persistence and the help of colleagues like Gary Anthony, Joe McGonagle, Chris Fowler, and Andy Roberts, as well as media contacts like James Randerson. He promises to keep readers updated on the MoD's publication plans.

The group of UFO colleagues who collaborated with Clarke did not coordinate their requests directly but shared information about progress.

Secret Report Discovered

In January 2005, David Clarke discovered references to a study or report codenamed CONDIGN. By September, he and his colleague Gary Anthony had submitted requests for its release under the Freedom of Information Act. The British authorities eventually released the previously secret intelligence report on UFO phenomena in the spring of 2006, amidst significant media attention.

Rumcenter Server Crash

As of the writing of this article, the British MoD had not yet announced when the information would be published online. The release is expected to be gradual, as the MoD fears a similar issue to that experienced by the French Space Center (CNES) when they released their UFO report material in early 2007. The CNES server crashed due to overwhelming public interest, forcing them to quickly provide an alternative access point to prevent disruption to their other activities.

Sensations Expected?

While major sensations are not necessarily expected from the released material, it is anticipated to be of great interest to UFO researchers worldwide, particularly those interested in historical cases. The issue of the British UFO material's release and its nature was discussed with British speaker Nick Pope at SUFOI's 50th Anniversary UFO Conference in Lyngby on November 10, 2007. Nick Pope, who worked at the MoD from 1985 and headed its 'UFO Desk' from 1991 to 1994, stated that his direct encounter with British UFO observations profoundly changed his views on the phenomenon. Pope also had no specific timeline for the release but expressed anticipation, believing the material could contain valuable details for case studies.

Klaatu, Barada, Nikto

In a separate section, Ole Henningsen discusses the classic 1951 science fiction film 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', which was scheduled for a remake in late 2008. The film's iconic robot Gort and the alien Klaatu's message of peace or destruction are highlighted. The film captured the post-war paranoia of the Cold War era. The story involves Klaatu arriving on Earth with a vital message for humanity, but encountering communication difficulties. His message is essentially one of peace or annihilation, similar to messages reported by contactees like George Adamski.

The remake is being produced by 20th Century Fox. Jon Hamm plays Dr. Granier, a NASA employee, while Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, accompanied by a robot. Jennifer Connelly plays a scientist, and Scott Derrickson directs. The script was written by David Scarpa, with principal photography beginning in December. The news of the remake has excited science fiction fans, though many believe the original film cannot be surpassed. Links are provided to view clips from the original film and to promote the English magazine 'Fortean Times'.

A Bag of Hot Air

Ole Henningsen also covers a series of UFO sightings reported in the autumn of 2007, which were later identified as hot air balloons. The most significant event that generated numerous reports on www.ufo.dk occurred on August 5, 2007, near Copenhagen. Another notable event took place in Ringsted on October 27, 2007, where mysterious lights were observed.

Ringsted Sighting

Two 18-year-old witnesses, K. and a friend, reported seeing two sets of three synchronized lights moving northwards at high speed. A 'leader' light was positioned between the pairs. The lights disappeared after about a minute. A video recording was made, but the phenomenon was not clearly visible on the footage. They contacted a friend, S., who also witnessed the event and was speechless.

Photo Evidence

Witness S. described seeing two orange light spheres in the northern sky, hanging side-by-side, too large and bright to be stars. Suddenly, eight more appeared on the horizon, causing shock. The initial two lights disappeared, followed by the eight forming a formation: five in a 'W' shape and three in a line. These also disappeared in formation. S. managed to take photos of three of the lights.

Further Photo and Witness Account

Michael Andresen, a resident of Ringsted, reported seeing three red spheres followed by seven more, moving from southwest to northeast before dissolving. He speculated they might be meteorites. He took a photo of the last seven lights, but the quality was poor. He questioned if others had similar experiences that evening.

The photos provided, one original and one edited by SUFOI's photo department, show the lights. The original photo shows streaks due to a long exposure time, while the edited version minimizes these to points of light to better represent the observation.

Investigation and Conclusion

SUFOI's photo department inquired with local military authorities about potential involvement in exercise activities using flares, but no such activities were reported. The observations increasingly pointed towards hot air balloons. However, the possibility of many more witnesses and even the launch itself remained.

In an effort to clarify the Ringsted observations, SUFOI's photo department issued a public appeal, leading to more people coming forward with photos and accounts. The most interesting contribution came from Birgitte and Brian Hansen, who explained that on the night of the Ringsted sighting, they had launched 10 Chinese sky lanterns for their daughter's birthday. They acknowledged that these could easily be mistaken for UFOs as they ascended and burned out. They mentioned that launching sky lanterns had been a family tradition for years but had only recently attracted attention, possibly due to the darkness during the launch.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently covers UFO sightings, archival releases, and related cultural phenomena like science fiction films. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, seeking to investigate and explain reported phenomena, while also acknowledging the public's right to information, as exemplified by the focus on the UK's Freedom of Information Act. There is a clear interest in both historical cases and contemporary reports, as well as the broader implications of UFO research.

Title: UFO-mail
Issue Date: November 18, 2007
Publisher: SUFOI
Country: Denmark
Language: Danish

This issue of UFO-mail focuses on recent sightings and phenomena, primarily detailing a UFO observation in Fredericia and a significant fireball event over Denmark.

Fredericia Sighting (November 17, 2007)

The issue begins with a report from Fredericia, dated November 18, 2007, detailing an event that occurred three weeks prior. The witness's wife first noticed several clear, bright yellow-orange lights in the night sky. Upon investigation from their terrace, they observed approximately seven objects moving with extraordinary speed, described as faster than conventional aircraft. The first photograph accompanying the report shows one of these flying lights as a small bright dot in the upper left corner.

The objects were not in formation but appeared spread out, moving from southwest towards east, passing over the New Lillebæltsbro and heading towards Copenhagen. The witness emphasizes that these were not regular airliners, noting their extreme brightness and yellow-orange hue, which resembled UFOs seen on television. The witness's spouse took a photograph with a digital camera, initially without success due to the flash. A second photograph, taken without flash and zoomed in, captured one of the objects. However, before more photos could be taken, the lights disappeared, leading the witness to suspect they were detected by the camera's flash and that the entire fleet was ordered to go dark.

Seeking an explanation, the witness contacted www.ufo.dk, leading to this report. The witness also mentions that other observers in the Fredericia/Middelfart/Strib area may have seen the same phenomenon. A separate account from an observer about 1 km west corroborates the sighting, describing it as similar to an event reported in Ringsted on October 27, 2007. This observer, who has 50 years of experience with unusual aerial phenomena, stated they had never seen anything like it and that the objects were not balloons or stars, moving from west to east.

Police Patrol Observation

Another report details an observation by a police patrol vehicle on the motorway towards the New Lillebæltsbro around 0:40 AM. They saw several strong lights in the air, initially thought to be on the bridge. As they crossed, they observed a large number of objects to the north of the bridge, moving north. They also saw objects in the southern direction, estimating about 15 objects in total. After crossing the bridge, the objects were behind them. While exiting the motorway, they stopped to observe the last two objects moving silently and at a steady speed over the motorway at a good altitude. They noted minimal wind at ground level and that all objects emitted a strong, steady yellow light, without blinking. The patrol officers contacted were from Odense Police, and the witness later spoke with them, but the police had only acknowledged receipt of the email without further response.

Fireball Over Denmark (January 27, 2008)

The magazine then shifts focus to a significant event on the evening of Sunday, January 27, 2008, when a fireball was observed across the Danish sky. This event was captured by automatic cameras.

Observation Details:
Several observers reported seeing the fireball for several seconds, describing it as having a clear white or bluish color. Observations were made from various locations in Denmark, with two specific reports logged by SUFOI from Fåborg and Vadsby near Hedehusene. Two other observations were made shortly before and after 21:18, possibly related to the same phenomenon.

Potential Meteorite Fall on Fyn:
A mother and her 12-year-old son, Annemette and Frederik Just, may have witnessed a meteorite impact near Fyns Hoved. They described a bright flash and a large fireball with a white tail, which descended rapidly towards Kerteminde with great speed and appeared very close.

Scientific Analysis and Context:
SUFOI's photo department, after reviewing descriptions and photographs, along with weather data, suggests that the Fredericia lights were likely small hot air balloons launched from nearby areas. This explanation aligns with a growing trend of such reports globally, particularly in Germany.

The fireball event is being investigated by Dansk Ildkuglecentral, a collaboration with the Astronomical Selskabs Meteor Sektion. Over 300 people have contacted Dansk Ildkuglecentral regarding the January 27th fireball. Determining the meteor's trajectory is crucial for researchers to understand its origin and potential impact point on Earth. While many observers believe fireballs fall close by, actual ground impacts are rare.

Meteorite Characteristics and Search:
Henning Haack from the Geological Museum at the University of Copenhagen notes that this is the first potential meteorite fall observed in Denmark in 57 years, with the last one occurring in Aarhus in 1951. The meteor was observed over Poland at 21:17 and traveled northwest at a speed of 57,600 km/h, considered slow for a meteor, heading towards Kerteminde. Haack estimates the impact site to be within a 10-15 km radius of Kerteminde, possibly at Fyns Hoved. He urges the public in the area to look for the meteorite, which is valuable for research into the solar system's and Earth's formation. It is estimated to be fist-sized, weigh under a kilo, and have a black fusion crust, rounded shape, and no gas bubbles.

Automatic Camera Recordings:
The fireball was also captured by two automatic cameras at the Niels Bohr Institute, located in Copenhagen and Brorfelde near Holbæk. These cameras, operated by Anton Norup Sørensen, recorded the event for two seconds, with the luminous path automatically divided for measurement purposes.

Explaining Meteors and Fireballs

The article concludes with an explanation of meteors and fireballs. Meteors, or shooting stars, occur when small stone fragments enter Earth's atmosphere, causing air compression and heating that often vaporizes the stone. When these shooting stars are particularly large and bright, they are called fireballs. The graphic shows the trajectory of the January 27th fireball marked in red, with light cones indicating the camera observations.

Call for Observations

Observations of fireballs are vital for determining their trajectory. The public is encouraged to report any sightings to Dansk Ildkuglecentral via their website.

SUFOI Publication

A mention is made of SUFOI's extensive publication, "50 år med ufoer" (50 Years with UFOs), a 144-page illustrated report. Although sold out, it is available as a free e-book.

Forwarding UFO-mail

The issue ends with a call to readers to forward the UFO-mail to family and friends to share information about Danish and international observations, photographs, and other UFO-related materials.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are UFO sightings, unexplained aerial phenomena, and astronomical events like fireballs. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation and information dissemination, encouraging public participation in reporting sightings. There is a clear attempt to provide scientific explanations where possible (e.g., hot air balloons for some lights, meteors for fireballs) while still documenting unexplained phenomena. The publication also highlights the work of organizations like SUFOI and Dansk Ildkuglecentral in collecting and analyzing such reports.