Ufology News - No 23 - September November 2014

Magazine Overview

Title: НОВОСТИ УФОЛОГИИ (Ufology News)
Issue: #23
Date: September — November 2014
Type: Magazine Issue

Interview with Nick Pope

This section features an interview with Nick Pope, a well-known journalist and television presenter who previously worked in the Ministry of Defence of Great Britain. His role involved analyzing incoming correspondence regarding UFO sightings.

Early UFO Investigations in the UK

Pope explains that the UK Ministry of Defence began taking UFO reports seriously in 1950 when Chief Scientific Advisor Sir Henry Tizard noted the phenomenon. Since then, over 10,000 reports have been received. The primary political and scientific interest was whether UFOs posed a threat to national defense or offered useful information for scientific and military purposes, rather than a belief in extraterrestrial intelligence. Many other countries had similar projects.

Pope's Personal Involvement with UFOs

Pope began his work at the Ministry of Defence in 1985. During a period of staff rotation, he was assigned to a department processing correspondence related to air force events from 1991 to 1994. It was here that he encountered UFO reports. Initially skeptical, his perspective changed as he processed reports from pilots and radar data. He later moved to other departments, including one dealing with media requests and another in security, which involved travel to Germany, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Iraq. After 21 years, he left the Ministry of Defence in November 2006 to pursue journalism, television, and advertising.

Access Levels and Methodology

Pope had access to the systematic UFO archive, allowing him to compare data and track statistics. The department received 200-300 new reports annually. The methodology for identifying sightings involved surveying witnesses about the date, time, location, object description, speed, and altitude. This information was then cross-referenced with data on civilian and military flights, weather balloon launches, astronomical and meteorological phenomena from observatories, and radar systems. Photo analysis was conducted by specialists, and scientific and technical questions were directed to military intelligence.

Statistical Analysis of UFO Reports

Pope states that approximately 80% of reported UFOs were easily identified as conventional objects like satellites, aircraft lights, balloons, or planets. About 15% lacked sufficient information for a conclusion. The remaining 5% could not be identified. These unidentified cases often involved credible witnesses, including military personnel, police officers, and pilots, and were supported by photographic and video evidence. Technical analysis found no signs of forgery, and the objects' behavior sometimes exceeded the capabilities of known aircraft. Pope emphasizes that information is kept secret not due to a conspiracy but for national defense and security reasons, potentially revealing details about radar systems or information sources.

Advice for Ukrainian Researchers

Pope advises Ukrainian researchers to build strong connections with the air force, government officials, scientists, and journalists.

News from Ufology

CAIPAN Conference in Paris

On July 8-9, a conference on unidentified aerospace phenomena was held in Paris, organized by GEIPAN, part of the French aerospace agency CNES. The conference focused on sharing experiences in UFO identification, creating knowledge bases, and utilizing new information technologies. Speakers included Richard Haines, Jacques Vallée, Massimo Teodorani, and Philippe Ailleris.

Updated Official Website of UNIC "Zond"

The official website of the Ukrainian Scientific-Research Center for the Study of Anomalies "Zond" (UNIC "Zond") has undergone reconstruction and material updates, including articles, presentations, books, meeting protocols, and links.

Global Archive Addendum

This section details an addendum to a global archive of UFO identification and UAP research, adding 16.3 GB of data across 30 countries. It lists the number of files for various countries in Eurasia, North America, South America, Australia, and Oceania, with a note that files from Africa and defunct countries (like the USSR) are also included.

EIBC Meeting Protocols

Protocols for EIBC (Extraterrestrial Intellectual Biological Creatures) Kharkov Operational Group meetings No. 35 and No. 36 have been published online. These include materials from S. Petrova on UFO sightings in Crimea and Kharkov, and materials from S. Shpakovsky discussing UFOs in Kharkov, the influence of anomalies on technology, a video from the Mzha river in 1990, analysis of fur samples, a giant magnetic bubble, claims about alien control of America, and an asteroid collision prediction.

Special Bulletin "Ufology News" No. 5

A special bulletin titled "Ufology News" No. 5 for 2014 has been published and is available for download as a PDF.

Special Investigations

Debunking Mars Sensationalism: "Celtic Cross" and "Angels"

Cosmonautics popularizer and blogger Vitaly Egorov debunks sensationalist claims about a "Celtic cross" and "angels" on Mars. He explains that the "Celtic cross" was photographed by the Opportunity rover's macrocamera. While it does appear as a cross, Egorov argues that it is not an artifact of extraterrestrial origin but rather an imprint left by the rover's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument. The article includes detailed explanations of the APXS instrument's function and comparative data on soil composition from various Mars rovers (Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity). The image of the "cross" is shown alongside an image of the APXS instrument, and the text clarifies that the imprint is from the spectrometer's components, such as its contact ring.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on UFO and UAP phenomena, including official investigations, research conferences, and the dissemination of information through archives and bulletins. There is a clear effort to debunk sensationalist claims, particularly regarding Mars anomalies, and to present a more scientific and evidence-based approach to the subject. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into unexplained phenomena while maintaining a critical perspective and emphasizing the importance of rigorous analysis and data collection. The magazine also highlights international efforts in UFO research, such as those by GEIPAN and UNIC "Zond."

This issue of "Komsomolskaya Pravda" (though the publication itself is not explicitly named as the magazine, the content is presented as a critique of its reporting) focuses on debunking sensationalist UFO claims. The primary articles dissect two prominent alleged sightings: an 'angel on Mars' and a mysterious object near a comet.

'Angel on Mars' Debunked

The article begins by criticizing "Komsomolskaya Pravda" for sensationalist reporting, specifically a story about an 'angel on Mars' allegedly discovered by the Curiosity rover. The author points out several inaccuracies in the report: the image was actually from the Opportunity rover, the photos were from 2004, not recently released, and the 'phenomenon' was not something scientists were struggling to explain.

The author reveals that NASA's explanation was that the 'angel' was merely a peculiar light flash or glare. However, the article goes further, stating that NASA itself created the 'angel' by using a 'Heat Shield' as part of the landing process on Mars. The image identified as the 'angel' is revealed to be a heat shield, with the archive number PIA06276 provided for verification. The heat shield is described as essential for the soft landing of spacecraft on Mars.

The second part of the analysis explains the phenomenon of 'blooming' in CCD matrices. This effect, caused by overexposure, leads to the 'spilling' of charge into adjacent pixels, creating bright spots. The article asserts that this blooming effect, not an alien, is responsible for the perceived 'angel' on the Mars images. It criticizes "Komsomolskaya Pravda" for publishing such unsubstantiated claims without proper verification.

UFO Near Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko

The second major topic addresses a purported UFO sighting near Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The article notes that a bright object was photographed by the Rosetta probe's navigation camera on September 10, 2014, at a distance of 27.8 kilometers from the comet. This image was widely circulated online as a 'flying saucer'.

Ufologist Sergey Shpakovsky suggested the object was a 'glint from the crystalline surface of the stone,' noting that different photos showed varying brightness and shadows. The article, however, presents the official explanation from the European Space Agency (ESA).

ESA commented on the appearance of the bright object, stating that they were also curious about its nature. They speculated that it could be a piece of ice that broke off the comet due to gas and dust eruptions, or possibly a defect in the image. ESA promised to investigate further and provide results in the coming weeks or months. The article includes links to various ESA images of the comet.

Analysis of a UFO Photograph from Kazakhstan

The third section analyzes a photograph taken by Daniyar Faizullaev on July 20, 2014, near Lake Kaindy in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. The photograph allegedly shows a dark, oval-shaped object to the right of the frame. The EXIF data from the smartphone camera (SAMSUNG GT-I9192, 8 megapixels) was used for the analysis.

The analysis focuses on the object's appearance, noting its blurriness and faint halo, suggesting motion blur, out-of-focus, or both. The object's size is estimated at 25x10 pixels, or 47x22 with the halo. The angular size of the object is calculated to be 0.018 degrees per pixel, with an exposure time of 1/566 seconds.

To estimate the object's size and speed, a table is presented showing potential values at different distances. For example, at 1 km, the object could be 4 meters wide and moving at 2 km/s. At 100 meters, it could be 40 cm wide and moving at 720 km/h.

Several possible explanations are considered. A small insect (around 1 mm) at a close distance (about 10 cm) moving at approximately 20 cm/s is deemed plausible, especially given the focus range of modern devices. The possibility of secret, unknown aircraft is mentioned but dismissed as a 'exotic hypothesis'. Other explanations include a compact cloud of fog or smoke, or a semi-transparent object of unknown nature at an unknown distance.

Ultimately, the author concludes that due to insufficient data, a definitive identification is impossible. Applying Occam's Razor, the most probable explanation for the object in the photograph is a small insect or a speck of dust that flew very close to the camera.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the critical examination and debunking of sensationalist UFO reports, particularly those published by "Komsomolskaya Pravda." The editorial stance is clearly one of skepticism towards unsubstantiated claims, emphasizing the importance of scientific evidence, verifiable data, and logical explanations. The articles advocate for a rational approach to interpreting photographic and observational anomalies, prioritizing known phenomena over speculative extraterrestrial explanations. The issue aims to educate readers on how to critically assess such claims and understand the scientific principles that can explain apparent mysteries.