[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: (meteorobs) Meteors, UFO's & lack of knowledge...



In a message dated 99-06-15 23:00:11 EDT, you write:

Cathy<< 
 It is sometimes worthwhile, though, to check out unusual sources.  As for
 myself, I have a bit of an interest in books on astronomy... but I don't
 limit myself to just looking in the 'astronomy' section in used bookstores!
 One of my books is titled 'The World of Flying Saucers - A Scientific
 Examination of a Major Myth of the Space Age', by Donald H. Menzel and Lyle
 G. Boyd.  It has a lot of really neat info on meteors, and unusual
 fireballs, and how to identify unknown objects in a logical manner...  
  >>

Good book. Dr. Donald Menzel has both feet on the ground as well as two oars 
in the water. Another good book is: UFO....The Government Files by Peter 
Brookesmith. It kinda goes over some of the more notable topics in UFOology 
in a rational manner. I get a kick out of reading about some of these 
visitations of aliens from other worlds  and what not when some of their 
descriptions are obviously meteor fireballs and noctilucent clouds. For 
example the famous Coyne incident in Ohio on 18 October 1973 where an army 
helicopter pilot nearly scared himself to death by wildly "dodging" a meteor 
fireball. They won the National Enquierer's annual $5000 prize for the best 
UFO account of 1973. Must have been a lean year? Gee...I wonder what meteor 
shower would be active that night? Another classic is the returning Russian 
Zond 4 satellite that made a fiery entry. But the hundreds of witnesses from 
Kentucky to Pennsylvania reported formations of fiery objects. several 
witnesses reported them as rocket, cigar or disk shaped. Some said it changed 
directions. Still others "saw" windows on the craft...hundreds of them. 
Someone reported that it appeared that one "craft" was trying to shoot down 
another. The funniest was someone trying to communicate with it by signaling 
in morse code with their flashlight. My personal favorite, although a meteor 
was not involved, was the Socorro incident in New Mexico in 1964 where the 
object was obviously a hot air balloon. Just mention the word "balloon" 
around UFO buffs as an explanation for a sighting, causes a variety of 
spincter muscles to contract. A lot of misperceptions goes on when folks look 
up at seldom seen things. Sudden, very bright fireballs aren't seen that 
often by the general public and when one is sighted, for a significant number 
of folks their imagination goes wild. The rest see it for what it is....a 
bright meteor or something else that is actually common. Folks, don't let the 
boogey man get control over your imagination.
GeoZay
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html

Follow-Ups: