UFOs: Unidentified flying objects:
Far out!
Dr B G Punchihewa
What is a UFO? It is any strange aerial or optical phenomenon (for
example light) not readily explainable to the observer (1)(4). The first
modern sightings of UFOs began in America. Considerable number of people
reported having seen saucer-shaped objects in the sky, in Washington,
beginning 1947.
A typical UFO is a round saucer-like object |
Subsequent sightings were reported in Western Europe, Soviet Union,
Australia, Canada and other countries. Some persons who had encountered
UFOs claimed that they went inside the craft. Some of their experiences
are given below. (2):
One of the first reports was filed by a businessman, Kenneth Arnold:
He was flying his own aircraft (in Washington State) from Chehalis to
Yakimo, on January 24, 1947. As he detoured over the mount Rainier area,
flying at an altitude of 2,740 metres, he spotted a group of nine
saucer-shaped craft flying in line-ahead formation 40km away. They were
about 150 metres above him. He timed their passage; and was surprised to
find their speed was around 8,000 km an hour.
On December 6, 1952, the crew of a US Air Force B-29 bomber, saw a
group of UFOs over the Gulf of Mexico, the objects were also picked up
on the bomber's radar screen where measurements showed their speed to be
more than 8,000km an hour.
Later the flying objects moved away at a speed of some 14,480km an
hour.
The American, George Adamski, claimed to have seen an alien (living
being) in a UFO on November 20, 1952. He also said that he was taken on
a trip aboard a flying saucer, but there were no other witnesses.
An American couple, Betty and Barney Hill, were driving from Canada
towards their home, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA on the night of
September 19, 1961.
They noticed a light moving, up in the sky, which they identified as
an enormous object hovering over the road. Looking up through the
binoculars, Barney saw the occupants of the craft peering out of the
craft's windows.
Stunned at what they saw, the two of them started driving home at
high speed although they felt drowsy.
An alien as described in the sightings |
The distance they had to travel (from the UFO - sighting place to
home) was 56km, but the journey took two hours, they could not
understand why they spent such a long time to travel 56km. Actually, so
much time was not spent on the journey.
As revealed subsequently, under hypnosis, they stated that they were
taken aboard the UFO, subjected to medical examination before being
taken back to their car.
A young Brazilian peasant farmer, Antonio Villas Boss, claimed to
have been kidnapped by the crew of a UFO, on the night of October 15,
1957.
He recalled that the UFO crew were largely human in appearance. After
taking aboard the craft he had been medically examined including taking
of a blood sample, he had been persuaded to have sex with a female
member of the crew.
He was release after four hours and then the craft took off and
disappeared into the night sky. A doctor who examined the farmer the
next day found a scar on the skin at the place from which the blood
sample was taken.
The government of USA sponsored investigations into UFOs (3). The
inquires were conducted by three panels of scientists consisting of
Physicists, Astronomers, Engineers and Meteorologist appointed in 1952,
1966 and 1968.
The first panel of inquiry (1952) was set up, in secret, by the CIA
and the members were briefed on US military activities and intelligence.
Its report was originally classified as 'secret,' but later
declassified. The third panel examined 59 UFO sightings, and 37
scientists contributed to its work.
All three panels of inquiry rejected the possibility of
extraterrestrial origin of UFOs. The third panel eclared that no further
investigation was needed.
The conclusions and recommendations of all three panels were similar.
The obvious reason for the similarity of the three reports was that all
of them inquired into the same phenomenon. Could there be other reasons
for the similarity?
Yes, there could be other less important reason, for example, if all
the three panels were instructed, by someone, to give similar opinions.
Why should anyone give such instructions? The answer can be given by
stretching the possibilities very far: (1) Suppose UFOs were real
objects in sky and someone did not want any publicity given to them. (2)
Suppose someone wanted to hide their extraterrestrial origin (assuming
they came from a planet revolving around a distant star in the
universe).
Apart from excluding the extraterrestrial origin of the UFOs, the
inquiring panels dismissed the possibility of very existence of such
flying objects.
They, specifically the first panel, stated that UFO sightings could
be explained by natural causes, such as planets, meteor showers, flocks
of birds, clouds of ionized gas, northern and southern lights, or by
familiar objects, such as aircraft, searchlights, balloons. Some other
authorities have attributed the sightings to optical illusions, dreams
and hallucinations.
However, there was a clear shortcoming in the investigations made by
the expert panels of USA: That is, not a single member of the panels has
observed a UFO. There conclusions were made solely on the basis of
evidence of persons who saw the UFOs.
The first panel stated that nine out of ten UFO sightings could be
explained by natural causes. This leaves out 10 percent of sightings for
which there was no explanation.
Not all scientists agreed with the view that there was nothing new or
unusual in the UFO reports; these scientists included James E McDonald,
a meterologist at the University of Arizona, and J Allen Hynek an
astronomer at the Northwestern University (1). The opinion of these
scientists was that a small proportion of the most reliable reports of
the witnesses showed possibilities of extraterrestrial visitors. These
scientists set up a Centre for UFO Studies, in 1973, in Northfield,
Illinois (1).
What we cannot comprehend is the recommendation of the third panel of
inquiry is that no further investigations should be made; that is, do
not inquire into UFO sightings in the future.
Notwithstanding the above comments and observations, there is a
reason why aliens from a distant galaxy will not come to Earth. Earth
belongs to the solar system in the Milky Way. There could be planetary
systems similar to our solar system in other distant galaxies. Also
there could be planets capable of supporting intelligent life who have
more advanced technologies than ours.
If we assume that such a planet is fifty or one hundred light years
away from the Earth, then it is impossible for aliens (from that planet
to reach Earth. The reason is that the maximum speed an object in
universe can reach is the speed of light (3x10 8 metres per second).
This is what the Einstein's theories of relativity tell us. Even if an
alien spacecraft travels at the speed of light from such a distant
planet, it would take more than 100 years to reach Earth. The journey
would extend to several human lifetimes. In practice, a vehicle moving
at a substantial fraction of the speed of light would undergo bizarre
effects like increase in mass. At the speed of light the mass of the
moving object will become infinity.
References:
New Encyclopedia Brittanica, 15th edition, 1994. Volume 12, pp 129,
130.
David Owen. 'Into Outer Space' Published by Lowell House, NTC/Contemporary
Publishing Group, USA. 1975. pp 30-37.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. 5th edition, 2000.
Huchinson Encyclopedia of Science, 1998
Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary, 1991. |