From: | Doug Roberts |
Title: | MORE LIGHTS IN SKY |
Source: | Northern News Service |
Date: | January 22, 1996 |
by P.J.Harston
News/north (January 22, 1996) Yellowknife, NT
A UFO watchdog group from Alberta has launched an investigation into recent
sightings of unidentified flying objects in the Western Arctic. The
investigation follows on the heels of more "flashing lights" sightings in Fort
Resolution, as well as further reports from Hay River, Hay River Reserve and
Fort Simpson. The Alberta Unidentified Flying Object Research Association
began questionning eyewitnesses about the mysterious lights last week after
they were alerted to the situation by a media organization. Investigator Cory
Sine said this is the second case the private, not-for-profit organization has
investigated in the NWT. "What we'll do is collect as much data on the
sightings as we possibly can. We'll look at all the possibilities and we'll
forward that information to the witnesses," Sine said. A single flashing red,
green, blue and bright white light - like the ones which have been reported by
Northerners in recent weeks - could have a simple explanation, Sine said.
"A possible explanation" When low on the horizon, the spectrum of color
contained in starlight could be refracted by the air and dispersed by
turbulence. In simpler terms, the colors contained in starlight don't all
reach the human eye at the same time. The phenomenon creates the illusion of
a flashing light changing colors. Sine added that a star seen at tree level
could easily "disappear" or move below the tree tops. As for the lights
movement, it could simply be an optical illusion which occurs when the human
eye has no reference point to help frame an object. The object may, therefore,
appear to bob and weave in the sky.
"I'm not saying that's the case, but it is one possibility," Sine said. He
also said similiar sightings come from Alberta when the planet Venus appears in
the sky. It sometimes appears to emit colored lights and move around. Sine's
organization, which has been investigating UFO sightings since 1994, keeps
records of all the reports it receives. He said the other NWT sighting the
group received was from Yellowknife last summer. Originally, the Calgary-based
organization only looked into Alberta UFO sightings. WIth the rise of the
Internet, Sine said his group has been looking into sightings all over the
world.