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UFO in Near-Miss with Police Helicopter
A spectacular encounter between a UFO and a police helicopter took place on 8th June in South Wales, over the military base at RAF St Athan, close to Cardiff International Airport. The helicopter, with a crew of 3 on board, was about to land when it was in near collision with a UFO. Initially described as being disc-shaped and covered in lights, early media reports suggested a chase had taken place, with the helicopter pursuing the UFO south over the Bristol Channel and only breaking off pursuit when the UFO proved too quick and when they ran low on fuel. After the story broke on 20th June the story changed and the police were careful to use the phrase "unusual aircraft" as opposed to UFO. Additionally, while confirming the sighting, they denied a chase had taken place. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the story was a quote from the MoD Press Office, where a spokesperson made the following comment: "But it is certainly not advisable for police helicopters to go chasing what they think are UFOs". It has now emerged that numerous other people in the area saw the UFO. The story generated massive media coverage and I did various interviews including BBC Radio Wales and the prestigious BBC Radio 4 PM Programme. Various FOI requests have been made to the MoD and the CAA, so watch this column next month for an update. Whatever one believes about UFOs, incidents like this illustrate the the phenomenon raises serious defence and flight safety issues.
Crop Circle Represents Pi
A spectacular crop circle appeared last month in a field near Barbury Castle in Wiltshire and was featured in many national newspapers. The formation is around 150 feet in diameter and the abstract pattern was a mystery, until astrophysicist Mike Reed happened to see a photo. he immediately spotted that the formation was in fact a graphical representation of pi, accurate to ten decimal places. This has re-ignited the debate over crop circles and led to a resurgence of media interest in the phenomenon.
Crop Circle Conference 2008
On 9, 10 and 11th August the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group will be holding their 13th annual conference in Marlborough. The event will feature lectures, workshops, music, dowsing and even the chance to take a helicopter flight to view the best and most spectacular crop circles in the area. Speakers include Jaime Maussan, Hamish Miller and Tricia McCannon and as well as crop circles, other subjects such as UFOs and sacred geometry will be covered. Check out www.wccsg.com for further details.
MoD UFO Files
Covered extensively in previous columns, the release of the first batch of MoD UFO files in May generated massive media and public interest. One telling statistic has emerged to illustrate the popularity of this subject. The National Archives set up a dedicated website - www.nationalarchives.gov/ufo - to host the files. Within a week and a half the files had been downloaded 1.7 million times.
MUFON 39th International UFO Symposium
Next month I will be speaking at the Mutual UFO Network annual conference. The event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose and speakers include General Wilfried De Brouwer, Dr. Anthony Choy and Captain Rodrigo Garrido. I will also be giving a presentation which will include an update on the release of the MoD archive of UFO files. The event lasts from July 24 - 27. Check out http://www.mufon.com/symposia.htm for further details. Additional speakers may be announced over the next few weeks.
Large Hadron Collider
The countdown has begun. The largest machine ever constructed, the Large Hadron Collider, is about to go live. The particle accelerator has a circumference of 27 kilometers and straddles the borders of France and Switzerland, near Geneva. Buried underground, the plan is to smash proton together at virtually the speed of light and thus recreate conditions that are thought to have existed a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Scientists hope that the results may shed light on some of the great mysteries of our time, including Dark Matter and the search for extra dimensions. It may also detect new and exotic particles, such as the Higgs Boson, the existence of which has, thus far, only been theoretically postulated. The first beams are expected to be circulated shortly, with the first high energy collisions being planned shortly thereafter. Expect to see massive media coverage as we get nearer to the time when this amazing machine begins to operate. In the meantime, check out www.cern.ch/lhc for more information.
The X-Files - I Want To Believe
The must-see movie of the summer is on its way. Mulder and Scully are back in the new X-Files film, due to be released on 25th July in America and 1st August in the UK. Sub-titled I Want to Believe, details of the plot are being kept secret, but expect the usual mix of adventure, mystery and conspiracy. The truth is out there. Go to www.xfiles.com for more details and watch this column for further news next month.
The Time Traveler's Wife
Later this year, another movie of interest to readers will be released. The Time Traveler's Wife, based on a book by Audrey Niffenegger, is part love story and part science fiction. It tells the story of Clare and Henry, who met when she was 6 and he was 36, but married when she was 22 and he was 30. Henry suffers from what is called Chrono-Displacement, which means that he time travels involuntarily, particularly when stressed. It is a wonderful new twist on the concept of time travel, cleverly plotted and beautifully written. New Line Cinema are making the film, due out in November 2008. Try to read the best-selling book first.
Ed's Note
Author and TV personality Nick Pope used to investigate UFOs for the British Government and is now recognized as a leading authority on the unexplained.
Check out www.nickpope.net for more details of Nick and his work. |
