UFOs: recent sightings in norwalk probably a star, experts say
Report to Galactic Command - Re: Fairfield County, Earth.
Captain's Log: Star Date 5387
The meteor shower encountered near Xoron 7 weakened the ship's cloaking device.
For about one earth hour, 14 planetary revolutions ago, the starship became visible to earth's inhabitants in the geo graphic quadrant known as Fairfield County. Evasive strategy was undertaken and the ship was aligned with the star Sirius. It was hoped the brightness of the star at night would mask our vessel until the cloaking de vice became operational again.
While several earthlings from societal compounds known as Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Darien did report seeing a UFO to local authorities, monitoring of communications in the days that followed has determined that the ploy was effective. Earth scientists have attributed the sightings to the star's twinkling.
Have complete exploratory mission and will return to base. end transmission.
Whether the circular object with blue, red and green lights that was seen hovering over Norwalk on the evening of April 19 is a star or starship - will probably never be known.
Several devotees of exploring UFOs, however, have said that the apparition was probably the star Sirius - the brightest star in the sky - or another star called Capella.
"Its my belief that they were seeing the two stars", said Philip Imbrogno, astronomer and board member at the Bowman Observatory in Greenwich.
Imbrogno drew his conclusions after he interviewed Robert Cole, the Norwalk custodian who saw the UFO, and his neighbors on Brookfield Street.
When stars are low on the horizon at this time of year, Imbrogno said they can take on a spectacular appearance because of inversions in the atmosphere.
He said different layers of cold and warm air create a lens effect which distorts the appearance of the star.
"It changes colors and flickers blue, red and green", he said. "It can seem strange to someone seeing it for the first time, but this has been a frequent culprit for UFO sightings in the past."
Jim Speiser, director of ParaNet in Arizona, a national network of computer users who investigate paranormal occurrences like UFOs, agreed with Imbrogno.
"These individuals saw a very large bright object in the southwest sky for 45 minutes and then it disappeared," he said. "Monday was cloudy and it wasn't seen. But it was seen again on Tuesday when it was clear. I suspected it was an astronomical body."
Speiser said he ran a computer program called "PC Planetarium" which can chart the night sky on any day in the Western Hemisphere, and as he expected, Sirius was right where the sightings occurred.
"I don't want to come out and accuse anyone of being myopic," he said. "They may have seen something strange. I can't say for sure. But I suspect it was the star."
Dr. Mel Goldstein, meteorologist at the Western Connecticut State University said that the atmospheric effect described by Imbrogno is common.
While Imbrogno, who has investigated 500 cases in the last 15 years, is not ready to say that UFOs are visitors from outer space, he does believe that in some cases people are seeing something extraordinary.
"The bottom line is that the UFO phenomena is real," he said. Dale Goudie, head of the UFO Information Service in Seattle said his organization has documented 300 cases in the United States since 1985.
"That's only about two percent of the total cases," he said. Imbrogno said that even more UFOs than usual will be sighted in 1987. "I think its going to be a big year for UFOs," he said. "(Steven) Spielberg will probably do another movie and there will be shows on TV which will cause sightings to increase. People will be looking to the sky more."
"While they maintain that UFOs are occurring all the time, several of the experts said they believe the latest rise in UFO interest is because of books like the best-seller "Communion" -- a purported true story of abduction by aliens, and "Intruders", a scientific study of people who claim to have been abducted.
Imbrogno and Speiser said they were pleased with those works. The less scientific approach taken in the book and television movie made from Shirley MacLaine's book "Out on a Limb," however, has disturbed some investigators.
Whether Fairfield County will become a hotbed for UFO research is questionable. Still everyone agrees that interest in sightings can only grow.
"Its a very popular subject," Speiser said. "There will always be a question mark: Are we alone?"
Greenwich Time, Sunday, May 3, 1987
