UFO ROUNDUP Volume 3 Number 29
Volume 3
Number 29
July 20, 1998
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
CROP CIRCLES SHOW UP IN USA AND UK
During the past month, an incredible number of crop circles have appeared in the USA and the United Kingdom.
On Friday, June 19, 1998, a crop circle measuring 180 feet (55 meters) in diameter appeared in a wheat field in Eltopia, Washington (population 200), a small town about 225 miles (360 kilometers) east of Seattle.
According to cerealogist Ilyes, the circle was discovered by farmer Craig Schaefer, who discovered it "in a field of Steven's wheat--a 'beaded' variety of winter wheat" which Schaefer planted in October 1997.
Ilyes reported "an interesting color variation within the circle, as half of the circle was still green, half about golden ripe." The farmer reportedly told her "that his eye was caught by the circles in the crop, by the precise, well-defined circumference of the circle, and the way the wheat seemed deliberately organized." (Many thanks to Ilyes for this news story.)
Also in June, a crop circle shaped like a dumbbell was reported in Waverly, Nebraska (population 1,869), a town on Highway 6 approximately 11 miles (18 kilometers) northeast of Lincoln, the state capital. Waverly was the site of a crop circle in 1997.
On Friday, July 10, 1998, a giant swastika was found in a cornfield in Washington Township, New Jersey (population 8,000), located 5 miles (8 kilometers) southeast of Princeton.
According to the New York Post, "The swastika is about 100 yards by 100 yards and visible from the air." Washington Township mayor Glen Beebe "said the symbol appeared to have been cut in the field about three weeks ago, judging from the height of corn regrowth."
"The Mercer County prosecutor is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Beebe quoted police as saying they had no suspects."
"Jewish leaders expressed horror yesterday (June 12, 1998) at (the) football-field sized swastika... 'I'm horrified by this. I can't believe someone in our community could do this,' Yvette Kovsky, president of the 650-family Congregation Beth Chaim in (nearby) West Windsor, said." (See the New York Post for July 13, 1998, "Jews appalled by giant swastika in N.J. cornfield.")
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, a record number of crop circles have appeared this summer, with 30 of them in Avebury alone. Prominent Avebury crop circles include those at Beckhampton, Bishops Cannings, Avebury Trusloe and West Kennet.
According to cerealogist Paul Vigay, crop circles have appeared elsewhere in the UK, in Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, North Somerset, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, and at Shepton Mallet near Glastonbury.
On Thursday, July 9, 1998, at 7 a.m., a crop circle appeared in Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, UK. According to cerealogist Colin Andrews, the formation was "a Kock Fractal 'Snowflake' pattern, like two others seen nearby during 1997. This one has over 140 small circles surrounding the snowflake and is 300 feet across."
The "snowflake" appeared in East Field in Alton Barnes, at the foot of a prehistoric burial tumulus known locally as Adam's Grave. (Many thanks to Colin Andrews and Eroll Bruce-Knapp for this news story.)
On Monday, July 9, 1998, farmer Brian Roble was running a combine machine through an 18-acre wheat field in Latty, Ohio (population 200), a small town on Route 613 near the Indiana state line when he sighted a crop circle.
Roble "said, 'I had seen it from a distance and hadn't known what it was. When I got closer, I could see it was a crop circle. My eight-year-old daughter has been looking for crop circles since she and her mom went to see the one at Arend's (in 1996--J.T.). I never thought I'd find one.'"
Roble telephoned the field's owner, Georgia Price, and "she said her family had farmed that field for 45 years and it had never before produced such a crop."
"Sheriff Dave Harrow said his office received a report of crop vandalism at 6:14 p.m. on July 6. He denied the existence of a crop circle in the county, although he said the vandalism was circular in shape. He said his office has no suspects and because the landowner did not want to press charges, the case is closed."
"Roble said the sheriff came out July 6, compared the formation with those in a book, declared it a hoax and recommended they plow the compression under."
On Sunday, July 12, 1998, cerealogists Roger Sugden and Jeffrey Wilson investigated the scene. The men "took measurements, drew a field diagram, checked electromagnetic readings and collected wheat and soil samples." (See the Ohio newspaper Paulding County Progress for July 15, 1998, "Crop circle is discovered in county." Many thanks to Kenneth Young of Tri-States Advocates for Scientific Knowledge, T.A.S.K., for forwarding the newspaper article.)
UFOs HOVER OVER MOUNTAIN CITIES IN UMBRIA, ITALY
On Monday, July 13, 1998, at 11 p.m., an "unidentified craft" flew over the small city of Gualda Tadino in northeastern Umbria province, Italy. The UFO "circled the city at high velocity," and then hovered for about two minutes before flying away to the north. The UFO "flew below the clouds" and had "a great luminosity."
Minutes later, the UFO flew over the nearby city of Gubbio, in the Appenine Mountains. Witnesses described the UFO as "resembling a glowing soccer ball" and said "it flew from the north-northeast to the north-northwest," and, after aerobatic maneuvers lasting "about five minutes, and left in a northerly direction. The phenomenon was seen by four witnesses in one location, and another seven people confirmed this sighting."
Gubbio and Gualda Tadino are east of Perugia, located about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Rome. (Grazie a Squadra Film Spaziale d'Italia per questo rapporto.)
LUMINOUS UFO FLIES OVER CREWE IN THE UK
On Saturday, July 11, 1998, at 12:30 a.m., Paul R., age 27, and his mother, Patricia R., age 54, were out walking their dog in a west-southwesterly direction along Remer Street in Crewe, Cheshire, UK when a sudden bright flash captured Paul's gaze.
The incident took place just two hours after the light phenomenon over Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"My eyes had already been directed skyward by seeing something flare up," Paul reported, "I figured it was probably the sun reflecting off some solar panel or other. About a minute later, I saw this flickering fuzzy blob dash across the sky. The object was about the size of a two-pence piece (held at arm's length)."
"After noticing it flare up, I pointed it out to my mother, and we watched it for about 15 to 20 seconds until it faded out." The UFO "appeared to be at about 50 degrees above the horizon" and "was traveling in the same flight path as the first, south to north."
"I only saw it for five to seven seconds before it disappeared out of view behind the houses."
Crewe, Cheshire is located about 130 miles (208 kilometers) northwest of London. (Email Interview)
FAST UFO FLYBY OVER LELYSTAD, NETHERLANDS
On Tuesday, July 7, 1998, a film crew shooting a TV movie on the dikes at Blocq van Kuffeler in Oostelijk Flevoland, Netherlands accidentally shot footage of a UFO speeding overhead.
According to Dutch ufologist Keet Veling, "At the upper white corner of the frame, a white dot appears. It races through the film at great speed. The dot disappears behind (actor) Kuno's head. You expect the dot to appear over on the left of the frame but it does not."
The UFO was flying from Almene to Lelystad, a city 60 kilometers (36 miles) northeast of Amsterdam. (Many thanks to Keet Veling for this news story.)
TRIANGULAR UFO SPOTTED IN SELKIRK, MANITOBA
On Tuesday, July 14, 1998, at 4 a.m., Arthur P. was looking north from his home in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, when he spotted three strange bluish-white lights in the sky.
"What I saw was a (triangular) shape in bluish- white lights. It came down across the street from my house and made no sound. Of course, my heart was beating too loudly for me to hear it. Then it went straight back up and was gone."
Arthur described the configuration of lights as looking like this:
"I observed the UFO for four minutes," he added, "It was very, very slow in descent. Very slow as well as it ascended. I did not hear any sound as being associated with the UFO."
Asked if he observed any structural details, Arthur responded, "No, the light was too bright, and frankly I was too frightened." He added that there was definitely a luminous glow around the lights.
Selkirk is on Manitoba Provincial Highway 9 approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Winnipeg. (Email Interview)
MYSTERIOUS CRASH PROBED IN NORTHERN TEXAS
On Saturday, July 11, 1998, at 11:20 p.m., Texas ufologist Duff B. and his wife "were driving into the Fort Worth, Tex. area. We were about eight to ten miles west of Azle (population 8,868) and saw a bright falling object. My wife noted a blue and green 'light' below the object as it was falling. I watched it and was concentrating wholly on the large 'fireball' effect surrounding the object."
Since this "was nothing like we had ever seen before," Duff and his wife drove into Azle, hoping for a better look. They soon found "the road blocked at an underpass" and a large number of fire engines and emergency vehicles. Rolling down the window, Duff asked an officer what was going on.
"Is this fire related to the flash in the sky a while ago?" he asked.
"No," the officer said bluntly.
"Is this a wreck?" Duff asked.
After "pausing a few seconds, 'Yes,' he said."
"We went down the service road and tried to see across the median to see what all the commotion was about," Duff reported, "I saw a large number of fire trucks, care ambulances and a wrecker. However, what I didn't see was any damaged vehicle. In fact, there was nothing on the road but emergency personnel and vehicles."
The investigation is continuing. Azle is on Texas Highway 199 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Fort Worth. (Many thanks to Steve Wilson Sr. for this news story.)
UFOs APPEAR TWICE IN RURAL MICHIGAN
On Friday, July 3, 1998, at 3 p.m., a 14-year-old boy was practicing at the outdoor amphitheatre at Blue Lake Fine Arts Music Camp in rural Twin Lake, Michigan (population 1,328), about 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of Detroit, when he spotted a UFO in the sky.
The witness was rehearsing with other members of the orchestra when "he looked up" and "saw a strange object that resembled 'a metal gray flashlight (torch in UK) with a nose bigger than the back end.' He could see no windows or lights on it."
"It was flying a 'straight horizontal line' west towards Lake Michigan. The object was at a high altitude 'as high as a plane can go,' and at arm's length it was as big as his index finger."
"He observed it for approximately ten seconds before 'it flew into a very large cloud that took up a lot of the sky.' When asked if he pointed out the object to any of the others in the orchestra, he replied, 'No, because the teacher would be mad at me disturbing the rehearsal.'"
(Editor's Comment: An experience like this gives a whole new meaning to the expression music of the spheres.)
A week later, on Friday, July 10, 1998, at 3:49 p.m., "a woman driving north on US (Highway) 127 near Leslie, Michigan (population 1,872)" when he spotted "the glint of a silvery object" in the sky.
"She described the object as the size of a Cessna- type aircraft, but 'perfectly round like a steel BB'" pellet.
"She further noted 'a shiny band around the middle' of the object."
""The object seemed to 'slide up against the edge of the cumulous cloud, rolled down so that the top (half) reflected the shine, then rolled up so that the bottom half reflected the shine' She noticed that the 'shiny band' stayed at the middle of the object, which enabled her to determine" which hemisphere reflected the shine.
"She watched then as the object 'slid/flew into the edge' of the cloud, from which it did not return."
Leslie is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) south of Lansing, the state capital. (Many thanks to Marilyn Ruben of Alien Abductions Experience and Research and Jeffrey S. Westover of Michigan MUFON for these news stories.)
AMATEUR ASTRONOMER SPIES A UFO SOUTH OF PITTSBURGH
On Sunday night, July 12, 1998, an amateur astronomer doing some backyard observations spotted a UFO over Sutersville, Pennsylvania (population 755), located 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Pittsburgh.
The witness, "who owns a telescope and is familiar with the planets," stated he was "watching some aircraft when I noticed a bright, star-like source of light approximately west-southwest" of his location "in the generally clear sky."
The witness went indoors to fetch his telescope. Soon he had it in focus and "saw what appeared to be a solid white globe, but the center of it appeared to be more transparent. The globe itself appeared stationary while under observation. Just above the globe was another smaller sphere that was making a continuous back-and-forth motion, in a somewhat circular fashion over it."
According to the witness, the smaller sphere "moved from a 10 o'clock position to a 2 o'clock position (above the white globe) and then would reverse the motion. This continued for over two minutes." Then both UFOs departed. (Many thanks to Pennsylvania ufologist Stan Gordon for this news story.)
MAGAZINE HAS INTRIGUING PHOTOS FROM THE MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
The August 1998 issue of Sky & Telescope has a very interesting selection of photos from the Mars Global Surveyor, as part of a great article by Samantha Parker entitled "The Triumphant Turnaround of Mars Global Surveyor."
After looking at the photos with a trusty magnifying glass, and using a mirror set at 90 degrees for a 3-D effect, your editor found some intriguing features that I'd like to pass on to UFO Roundup readers.
(1) Niagara Falls of Mars - Note the three horseshoe-shaped "bites" out of the plain above Ophir Casma. The semi-circular recession, the outwash debris in the chasm, and the dendritic dried-up riverbeds leading to the edge suggest that a large waterfall, similar to the USA's Niagara Falls or Angel Falls io Venezuela, was present in the planet's distant past. Check the 2 o'clock position in the upper left photo on page 44.
(2) Lake Huron of Mars - The flat plain with the orderly rows of sand dunes in Hebes Chasma is actually a dry lakebed that rivals present-day Lake Huron in size. Note the wave-cut headlands and promontories on the left shore. There's also evidence of shore terracing in the embayments of the lower center photo on page 46.
(3) Twin Pyramids - The region called Medusa Fossae is full of surprises. Check out the upper left photo on page 45. At a 5 o'clock position relative to the recent impact crater at the top of the photo are two pyramid-shaped features. Nearby are another 10 smaller circular hills or mounds.
(4) Space Baby - Medusa Fossae has an interesting landform. Check out the upper left corner of the photo on page 45, at an 8 o'clock position relative to the large crater with the central peak. From space, the mountain resembles a human baby sucking the thumb of his right hand. It reminded me of the final scene of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Don't tell me there are Stanley Kubrick fans on Mars--J.T.)
NASA RELEASES GALILEO PHOTOS OF GANYMEDE
"Jupiter's moon Ganymede appears to have had an ocean fed by volcanoes that spewed lava-like water."
"Dramatic new photos from NASA's Galileo probe, taken in June 1996 and June 1997 and released Wednesday (June 15, 1998), do not reveal any signs of life. But it is possible that life could have existed in Ganymede's watery depths billions of years ago."
"'The ingredients for life are all there,' says James Head, a Brown University planetary scientist and Galileo team member. 'It had the water, it had the heat and it has organic material coming in from outer space in the form of comets.'"
The Galileo photos "show parallel rows of linear mountainlike ranges that stretch for hundreds of miles, and a valley system of volcanoes that replenished the ocean with water early in Ganymede's history."
"The pictures also reveal a chain of craters on Ganymede that probably were caused by impacts from a broken comet similar to the Shoemaker-Levy comet that smashed into Jupiter in 1994."
"Earlier data from Galileo found combinations of oxygen, carbon, sulfur, hydrogen and nitrogen trapped in Ganymede's crust."
"Galileo's images also show unusual pedestal-like formations, icy volcanic flows, dark rings from impacts and evidence of 'moon-quakes.'"
"Ganymede is thought to have formed about 4.5 billion years ago. It is the largest moon in the solar system, about the size of Mercury or a third the size of Earth."
"It is the only moon with a magnetic field. It has a metallic core and a thin hydrogen atmosphere."
"Ganymede lies 665,000 miles (1,060,000 kilometers) from Jupiter--more than twice as far as the Moon is from Earth."
"The images are the last closeups scientists are expecting from Ganymede. The Galileo spacecraft, which has spent two-and-a-half years orbiting Jupiter and its four largest moons, wrapped up its primary mission last December (1997). Its extended mission will continue through December 1999 and includes either flybys of Europa, four flybys of Callisto and one or two of Io."
"'This is a tantalizing last glimpse at Ganymede from Galileo,' Head says. 'We've learned a lot and it's been amazing. In the future, we'll need to get even closer and maybe even send a spacecraft to land there to really see what it's like." (See USA Today for July 16, 1998, "Photos suggest life could have existed on Jupiter's moon," by Paul Hoversten.)
from the UFO Files...
1947: DAYLIGHT DISCS SWEEP NORMAN, OKLAHOMA
One of the best-documented multiple repeated sightings of UFOs during the Flap of 1947 occurred in Norman, Oklahoma, located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City.
W.H. Carson, who was dean of engineering at the University of Oklahoma from 1937 to 1962, was the first to see the flying discs.
"The strange objects were reported being seen flying over Norman about 6 p.m. on July 6 (1947). Carson said he was resting in a hammock back of his home at 943 Chautauqua Avenue when he saw a silver object at an estimated height of 15,000 to 20,000 feet."
"When his wife Emma joined him, Carson mentioned the unusual object. About that time, two more appeared and were witnessed by Mrs. Carson and the neighbors."
"'I don't know what they were, but we saw them,' Carson told The Transcript."
"Carson, who died in 1969, said the objects were traveling from east to west into the setting sun."
"Another story that appeared in the July 7 (1947) edition of The Transcript described 'a big noise' heard by a large number of Normanites the same evening as Carson's sighting."
"Police made an extensive check of the west and southwestern parts of town after the sound, which shook walls and made windows tremble."
"In another local incident, Mrs. Dewey Clawson of 321 North Flood Avenue reported seeing a falling object that bore no resemblance to a falling star just before 'good dark' on July 7, according to the July 9, 1947 edition of The Transcript."
"Mrs. Clawson said she was sitting on her back porch when she noticed the object falling from the sky. It had the appearance of being approximately 6 to 8 inches in diameter and appeared to disintegrate as it fell earthward, she said."
"Mrs. Clawson said her son, Stuart, saw a similar object on July 5. He initially believed it was a firefly but later realized it was too large." (See the Norman, Okla. Transcript for July 9, 1997, "Norman had its own UFOs 50 years ago." See also back issues of the Transcript for July 7, July 8 and July 9, 1947. Many thanks to Lou Farish of UFO NEWSCLIPPING SERVICE for this story.)
FUN UFO WEBSITES:
For more on the crop circle in Eltopia, Wash., log in at http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/inter98/eltopia-pasco98.html
The one in Waverly, Neb. can be found at http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/inter98/waverly98.html
For more on the Lelystad UFO image, log in at http://www.captainvideo.nl/patrick/index-e.html
Enhance your summer UFO reading with a visit to our parent site, UFOINFO. We're at this URL: http://ufoinfo.com.
Back issues of UFO Roundup are available for reading and downloading at our webpage at http://ufoinfo.com/roundup
This week marks the 32nd anniversary of the flight of the Gemini 10. On July 21, 1966, astronauts John Young and Michael Collins flew the black-and- white Gemini 10 space capsule through two simulated docking missions with orbiting space targets. On this mission, Collins performed two spacewalks, also known as extravehicular activities (EVAs).
Three years after Gemini 10, Collins piloted the Apollo 11 command module in orbit around the Moon as Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the lunar surface.
We'll be back next week with more saucer news from "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you then.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1998 by Masinagan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO Roundup on their websites or in newsgroups provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of issue in which the item first appeared.
