UFO ROUNDUP Volume 7 Number 12
Volume 7
Number 12
March 19, 2002
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
LUMINOUS UFOs CONVERGE ON TERRACE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
The small town of Terrace, B.C. has become the focal point as the UFO flap in Canada's British Columbia province enters its second month.
On Monday, March 4, 2002, at 5:30 a.m., a male body builder was doing his cardio workout before heading for his place of employment. According to ufologist Brian Vike, as the man "was looking up towards the sky...all of a sudden, it seemed like a star shot across the sky and came a complete stop."
The witness "said that it did a loop in the sky went straight up and disappeared." He described the UFO as "a very bright star with a blue-green-red colour to it."
The following day, on Tuesday, March 5, 2002, at 8:45 p.m., a family in Kitimat, B.C. (population 11,136), a seaport city at the end of Provincial Highway 37 on the Douglas Channel, "decided to go look at the stars because it was such a clear night."
The mother reported, "My husband and I were looking one way, and my nine-year-old son was looking towards the north when he saw a bright light with a red and orange layer going straight down from the sky. He described the object as having a tail. He said he didn't see it fall because it disappeared behind a tree. I had him draw and write down what he saw."
The boy described the object as "going down like a ball of fire."
The father added, "I was gazing up at the sky overhead and towards the south and west, trying to pick out a planet. No, we do not have a telescope. My wife was looking at the star chart in the latest issue of Star News magazine. She was more or less facing east but looking down to the magazine."
He estimated that his son "had been looking a little east of north toward Mount Elizabeth (elevation 5,500 feet). My son has no idea whether the object was falling in front of the mountain or behind it."
Three days later, on Friday, March 8, 2002, at 9:30 p.m., a male witness was outside his home in Terrace, B.C. "to have a cigarette" and "I saw the most unusual circle of lights in the sky. At first it was really bright, and, as time passed, which was about five to six minutes, the lights began to fade further into the sky. The lights were not a plane as I see many planes fly overhead. We live only ten minutes from the airport."
"It was the most amazing set of lights I have ever seen," he added, "This took place in the evening as it was already dark. I would say it was between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m."
On Sunday, March 17, 2002, at 12:05 a.m., a 17-year-old boy reported, "Me and my girlfriend were in my hot tub" in Terrace, B.C. "looking at the stars. Tonight was a clear night and many stars were visible. We were surprised when a flash of light tore across the sky. This was no shooting star because it was much bigger and lit up the whole sky, flashing as it went behind the mountain. I only seen a little bit of it, but my girlfriend described it as almost round in shape and very bright. It was only in the sky for seconds before going behind the mountain. She said it looked like the moon. What astonished me was how bright it was and its speed."
Meanwhile, UFO reports continue to trickle in as a result of Brian Vike's article in the Weekly Advertiser on Saturday, March 9, 2002, concerning UFOs seen over British Columbia during February.
On Friday, February 1, 2002, four people drove from their home in Kitseguecla, B.C. to Terrace. As they were passing through Usk, B.C., a village 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Terrace, at about 6 p.m., "they saw an orange and red, very bright light which seemed to be in the shape of a square. The light was sitting close to the top, or just below the rim of a mountain, There is a little church in Usk, and the object was seen at the top of the mountain on the same side as the church sits."
At the end of February, 2002, a witness "was driving on Highway 37 just north of Kitwanga, B.C." at about 4:30 a.m., Brian Vike reported, "There is a large swampy area off to the left of the highway" and "the fellow went on to say that there was a very, very bright light in the swamp. His impression of what he saw was a gas station canopy all lit up as it was so bright. He mentioned that he saw the light three times while driving slowly down the highway. The light would disappear and reappear, and he had a good view of it very distinctly the second time. He described the light as orangey-yellow in colour."
The man was driving a logging truck at the time and estimated that he was somewhere between Kilometer markers 55 and 60 when he saw the mysterious light. "He said it was either sitting on the ground or just above it. It was very bright and glowing" and "it freaked him out because there was nothing in that swampy area that he knew of."
Terrace, B.C. is on Highway 37 and the Skeena River about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Prince Rupert.
Kitimat, B.C. is 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Prince Rupert. (See the Weekly Advertiser of northern British Columbia for March 9, 2002. Many thanks to Brian Vike for these reports.)
UFO DOES A FAST FLYBY IN EASTERN WISCONSIN
On Wednesday, February 27, 2002, at 6:30 p.m., "Allen T. and his daughter had just dropped off his son at a Boy Scout meeting." Then, Allen reported, "We turned onto Main Street in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (population 32,647), heading east towards home. We both saw a brightly-lit object coming down at a rapid speed at a 250-degree angle. It only lasted a few seconds and seemed to disappear over Lake Michigan" to the east. "We both looked at each other in disbelief. It looked like a flaming jet crashing,but it was moving too fast. Makes you wonder..."
Main Street in Menomonee Falls in at the intersection of Highways 74 and 175 and is located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Milwaukee. (Many thanks to John Hoppe of UFO Wisconsin for forwarding this report.)
(Editor's Comment: Chalk up another one to the Lake Michigan Triangle. Also, readers, pay close attention to the next three stories and see if you notice a curious trend here.)
MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS SEEN OVER PALMER, TEXAS
On Saturday, March 9, 2002, in the evening, Melody J. reported, "I saw some strange 'planes' Saturday night. I live out in the country (rural Ellis County--J.T.) and I usually don't see as many planes as I used to when we lived 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Dallas/Forth Worth (international) airport."
"We were coming home that night" and "the 'lights' kept just fading into existence, just showing up out of what seemed like nowhere. Well, it started with two. Then three, then four, then five, then six. Six glowig lights were sitting there, so it seemed. You don't see that many planes out here at one time, so what were they?"
"Gradually, each one of them seemed to 'turn' and more towards the left from where I was looking. When they turned, they had blinking red lights and seemed to fly off. Until there were just three sitting there. They formed a triangle. By that time I was standing in my driveway watching, going, 'What the--!?'"
"The middle one moved from the right over to the left, forming the triangle again. The other two were just sitting there. About that time, we went inside, and I have no idea where they went. This was not typical for the Palmer night sky."
Palmer, Tex. is on Interstate Highway I-45 about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Dallas. (Many thanks to Louise A. Lowry for this report.)
TRIANGULAR RED UFO SIGHTED IN LA PLACE, LOUISIANA
"On (Wednesday) March 13, 2002, in La Place, Louisiana, approximately one hour after dusk (around 7 p.m.--J.T.), a triangular formation of glowing red objects, appearing to be propulsion radiance rather than aircraft lights, either connected to a single object or independent in a formation, with no sound, passed over with a northeast-to-southwest flight trajectory in a cloudless sky," Gary C. reported.
"As La Place is one of the main approaches to (Louis) Armstrong Airport in New Orleans, aircraft, whether flying high or low, emanate engine noises. The object passed along a hill in the usual flight pattern, opposite to the normal approaches, at approximately approach altitude, which confirmed the lack of engine noises."
La Place, La. (population 27,684) is on Highway 61 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of New Orleans. (Email Form Report)
(Editor's Comment: Okay, readers, have you spotted the trend yet? No? Well, the answer follows the next story.)
CAMPER SPOTS A UFO NEAR FENTON, MISSOURI
On Sunday, February 24, 2002, at 10:42 p.m., Scott Slase was camping out with his family at the Louis D. Beaumont Boy Scout Reserve near Fenton, Missouri (population 4,360).
Scott reported, "I was walking to my trailer to get a drink and some food for the campfire, when I looked up and saw a triangular shaped object flying in a swirling motion with a blue trail following behind it. I was so amazed that I told my children to come over and look. By the time they came over to the fire, though, the object was gone."
"I suspected a UFO sighting right then and I was left speechless! I have seen all sorts of planes, so I know it wasn't a plane.in the air but something even more suspicious."
Scott described the UFO as having "a color blue or greyish brown with a blue trail behind it. Triangular type of object with a circle left and right of the object. Speed was approximately 120 miles per hour (192 kilometers per hour.)"
Fenton, Mo. is on Missouri Highway 141 about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis. (Email Form Report)
(Editor's Comment: And here's the trend, readers. Each of the aforementioned four sightings took place within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of a major American city--Milwaukee, Dallas, New Orleans and St. Louis. Like Allen T. said, "Makes you wonder..." What's up?)
METALLIC GREY UFO SEEN IN BRIDGEWATER, TASMANIA
On Sunday, March 10, 2002, Timothy P. was outdoors in his hometown of Bridgewater, on Australia's island state of Tasmania when he heard a strange noise overhead.
"I was walking down the street when I heard a low whirring sound coming from the sky," Tim reported, "I looked up and saw the UFO flying very fast, leaving a trail of red-orange mist in the air. It was metallic grey, shaped like a hot dog, very fast, maybe travelling at 130 miles per hour (208 kilometers per hour), 350 metres (1,155 feet) above the ground."
Bridgewater is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of Hobart, the state capital of Tasmania. (Email Form Report)
LUMINOUS UFOs RETURN TO TRES CERRITOS, ARGENTINA
"A number of residents of the barrio Tres Cerritos (neighborhood)" in Salta, Argentina, "claimed having seen unidentified flying objects (UFOs) yesterday," Wednesday, March 13, 2002, "maneuvering over the hills standing above the summer resort village of San Lorenzo, west of the city (Salta) between 3:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. approximately."
"Journalist Lita Lagomarsion, who made statements over the radio, pointed out that she was able to see, while in the company of local resident Ferdie Garcia Bes, two strange luminous objects which made strange and surprising maneuvers 'which could not be compared to those of conventional flying machines.'"
"Likewise, Paulina Cruz, a housewife residing at Calle Las Quinas 300 (street) at the highest level of the residential neighborhood (Tres Cerritos--J.T.) gave her own review of the events: 'It was a single object. It descended in circles and landed on top of a hill. It gave off a very intense light and must have been enormous, judging by the distance.'"
"Similar opinions were voiced by another local, Paulina Torreon," who said,"'Many of us witnessed the phenomenon and we were very impressed with what we saw. I had never witnessed anything like it, and I'm very surprised. The strange thing is that it vanished suddenly, without a sound.'"
"'It had the luminosity of a large mirror reflecting the sun's light, although much more powerful,' said ten-year-old Andrea Santander, a fourth grader at the Escola 20 de Febrero (school)." (See the newspaper El Tribuno of Salta for March 14, 2002, "UFOs seen toward the west." Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales, autor de los libros Chupacabras and Other Mysteries y Forbidden Mexico, y tambien Mercedes Casas del Centro de Estudios Ufologicos (CEUFO) para eso articulo de diario.)
(Editor's Note: This is the second UFO sighting in Tres Cerritos in a month. On February 2, 2002, Adriana Acosta videotaped a UFO over Tres Cerritos. For the whole story, see UFO Roundup, volume 7, number 8 for February 19, 2002, "Woman videotapes a UFO over Salta, Argentina," page 5.)
MORE UFOs VIDEOTAPED AROUND MEXICO CITY
On Sunday, March 3, 2002, Mexican ufologist Ana Luisa Cid videotaped a triangular UFO "shaped like a boomerang" over Cerro de Chiquihuite (hill), just north of Mexico City. "Sra. Cid said the strange object performed unusual maneuvers over the hill" around 4 p.m. "Several minutes later, a brilliant silver spherical UFO appeared and linked up with the triangular object. Then they both continued in the same flight patterns across the sky. After two minutes, the two UFOs, now flying in tandem as one ship, speedily disappeared, streaking away from Chiquihuite and getting lost in the distance."
The following day, Monday, March 4, 2002, at 8 p.m., two brothers, Maurizio and Luis Manuel Reyes, videotaped a UFO emitting beams of light over Villa Coapa, located just south of Mexico City. "Their report stated that during three hours, the Reyes family observed a strange hovering light and also videotaped it for a total of 40 minutes. The UFO had the appearance of a half-sphere and disappeared swiftly to the north, losing itself in the haze of the horizon."
On Friday, March 8, 2002, Mexican ufologist Pedro Hernandez "captured on video the maneuvers of 17 UFOs 'of a metallic spherical appearance' over the city of Metepec," located near Toluca about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Mexico City.
"According to Hernandez, 11 spheres showed up during the morning. Later that afternoon, another six UFOs flew over Metepec and were captured on video. All were flying over Metepec at a rather low altitude."
Three days later, on Monday, March 11, 2002, at 5:20 a.m., Pedro Hernandez "videotaped an enormous luminous UFO over Metepec...Hernandez said the UFO was 'extraordinarily luminous and moved slowly above the trees at a very low altitude, with a potent light that was seen shining for two minutes.' Then the object continued its journey to the east, losing itself in the glare of the horizon." (See NotiOVNI for March 17, 2002. Muchas gracias a Daniel Munoz para esas informaciones.)
READY OR NOT, HERE COME THE COMETS OF AQUARIUS
"Astronomers say a comet that was last seen in 1661 will be at its brightest during the next few weeks."
"Comet Ikeya-Zhang is named for the two amateur astronomers who spotted it independently on (Friday) February 1 (2002). The sighting was recently reported in Sky and Telescope magazine. The comet is the sixth one to be spotted by longtime skywatcher Kaoru Ikeya, who lives in central Japan."
"Experts believe this is the same unnamed comet as one recorded in 1661, meaning it is returning after a 341-year orbit."
"Throughout the northern hemisphere, Comet Ikeya-Zhang is visible low in the western sky just after sunset. In early April, it will appear in the predawn sky as it begins to loop past Earth on its return trip out of the solar system."
Meanwhile, in Sierra Vista, Arizona, "amateur stargazer Doug Snyder had spent days scanning the skies with his 20-inch (50-centimeter) reflector telescope, hoping to find something new, when he happened upon 'a little gray smudge.'"
"The little smudge proved to be a very big deal: It was a new comet."
"The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams--the Harvard University-affiliated clearinghouse for new discoveries--confirmed Tuesday that Snyder was the first person to sight the comet Monday (March 11, 2002) as it streaked through the Aquila Constellation in the heart of the Summer Milky Way, which is a specific section of the Milky Way galaxy."
"A Japanese amateur astronomer, Shigeki Murakami, sighted the comet a few hours later and is considered a co-discoverer."
"The find was dubbed Comet Snyder-Murakami."
"Snyder said that after sighting the smudge early Monday, he did some research using a sky atlas and numerous data bases, but couldn't locate any reference to his find. He checked the comet's location again."
"'The comet had moved a bit, but not too much, and I found it again very easily. Dawn was coming and my view of the comet was fading, but by now I was becoming more sure of my discovery,' Snyder said."
"According to the bureau, Comet Snyder-Murakami was the third comet to be discovered visually during the past year."
The two new comets are approaching Earth at a crucial time. According to writer Joan M. Veon, "The 'Age of Aquarius' began with the dawn of the third millenium. What is significant about the Age of Aquarius is that it is 1,000 years long and it marks the third 1,000-year period on the earth. The move from one 1,000-year period to another comprises a major stellar shift. The world is coming out of the Age of Pisces. The Age of Aquarius comes into full force on March 21, 2002, at its apex."
March 21, 2002 is Thursday--two days from now! And two new comets have suddenly popped into view.
In ancient times, people believed that comets were harbingers of disaster. A comet appeared when Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome on March 15 back in 44 B.C.
In the case of Comet Ikeya-Zhang, there may be something to this. The last time this comet approached Earth, back in 1661, the Great Fire nearly destroyed the city of Lonon.
Five years ago, in 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp caused a stir when it arrived with "a Saturn-shaped object (UFO)" in tow. While the comet was still in our skies, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate sect died in San Diego, California, alleged to be a "mass suicide." Months later, Mother Teresa and Princess Diana died.
Will Comet Ikeya-Zhang and Comet Snyder-Murakami herald new troubles? Time will tell. (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for March 15, 2002, "Comet returns after long absence," page 2A; and for March 17, 2002, "Amateur astronomer's 'smudge' actually a comet," page 17A. Also, The Free American for March 2002, "Pagan Aspects and The Age of Aquarius" by Joan M. Veon, page 25. For more on the Heaven's Gate incident, see UFO Roundup, volume 2, number 13 for March 30, 1997, "UFO sect members found dead in San Diego," page 1; and UFO Roundup, volume 2, number 14 for April 6, 1997, "Leads ignored in Heaven's Gate case, page 1."
MAYAN MURAL DISCOVERED INTACT IN GUATEMALA
"Archaeologists announced Wednesday (March 13, 2002) that they have discovered the oldest intact Mayan mural ever seen, a spectacular colored fresco covered with mud in a hidden room buried within a jungle-cloaked pyramid in northern Guatemala's Peten wilderness."
"University of New Hampshire archaeologist William Saturno said he found the mural accidentally during what appeared to be a futile hunt for Mayan stone monuments at a remote site two days' journey from the world-famous classical Mayan ruins at Tikal."
"'I wandered into a looters' trench beneath the pyramid, looking for some shade as much as anything,' Saturno said, 'When I shined my flashlight up at the wall, there it was...The looters had cleared off a section and left it. I felt like the luckiest man on the planet.'"
"What he saw was a 4-foot (1.3-meter) long swatch of mural representing the resurrection of the corn god, a scene from the Mayan creation myth recorded in murals and literature and on statues and pottery for over 2,000 years of Meso-American history."
"At first glance, Saturno could tell the mural was about 2,000 years old, because the artistic style closely resembled that of Tikal murals rigorously dated at 100 A.D., while amulets and other ornaments matched those on 100 A.D. figures at Kaminaljuyu, a highland site near present-day Guatemala City."
(Editor's Comment: Apparently, this Mayan fresco was painted at the same time that the Christian apostle John, in exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, was writing the Book of Revelation. Strange coincidence.)
"But the Tikal murals were weather-beaten fragments from exterior surfaces. What Saturno saw was a 3-foot (0.9-meter) tall continuous band, immaculately preserved and painted in black, red and 'several shades of yellow,' he said."
"And the mural, although hidden beneath stones and other debris, appeared to extend around the top of the entire room. 'We're talking a minimum 18 meters (53 feet) of mural,' he said."
"'We've seen nothing like this,' said Mayan religion and art specialist Karle Taube at the University of California at Riverside. 'We didn't know there was a mural tradition this elaborate, this early."
(Editor's Comment: Obviously he never heard of William P. Niven and his 1921 dig at Santiago Ahuizoctla in Mexico. Chalk up another win for Colonel James Churchward.)
"Saturno made his discovery a year ago. He returned to the United States, obtained an emergency grant from the National Geographic Society and hired guards to discourage looters. This year he will begin a five-year excavation under the auspices of Harvard University's Peabody Museum. A report of his findings will appear in the April (2002) edition of the National Geographic magazine."
"The Maya, one of the great civilizations of pre-Columbian America, flourished in what are now Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and parts of Honduras and Mexico, from early 'pre-Classic' times beginning about 2,000 B.C. to the Spanish conquest in the 16th Century A.D."
"Archaeologists generally regard the ensuing 'Classical' period between 250 A.D. and 900 A.D. as the pinnacle of a culture that produced elaborate writing and numbering, a calendar system and remarkable art and architecture, much of which remains unexcavated."
"The uncovered portion of the mural shows the corn god looking over his shoulder at two kneeling women, while a man kneels on his right." (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for March 17, 2002, "Intact Mayan mural discovered," page 14A.)
READER FEEDBACK
RECENT OHIO FLAP REVISITED
William E. Jones, MUFON state director for Ohio, writes, "Joseph: I want to update the article entitled, "Southern Ohio rocked by UFO sightings" from the subject issue. (See UFO Roundup, volume 7, number 9 for February 26, 2002, page 6.) I picked up the event when a friend called me the night of these sightings and said that the WLW radio station in Cincinnati was carrying live reports of sightings on a talk show."
"I was able to tune in and indeed people were calling in with sightings, two from as far away as Georgia and Florida. Most, however, seemed to be from eastern and southeastern Ohio."
"The Zanesville report was an error. The sighting was reportedly in or near Zanesfield, a small town west of (Interstate Highway) I-70, well west of Columbus."
"Some of the reports seemed perplexing, although others clearly had more prosaic explanations. One truck driver on I-70 between Dayton and Springfield reported a large triangular object near the ground. He said truckers in this area were talking on their CBs (Citizen-band radios--J.T.) about seeing unusual things in the sky near I-70."
"The radio station host did not discuss what was going on in a calm and objective manner. He was clearly attempting to hype as much excitement as he could out of the calls. The witnesses were not giving names, addresses and telephone numbers so there was no way to follow up with an objective investigation."
"Kenny Young from the Cincinnati area was contacted and he tried to follow up by calling many police agencies in the area. No reports of UFOs were apparently made through that channel."
"What happened that night is a bit of a mystery, but there is not enough objective evidence to conclude that it was a mini-flap of some kind. I think the only thing flapping was the radio host's lips."
From the UFO Files...
1964: GLOWING RED UFO SEEN IN NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
"Many people and animals have experienced a feeling of weightlessness in the vicinity of UFOs. A South African pilot, Anton Fitzgerald, in an article called "Repeat Performance," originally published in the South African aviation magazine, Wings Over Africa, subsequently reprinted in Flying Saucer Review, gives some examples of this weightlessness."
"Mr. Fitzgerald was walking down the hill toward his homestead in Natal (the state north and west of Durban, a port on South Africa's Indian Ocean coastline--J.T.), accompanied by his farm manager, Jack Marais. From their position on the hill they could see the landing strip close by the homestead and the large hangar. Mr. Fitzgerald's (twin-engine) Aero Commander (500) had already been pushed out on to the runway ready for his departure to Durban."
"They both saw the eerie reddish glow on the runway at the same time. It was about three hundred yards (270 meters) from the house and roughly two hundred yards (180 meters) from them."
"It was noticeable that the animals around the farm were behaving oddly. 'From our elevated position, the sheep reminded me of iron filings on a piece of paper around a magnet--a sort of orderly pattern but yet following no accepted geometrical form,'" Fitzgerald wrote.
"Suddenly, when the two men were only 'a stone's throw away,' the object rose vertically into the air. There was no sound, no rush of (displaced) air."
"They watched the object disappear into the mist. Jack suddenly exclaimed, 'Just look at those sheep!'"
"Fitzgerald wrote: 'I also looked at the sheep and noticed with amazement that they all appeared to be standing on tiptoe like ballet dancers with heads held unusually high just as if they were suspended in space with their hooves barely touching the grass. It was then that we both first experienced a peculiar feeling of almost weightlessness.'"
"After a checkup it was found that one old sheep was missing."
"When Fitzgerald took off in the Aero Commander the plane climbed abnormally fast and he found himself 'sitting more lightly than usual on his seat.'"
"Fitzgerald points out that Ndolwana, his Zulu tractor driver on his farm in Natal, descendant of a Zulu headman, had now seen for himself, in the flesh, so to speak, the foundation of the ancient Zulu legend of 'the red sun that rises straight up into the sky after devouring some of the tribe's cattle.'" (See the book Mysterious Visitors by Brinsley LePoer Trench, Stein and Day Publishers, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., 1973, pages 61 to 63.)
That's it for this week. Join us in seven days for more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the planet Earth, brought to you by "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you next week.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2002 by Masinaigan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO Roundup in newsgroups or on their websites provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of issue in which the news item appeared.
