UFO’S

Good day all my fine friends!

How has life been treating you? I hope and pray that whatever life throws your way you will kneel at Jesus’s feet and either thank Him or turn to Him for guidance and protection. Life always turns out better that way.

Speaking of the supernatural, I have been asked questions about UFO’s that I did not address in the blog I wrote a few years ago. Mainly it is about sightings that may seem unexplainable but really do have an explanation.

First you have to remember that a UFO is just an unexplained flying object. This can occur during the day or at night. But most UFOs are spotted either at dusk or at night. Here are several

explanations...

Satellite flashes and flares: Satellites orbiting the earth do not have a constant brighteness. Rather they usually give off flashes at regular time intervals (but sometimes not so regular).  The flashes are caused by the rotation of the satellite around its axis with it’s metallic surfaces acting as mirrors for the sun. The release of payloads can cause the satellite to veer from its rotation and start to tumble. When this happens the reflected light can change in

intensity and intervals. “Occasionally, an antenna reflects sunlight directly down at Earth, creating a predictable and quickly moving illuminated spot on the surface below of about 10 km (6.2 mi) diameter. To an observer this looks like a bright flash, or flare in the sky, with a duration of a few seconds.

Ranging up to −8 magnitude (rarely to a brilliant −9.5), some of the flares are so bright that they can be seen in the daytime; but they are most impressive at night.”¹ To the unknowing observer these flares are UFOs. If you spot a bright flare in the sky I suggest to go to a website or smartphone app that provides location specific information as to when and where in the sky a satellite flare may occur before you cry UFO.

Swamp gas (marsh gas/bog gas): This is a form of biogas (gases produced by the

breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen). Almost all swamp gas forms naturally in wetlands of some sort (such as bogs, marshes and swamps). When rotting vegetation forms a solid crust or cover over the swamp, it prevents oxygen from reaching the organic material trapped below. The natural byproduct of the anaerobic decay process is fermentation which produces methane. This can suspend in liquid particles above the swamp creating a cloud. At times near the surface there is sufficient heat and oxygen tocreate spontaneous combustion and underground fires. When this occurs near the volatile methane it can burn causing strange and often erie illuminations.

Cryptozoology: The last thing I would like to discuss that could be mistaken as a UFO is bioluminescence. David Woetzel of Genesis Park describes in his genesispark.com website searching for living pterosaurs in Papa New Guinea; “The creature appears to resemble the Dimorphodon pterosaur, with the addition of a head crest and dermal bumps. However, the animal is said to have a 15-20ft

wingspan and exhibits a bioluminescent glow. On Wednesday October 27 a large, yellowish glow approximately 20-25% the size of the full moon was observed to fly behind one of the volcanic peaks. The light left no trail and it twinkled around the edges. The whole sighting lasted for only a few seconds, as the light streaked across the horizon and behind Mt. Tolou.”

So as you can see, especially from the photos, if a person didn’t know what these natural phenomena were when they were sighted, they could easily be mistaken for alien, extra terrestrial UFOs.

But God made it clear in Isaiah 45:18 that only earth is to be inhabited; “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.”

Until next time,

God bless and take care,

Willow Dressel

This week in the night skies: Thursday, March 25 is the first-quarter moon.

For the southern lats there is an aurora watch and geomagnetic alert for March 22 and 23. For more info go to http://astroblogger.blogspot.com. 

References:

¹http://www.satobs.org/tumble/tumbleintro.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_gas