Wednesday, June 25, 2008

UFOs over the UK

Torchwood is at it again. I do not think it's just a hit BBC TV show anymore. The fictional frequently alien visited city of Cardiff from "Torchwood" seems to be merging into the real life Cardiff with all the UFO sightings going on around the area there lately. That Captain Jack Harkness is a tricky bugger. He’s been messing with the police, messing with the military and finally messing with a poor middle class couple walking their dog. And now after all the recent UFO activity has transfixed the attention of the international press, a convenient cover story emerges. In a just released article, Lucy and Lyn Thomas report from their honeymoon in Turkey that they were the people behind the UFO incident over Cardiff on June 8, 2008. To quote from the June 25th posting from www.compare-airport-parking.co.uk,

“It appears that the cause of the reports is due to lanterns that were launched at a wedding on the 8th of June in the Vale of Glamorgan. The story has spread like wildfire since the sighting was reported by the helicopter occupants. However due to the extensive media coverage Lucy and Lyn Thomas, who were on their honeymoon in Turkey, noticed the reports of the UFO sighting on the internet and realised that their wedding paper lanterns could have sparked the reports.”

A likely story, Captain Harkness! We can see through the Torchwood ruse! Those UFO’s look an aweful lot like Daleks in flight! What are they trying to hide? Another invasion? Just give the investigation to The Doctor, he has more experience with the Daleks and his show is always better than yours!

In all seriousness, while the Cardiff video does look like a paper lantern in flight there are other circumstances that seem to disqualify that explanation. I’ve compiled the three recent videos from the UK that have appeared online; here it is on YouTube:




The first video is the UFO sighting over Tern Hill Barracks near Shropshire at 11:00 PM on June 7th, just 2 hours later and 80 miles away the police helicopter video near Cardiff Airport which follows next. In this vid we see something that looks incredibly similar to the smaller crafts seen in the Tern Hill Barracks incident. Finally, the last video is from Bonnie Lewis who shot these similar UFOs on June 20th while walking her dog at Bromsgrove.

All these videos bear striking similarities. They all show unknown oval craft in flight emitting multicolored lights, looking almost identical at times. Are they all paper wedding lanterns in flight?

First, the Tern Hill Barracks video shows multiple objects. One of them is of distinctly larger size than the others, at least on video. Although, from their distance the real size of these objects cannot be determined. The witnesses claimed that they were rotating cubes. Again, they look vary similar to the craft witness 2 hours later in Cariff, but paper lanterns do not rotate or make abrupt course changes.

Second, reports claim that the object captured on the police helicopter’s video claim that the craft was “huge”. Paper lanterns could never be described as huge. And in all the weddings I have ever officiated at or attended the lanterns are usually released in groups. The Vale of Glamorgan where the Smiths claimed to release their lanterns is only 4 miles from the Cardiff Airport. Are we to assume that the lanterns dispersed so quickly over a 4 mile journey that the other ones were nowhere in sight? Again this does not seem plausible except under harsh wind conditions. The pilots of the police helicopter reported no such severe conditions at the time, which would be readily apparent to a helicopter occupant. And who are Lucy and Lyn Thomas, and why did they have their wedding at 1:00 in the morning? The report from the Compare Airport Parking web site claims the Wedding was on the 8th, and it would not take long for a paper lantern to fly 4 miles. Hmm.

Finally, the last video captured by Bonnie Lewis shows the same type of craft as the other two. There are some differences but we still have oval rotating flying craft with multicolored lights. Paper lanterns again? I have officiated in Weddings that were preformed on Fridays, but they were usually a hurried affair. Usually not so elaborate as to warrant the cost of a fleet of paper lanterns, but you never know. But it still does not look like paper lanterns to me. Does it to you?

Something darn cool is happening in the UK, and I hope we see more videos. Hopefully from better cameras so we can see exactly what we are viewing. But it wouldn’t be a normal UFO video if it wasn’t a little blurry would it?

But I tell you if we find out Captain Harkness is behind all this, the BBC should cancel his show.

Until next time,

Pastor Swope



Update:

On June 26th the BBC news ran an article about Lucy and Lyn Thomas. The article is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7471724.stm

They had 30 lanterns that were released from 11:00pm until 2:00am. That is an average of 10 lanterns per hour. Usually at the beginning of such festivities (When the launching is open to all wedding guests whenever they wish) the couple and wedding party send off the first ones concurrently and then guests send off the others immediately after. Usually there is a great many set off within the first few minutes. I still ask, where were the other lanterns? Was this a stray one that was blown off course. Four miles is not a great distance, and on a clear night you can see them for over a mile, in my experience. I still remain skeptical because the Cardiff UFO was reported as "huge", mistakes of size will occur as the article states but more often it is when the lanterns are seen from the ground. Pilots usually draw on years of experience to judge the size of an object they encounter in flight. At least we know who the couple is and the correct date and time when the festivities occurred.


Was it a lantern? Very possible. But there are still some puzzling discrepancies to be accounted for with this particular incident, let alone the other sightings that seem to be of the same craft at different locations. But then June is the most popular time for Weddings. But I have yet to see a revolving lantern with multicolored lights.

There also seems to be a similar sighting in Mersey this week. You can see the video here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7472310.stm


To tell you the truth, THESE look like lanterns to me...

But I still cannot rule out a Dalek invasion. Somebody get me a Doctor!

Until we can receive detailed weather conditions for the night of June 7th, I have to refrain from calling the Cardiff incident "solved".

Updated Update!

Got the wind direction from the night of the 7th, seems the direction was right for the lanterns to reach Cardiff. To me the Cardiff incident is 98% Baloony. It is just a ruse I tell ya! A ruse! ;)

Also had an anonymous comment from someone claiming to be Mr. Thomas who said the wedding was on the afternoon of the 7th and why did I keep referring to him as Mr. Lewis. If that is you Mr. Thomas I think you are a tad confused and please write back , but as a rule I will not post anonymous messages claiming to be someone specific without some type of varification. Just not Kosher.

2 comments:

Heike said...

Good analysis! I agree with you. It seems like the more sightings there are, the more desperate the 'authorities' are to explain them.

cryptidsrus said...

This is the equivalent of the "otter" explanation prevalent among people who report Nessie sightings. Sheesh.