| UFO ROUNDUP Volume 4, Number 6 | |
| February 8, 1999 Editor: Joseph Trainor | |
CHILEAN TV STATION AIRS SATELLITE'S UFO VIDEO On Tuesday, January 26, 1999, TV viewers in Chile were astonished when a Santiago station broadcasted satellite video images of disc-shaped UFOs measuring hundreds of miles in diameter. The video images were aired by Television de la Universidad Catolica (TV-UC) on Canal (Channel) 13. The video footage was shot by Geostationary Orbital Environmental Satellite 8 (GOES-8) on two separate occasions a few years ago. According to Chilean ufologist Luis Sanchez Perry, the program "showed an infrared photo taken by GOES-8 on July 17, 1992, clearly showing a large disc-shaped object in outer space above the Pacific Ocean in front of (just west of) the Chilean coast." According to Mario Vilches, the gigantic saucer measured "400 kilometers (240 miles) in diameter." The July 1992 image was captured by Servicio Aereo Fotometrico Ltda., an airmapping business in Santiago de Chile, the national capital. "The lines that can be seen in front of the UFO belong to electromagnetic interference that came from the UFO," Sanchez explained. At the time the image was taken, GOES-8 was in a geostationary orbit 21,600 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth. The huge disc appears to be moving at the same orbital speed as the satellite, approximately 6,696 miles per hour (10,713 kilometers per hour). "Three more images were taken at 10-minute intervals, and the UFO came through very clear," Sanchez added. The second GOES-8 video was shot on April 7, 1996. Although the image disappeared very quickly from the GOES website, it was downloaded by Chile's Centro Meteorologico Regional de Antofagasta. This image "shows the UFO over the Atlantic in front of (just east of) the Brazilian coast." The GOES-8 video images were discussed during the broadcast by two ufologists, Dr. Mario Dussuel of Comite de Estudios de Fenomenos Aereos Anomalos (CEFAA) and Rodrigo Cuadra of Equipe Superior de Investigacion Ovniologica (ESIO). CEFAA is Chile's official national study group, composed of government agencies, local ufologists and the Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACH (Chilean Air Force--J.T.) (Muchas gracias a Luis Sanchez Perry y Mario Vilches para esas noticias.)   DR. HAWASS BRIEFS MORE ROYALTY ON OSIRIS TOMB Dr. Zahi Hawass huddled with Sweden's King Gustav and Queen Sylvia last week and gave both monarchs details of his work on the newly-found tomb of Osiris. According to the Danish newspaper Elektra Bladet, Dr. Hawass, Egypt's Undersecretary of State for the Giza Monuments, met with "King Gustav, Queen Sylvia and 75 members of their family and staff at the royal castle in Stockholm. On this occasion, he revealed his most recent and secret finds in Giza." "'I have found a shaft going 29 meters (96 feet) vertically down into the ground, halfway between the Khefren (Khafre) pyramid and the Sphinx. At the bottom, which was filled with water, we found a burial chamber with four pillars. In the middle is a large granite sarcophagus, which I expect to be the grave of Osiris,' (Egyptian god of death) Zahi Hawass says." "After 11 years as manager of the Giza area and the pyramids, he is one of the most well-known people in Egypt." "'I have been digging in Egypt for more than thirty years, and up to this date, this is the most exciting discovery I have made,' says (Dr.) Hawass, who hasn't published his findings in his country at all." "We found the shaft in November (1998) and began pumping the water recently. So several years will pass before we have finished investigating this find.'" "'But when your queen (Denmark's Queen Margarethe two weeks ago) attended my lecture in Copenhagen and displayed such an interest and knowledge regarding Egyptology, I took the opportunity of initiating Her Majesty into the most recent find.'" (See Elektra Bladet for January 31, 1999, "Sandpit of Royalty" by Dorte Quist. Many thanks to Stig Agermose for forwarding this newspaper article.) (Editor's Comment: Finding the shaft in November 1998 confirms a prophecy of American seer Edgar Cayce. In the 1930s, Cayce predicted that "a shaft leading to the Hall of Records will be discovered in 1998." There may be more tunnels and passageways under the Giza plateau still to be found.) PENTAGON CHANGES NAME OF Y2K READINESS EXERCISE According to WorldNet Daily, the Pentagon is still planning a nationwide call-up of the National Guard for May 1 but has changed the name of the exercise. WorldNet Daily "has confirmed that the National Guard is indeed planning a nationwide mobilization test. But due to the publicity surrounding the original plans, the name has been changed from COMEX/MOBEX to Communications CPX," or Exercise COMMO CPX 99. Lt. Col. Kirk Krist, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Y2K Task Force, said the exercise is just a test of the Army's communications system in the event of Y2K-related blackouts and not a dress rehearsal for Operation Abacus. "'We are still planning on holding the COMEX/MOBEX but we have officially changed the name to COMMUNICATIONS CPX to avoid any assumptios that we plan to mobilize the entire (USA) National Guard on 31 December 1999. We do not plan to do that,' explained Lt. Col. Kirk Krist of the Y2K Task Force." "'The purpose of the exercise...is to test the high- frequency radio network the Guard will use in the event there is a failure of telephone communications" as a result of the expected Y2K computer crisis. Over 460,000 National Guardsmen in all fifty of the USA's states will participate in the three-day exercise beginning May 1, 1999." (Many thanks to Y2K Newswire for February 2, 1999 for this item.) FLYING DISC PHOTOGRAPHED IN NEW ZEALAND On Saturday afternoon, January 16, 1999, people relaxing on the beach in Greymouth, South Island, New Zealand, were startled by the cries of children, who were "pointing to the western horizon" where "a UFO was enjoying itself." The UFO, described as "a large opaque and shiny disc," zipped about in the blue sky over the Pacific Ocean for several minutes. "One intrepid adult took a photograph or two of the large opaque and shiny thing as it bounced, dived and then proceeded north in a flat trajectory. Everyone is waiting to see how the film comes out, which, considering the camera is not much more than a box Brownie, will be an event in itself." Greymouth is on the South Island's western shore about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Christchurch. (See the New Zealand newspaper The Press for January 21, 1999, "Unusual sighting at Greymouth." Many thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp for forwarding this article.) FLYING TRIANGLE SPOTTED NEAR PRESTON, LANCASHIRE A "flying triangle" UFO was spotted last week by a local disc jockey, Peter H., at Broadgate, near Preston, Lancashire, UK. According to Tim Matthews of the Lancashire UFO Group, Peter H. "saw a triangle flying at low speed, approximately 30 knots, flying from left to right. This was certainly not a police helicopter...the triangle was somewhat larger than the jet fighters seen often over the area," and there was "a battery of red lights seen around its entire perimeter." "As it passed by, entirely silently and at a distance of about a quarter-mile, Peter noticed a bright light evident on the right side approximately halfway down the leading edge. This was almost an equilateral triangle--the triangle had a relatively broad back and probably at a 75-degree sweep." (Many thanks to Tim Matthews of LUFOG for this report.) WALK FARM MYSTERY HAS FELIXSTOWE FOLK BAFFLED Last week's strange doings at Walk Farm in Levington, Suffolk, UK fueled rumors of a UFO crash or landing, visitations by aliens and Men in Black (MIBs) setting up a secret base. "In what could be a case for Mulder and Scully from the science fiction television series The X-Files, peculiar sightings have been baffling bemused drivers as they drive along the Felixstowe peninsula." "Just off the (motorway) A-14, grey piles have appeared among the soil of Walk Farm, Levington." "Finally, toward the point, strange squat shelters have taken their place among the paddocks. Motorists also report seeing figures invading the farm, taking readings with some mysterious surveying equipment." "Just what is going on?" "According to a neighbour, there is a simple explanation for the grey X-piles. It is a sand of limestone that is to be sewn into the garden to improve the soil." "But as for the mysterious men and the squat buildings, the neighbour was clueless." "Our attempts (by the newspaper The Evening Star--J.T.) to contact the landowner, believed to be a Mr. Mayhew, have proven fruitless, further deepening the mysteries of Walk Farm." (See The Evening Star of Ipswich, Suffolk for January 29, 1999. Many thanks to Gerry Lovell of Far Shores for forwarding the newspaper article.) BLUE FIREBALL LIGHTS UP CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA "A small meteor streaked across the sky this morning (Tuesday, February 2, 1999), startling people from San Francisco to Las Vegas (Nev.) more than 400 miles (640 kilometers) away." "'It was bright and blue and really fantastic,' one caller told San Francisco radio station KCBS." "Radio stations in several other cities, including Santa Barbara and San Bernardino in southern California, also had people calling in about the mysterious light." "People reported seeing it for about five seconds, at 6 a.m." on February 2, 1999. "The object was probably a fireball, or 'bolide' according to Jose Olivarez, director of Chabot Observatory and Science Center in Oakland," California. ''From the description, I'd say it was probably a small meteor that entered the atmosphere,' he said, 'It's not unusual, but it was clear last night so a lot of people saw it.'" "Callers said the bright light zipped across the sky, moving from east to west and vanishing over the horizon." "Sometimes missle launches have been mistaken for meteors, but the (U.S.) Air Force said it had not launched a missile from Vandenburg Air Force Base." (See the San Jose Mercury for February 2, 1999. Many thanks to Arnold Veness for forwarding the newspaper article.) SKY BOOMS IN OKLAHOMA AND WEST VIRGINIA On Tuesday, February 2, 1999, at 7:30 p.m., a "Mystery Boom, similar to what has been reported in other areas" jolted the town of Elk City, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City. Ufologist Jim Hickman reported, "I contacted the local police, and they reported multiple phone calls from concerned citizens, all reporting windows being shaken and a loud booming sound. I was monitoring the military aircraft (radio) channels at the time, and I noticed no unusual activities." Earlier that day, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, a similar boom was heard in and around the city of Morgantown, West Virginia (population 25,879), located on Highways 7 and 19 approximately 155 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Charleston, the state capital. According to ufologist James Brown, the boom "was heard in the Morgantown, W.V. area about 1:30 p.m. The emergency center received several calls about it from Star City (population 1,251)" on Highway 7about six miles (9 kilometers) west of Morgantown, "and the Mileground area." "Local radio stations also received calls from areas several miles from the city. A representative from WAJR received calls from Brookhaven and Star City." "Several calls on the afternoon talk show were about the boom. One caller described it as a blast and stated it was heard in the Core and Westover (population 4,201) areas, as well. It was also described as 'loud' in the Cassville area." (Westover and Core are on Highway 7, respectively 3 and 11 miles west of Morgantown--J.T.) "One woman said it was definitely not a blast, but a sonic boom," adding that she used to live near an airport and heard then noise quite often. "A man 'heard it in the Point Marion Road area and attributed it to a local stone quarry. In a telephone interview, he commented that he felt the boom before he heard it." (Many thanks to Jim Hickman of Skywatch International and James Brown and Stan Gordon for these reports.) GALILEO COMPLETES FINAL FLYBY OF EUROPA On Sunday, January 31, 1999, the spacecraft Galileo performed its third and closest flyby of Europa, an ice-covered moon of Jupiter located 413,734,000 miles (661,974,400 kilometers) from Earth. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California "reported that the Galileo spacecraft executed a close flyby of Europa on Sunday, passing a scant 894 miles (1,417 kilometers) above the surface of Jupiter's frozen moon. Early indications are that the maneuver was a success, and all scientific data was stored on the spacecraft's tape recorder for later playback." "This latest flyby is the last of a series that began in late 1997 as part of the extended Galileo-Europa Mission (GEM). Scientists are intrigued by Europa because of mounting evidence that a liquid ocean exists beneath the frozen surface. Although the moon's surface temperature is a chilly minus 260 degrees (below zero) Fahrenheit, it's possible the warmth from a tidal tug of war between Jupiter and its revolving moons could be keeping large parts of Europa's ocean liquid." Photos from the moon show that "one area of Europa's southern hemisphere shows 'brown, linear ridges extending across the surface.' These are "thought to be the remnants of cryo-volcanic activity. Cryo- volcanoes (cold volcanoes) occur when liquid as partially frozen water erupts onto the Europan surface, freezing instantly in the extremely low temperatures so far from our own sun." "A geologically older, smoother surface, bluish in color, underlies the ridge system. The blue surface is composed of almost pure water ice," although there are "drab brownish spots and ridges" in the area. Europa is 1,942 miles (3,126 kilometers) in diameter and orbits Jupiter at a distance of 416,877 miles (670,900 kilometers). (Many thanks to Steve Wilson Sr. for this news story.) (Editor's Comment: The "brown spots" may be sediments uplifted by the ice from Europa's ocean floor.) SPANISH UFOLOGISTS PLAN NATIONWIDE SKYWATCH The ufological group Estudios de Enigmas Extraterrestres (EDENEX) of Torremolinos, Spain is planning a wide-ranging skywatch for the end of February. EDENEX members "will mobilize at strategic points throughout the mountains of Malaga" to watch for UFOs. Additional skywatches and followup conferences are being planned for Seville and Granada during the summer of 1999. (Muchas gracias a Pedro P. Canto para esa noticia.) ERROL BRUCE-KNAPP HOSTS RADIO SHOW IN CANADA Canadian ufologist Errol Bruce-Knapp, moderater of the highly-popular UFO Updates, is branching into radio. Bruce-Knapp joins Scott Robbins and John Kares as hosts of the new talk show Strange Days, Indeed on station CFRB in Toronto, Canada. Strange Days...Indeed is broadcast on Sunday at the following times: 11 p.m. Eastern, 10 p.m. Central, 9 p.m. Mountain, and 8 p.m. Pacific. CFRB broadcasts at 1010 AM and on the short wave band at 6.070 SW. Roundup readers can listen to Errol's show on their computer by accessing RealAudio which can be found at the website-- http://www.cfrb.com/cfrb.ram If you want to call in with UFO questions. dial this number: 1-800-561-2372. Join Errol and his co-hosts as they discuss the latest UFO sightings. from the UFO Files... 1965: ALIENS TRY TO ABDUCT PEOPLE IN ARGENTINA Two of the strangest abduction attempts on record occurred during February 1965 in the small town of Torrent in northern Argentina. "One night in the first week of February (1965), a man living at Torrent, near Santo Tome (in Corrientes province, about 560 kilometers (350 miles) north- northeast of Buenos Aires--J.T.) called his neighbours to come outside and observe five luminous objects flying overhead. Then a transparent craft landed, and from it emerged five 'Martians.'" The aliens were described as "nearly 2 metres high (six feet, four inches), each having only one eye in the centre of the forehead. On their heads were instruments giving off flashes of different colors." According to witness Rodrigo de Riana, "They entered a farmhouse and tried to sieze a man, but withdrew in the face of the firm attitude of the villagers," reboarded their craft "and flew away." "On February 6 (1965) however, they returned and were seen by many people. Once again they tried to catch a man and failed. He escaped and gave the alarm. The villagers turned out in strength and fired their shotguns at the 'Martians,' seemingly with no effect." The second foray proving equally unsuccessful, the aliens reboarded their craft and departed once more. They have not been seen since. (See the book THE HUMANOIDS, editor Charles Bowen, Henry Regnery Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1969, "The Humanoids in Latin America" by Gordon Creighton, page 109.) Now, to find the article you want, go to this URL...http://ufoinfo.com/roundup/articles. And enjoy some great ufological reading. To readers just joining us, UFO Roundup welcomes emailed reports. Send them to us at Masinaigan@aol.com. If you are scanning or quoting from a newspaper article, please be sure to list the name of the newspaper, the city where it was published, and the date of issue in which the UFO story appeared. We welcome UFO news clippings, as well. Please feel free to mail those to our snail-mail address: UFO Roundup, Box 16, 126 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, Rhode Island, USA 02886 We'll be back next week with more saucer news from around the planet, brought to you by "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you then. _____________________ UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1999 by Masinaigan 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. |