UK UFO Report - Wigan (Shevington) Feb 2010

I'll admit it's something of a pleasant surprise to happen upon UK UFO reports where Chinese Lanterns aren't the 'obvious' explanation!!

The following was originally posted on the 12th February 2010.

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UFO Stuns Early Risers

Wigan today's very own X-Files have been opened again after an odd UFO sighting. Tony Whittle from Standish Lower Ground emailed us with this:

"Has anyone reported a strange object to you at around 5am on Thursday morning? My wife and I were sat in bed discussing our new bathroom, only just installed yesterday.....I decided to open the curtains and went to the kitchen to make us a cup of tea. When I got back in bed my wife said she had been watching an object acting very oddly in the direction of Shevington.....We live in Standish Lower Ground. At first I thought she was dreaming or something, but sure enough a couple of minutes later the thing rose up from behind the house opposite us across the road.....It was difficult to estimate how far away it was but looked about the size of a five pence piece to me.....

It rose at about 45 degrees and then levelled out only going slow for about five seconds and then just started moving in different directions for roughly two or three minutes before going down again out of our sight.....It was a yellowy pulsating object with what looked like a small blob on top of it. One thing is certain, it was no ordinary object like a helicopter or aircraft - nothing known to man could operate something like that in a million years.....I got out my camcorder and waited until it was starting to come light but it never came back. We have hardly stopped talking about it all day."

Source: Wigan Today

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UK UFO - New Years Orange Orbs

As expected the recent holiday period was littered with reports of ‘orange orbs' and lights in the sky (LITS) and from what I can gather this was due to no more than the proliferation of Chinese Lanterns and their many derivatives. Indeed many of the online media sites that covered the reports tended to follow up with an explanatory article several days later, it would of course be futile to mention all of these but as usual I will repost the ones that were located in the North-East of England, namely Sunderland.

They come via & courtesy of the Sunderland Echo who you may remember have a bit of past ‘form' for this as back in 2006 they covered quite extensively one of the earliest such IFO's, further information available here. As well of course as one or two more recent incidents.

And refreshingly it seems that the majority of the public who witnessed the LITS recognised them for what they were (see comments at foot of post).

Anyhoo, on to the 2010 reports and on the 5th January 2010 the Echo ran the following story.

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Mystery of the orange light in the night sky

STRANGE sightings have caused a stir in a Sunderland street after lighting up the night sky. The Tokes family were astonished when they saw three unusual objects float across the sky, one after the other. Dad Les was parking the car next to his home in Hepburn Grove, Hylton Castle, when he noticed the first strange light at about 8.15pm on Saturday.

The 52-year-old said:

"As I looked across, I could see this orange light in the sky between the two houses. At first, I thought it could be a plane, but as is started to get nearer it looked the wrong shape…..It wasn't very big and was a strange oblong shape. It was pulsating red and orange and was completely silent as it passed over the house."

By the time he called his wife, Anne, 40, and children, Stefan, 12 and Robyn, nine, it had gone. However, as the family, watched just about seven minutes later another one exactly the same appeared travelling in the same direction as the first over towards the Nissan factory.

"We watched it right the way across as far as we could. Then when I went back to the front of the house a third light, exactly the same, appeared."

This time Les alerted his neighbours to the strange sighting and they all watched as it travelled slowly over their homes.

"We couldn't believe what we were seeing, for three to follow each other like that was strange. We get a lot of aircraft going over our houses towards the airport, but these lights were totally different and were going in the wrong direction for the airport. Also, they went right over our houses and we couldn't hear any noise whatsoever."

Source: Sunderland Echo (04 January 2010)

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Followed by this story on the 7th January 2010.

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Sunderland UFO sightings: The truth

Little Layla Wood may hold the key to the mystery of the strange lights that have been spotted in the Sunderland sky. The Echo has been inundated with calls and emails from readers after we reported on sightings of objects floating above Hylton Castle during the festive period. But it seems the unidentified lights, which have also been spotted elsewhere across Wearside and East Durham, may be Chinese sky lanterns. Three of the hot air balloons were set off on New Year's Day and the following day to celebrate Bexhill School pupil Layla's fifth birthday.

Stepdad Mark Bulmer, of Baltimore Square, said:

"We bought them for Layla's birthday celebrations. We've never used them before and we were surprised at how high they go…..We set them off in Town End Farm but they floated off over Hylton Castle, which is what we think people have seen…..They are made of tissue paper and are three to four feet high, from underneath they look like orange circles. Layla loved them."

On Tuesday, the Echo reported on the Tokes family who had spotted three unidentified lights in the sky above their home in Hepburn Grove, Castletown. Les Tokes, 52, said:

"They were pulsating red and orange and were completely silent as they passed over the house. We couldn't believe what we were seeing."

Since then, dozens of readers have been contacting the Echo saying they too have seen them. Many people appear to have spotted the lights floating in the night sky throughout the festive period. But, several people are saying there is no mystery to the lights and claim they are in fact the new craze of Chinese lanterns, which are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to fireworks. Kathleen Taylor, 65, from The Avenue in Hetton, said she saw a strange orange light just minutes after midnight on New Year's Eve.

She said:
"I couldn't take my eyes off it, I was really fascinated by it. It was like a small ball of fire in the sky…..I thought it was a plane on fire, but then realised it was rising up. I didn't know what it was, but I don't believe in UFOs."

Anne Laing was celebrating New Year's Eve at her home in Moorside when just after the stroke of midnight she and a friend saw three of the strange lights hovering in the sky.

She said:
"At first, we thought we were seeing things, but there was three of them together just still in the sky and they lasted ages."

Lyndsey Fox, 21, from Seaham, who saw 20 lights fly over her home, said:
"I believe that these mysterious orange lights are nothing but Chinese lanterns that are used for celebrations."

Paula Weston said:
"I live in Coventry but was visiting relations in Sunderland for Christmas (Bede Street, Roker)…..Early evening on Christmas Day, me and my brother-in-law went outside for a cigarette and saw a strange orange light in the sky."

Jacqueline Watson, of Harraton, Washington, said:
"I too saw the orange lights on Saturday…..I was looking out over the back garden at the snow when I noticed two lights following a parallel course coming from the south-east towards Harraton in Washington…..They approached quite steadily, then simply disappeared into thin air.”

Anthony Cuthbert said:
"I saw the orange light next to the Alexandra Bridge."

David Young from Washington said:
"It wasn't a UFO…..They are called Chinese lanterns…..They are available in different shapes, cost £2-£3 each, and are basically a paper hot air balloon with a special candle at the bottom to provide hot air and make them light up and float up into the sky."

Source: Sunderland Echo (07 January 2010)

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(UK) UFO Reported Over Skegness (01 April 2009)

Geoffery Clarke, of Skegness, took several photos of a UFO spotted over Skegness in November.

Thursday, 12.08pm - A SKEGNESS man believes he may have witnessed a UFO hovering over the town. Geoffery Clarke, of Ridley Avenue, took photos into the Standard office of a strange shaped bright light he spotted in November. He was prompted to bring the photos in after seeing an article published in the Daily Mail last week about UFOs and one of the images matched what he saw that night.

He said: "I saw something in the sky so I got my camera with a telephoto lens. I have never seen anything like it before…. I don't know if I believe in UFOs but I just saw these things and then I saw the article….. It was a bright light in the sky and it was a long way away. At first it was static, then started to move so I thought I would keep with it. Then it disappeared."

He said he saw the thing moving towards Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve. The Daily Mail article was about Ministry of Defence files from 1987-1993 released by the National Archives which contain a spate of similar 'UFO' sightings.

They showed the MoD was less concerned about aliens and more worried the sightings were actually of stealth aircraft being produced by America or an enemy nation . A sketch of one of these sightings matches the arched light Mr Clarke photographed in November.

Source: Skegness Standard

Alleged Irish Footage Posted To Internet Is Fake

I was a little surprised to see that REALUFOS.net Blog posted the following (7th Oct 2008).

The stunning irish triangle ufo video (Tuesday, October 07 2008)

This is the apparent Irish triangle Ufo i recently posted about. The footage was seen at the irish ufo conference and was filmed by senior garda pilot and witnessed by a Fianna Fail (irish) politician. If its a CGi its well done, if anyone knows anymore about the footage please reply to this post.

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Unfortunately I can say categorically that this particular video is undoubtedly a fake. I posted the following comment/question that has yet to be answered (as are any comments):

“What information do you have access to that suggests it's the Irish conference footage?

As (unfortunately) if you check the comment posted with the video it says:

“This is a video was on a cheap camera I found when Hiking in the Smokey Mountains . This is all that was on it.”

I assume(d) that the, “Smokey mountains” in question were of the Appalachian variety (rather than Irish)……

Also according to the latest article in the Meath chronicle then there were four triangles visible suggesting it was indeed a collection of point light sources rather than structured objects.

Are you relying solely on the various YouTube comments to establish this is the correct video?”

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The above video which was alleged to be the Irish footage and is being perpetuated as such is 100% verifiable man-made competition entry. It was made by someone called Jeff Wilson, the following is an excerpt from the ‘HoaxResearchCenter' website:

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Speaking of Strange UFO Experience

Last year's winner, and 3-year champion, Jeff Wilson, created a triangular helium-lifted craft, remote controlled, with multiple stages. He was able to scan the audience with a laser, release smoke to enshroud his creation, and even switch the craft's lighting structure instantly, producing the illusion of a different object.

For more information on the “Speaking of Strange UFO Experience” visit http://www.hoaxresearchcenter.com/.

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(1) Recent alleged Irish UFO footage.
(2) Jeff Wilson 2006 man-made UFO in flight.
(3) Jeff Wilson 2006 man-made UFO display.

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While the images of the toy UFO created by Jeff Wilson that can be found on their website are certainly similar it's not the exact same one BUT that's because it's the 2006 craft, however if we have a look at some of the footage from the 2007 competition….. (The relevant section is around the 3:30 mark).

As you can see the exact same footage WITH original audio.

For links to video clips of all the other competition footage then please visit L.E.M.U.R. forums here, it also includes 2008 footage in which Jeff only managed 2nd place losing out to what was titled in the subsequent press release as:

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" Phoenix Lights" UFO Effect Recreated for $25 at Contest

Second Place went to Jeff Wilson, the 3-year First Place Winner since the events inception, in 2005. Wilson is also the first UFO champion to go on Coast to Coast AM, briefly interviewed along with Joshua P. Warren on August 19, 2008. Jeff's initial plans went awry when there were unexpected problems with his main entry, so he had to compete by entering a secondary craft, far less elaborate than his original. Jeff's unexpected problem was echoed by the new champion, Jim, since Jim's grand finale, a huge balloon with multiple-stage effects, also had to be cancelled at the last minute due to a frame break that could not be easily repaired. This is a great example of the significant technical challenges these talented engineers face, and illustrates the difficulty in faking some of the extreme UFO sightings reported throughout history.

‘It blew everyone away,' said event organizer Joshua P. Warren. ‘This is a valuable piece of data for anyone interested in analyzing UFO imagery. It's a great example of how studying a fake can help us analyze the real thing.'

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The above release is available to read at the L.E.M.U.R. forums where it was originally posted on the 6th October (2008).

Irish Conference Footage - Shown Today!! (11-Oct-08)

Video footage of the Triangle UFO will be shown at:
Dublin Paranormal Convention,
(Saturday 11th October 2008 - Clontarf Castle)

The original article posted by the Irish Independent read as follows:

“THE truth is out there -- and if a senior garda, a Fianna Fail politician and a pilot are to be believed, aliens are keeping a close eye on us from above. Dramatic eye-witness testimony was heard at a conference over the weekend which, delegates were told, provided "definitive" proof of recent UFO activity in the skies around north Dublin and Meath. Footage, filmed on a camera phone at 10.35pm on August 3 near Dunboyne was also played and replayed to over 70 delegates who attended the fifth Irish International UFO conference in Carrick-on-Shannon.

The triangular shaped image, with lights at each point, which appeared to send a red laser-type light towards earth, drew gasps of amazement from the 70 or so delegates who attended the world premiere of the footage. A senior garda officer who was driving when he noticed the unusual light formation in the sky stopped to film it.

And some reported quotes by Carl Nally:

"This is what the sceptics are crying out for. What all this footage has in common is that trained observers, honest people, took it. What better could you get than a senior garda, a politician and a pilot…. There is no footage like this in the world. It is the most amazing and spectacular I have ever seen."

As it's not immediately apparent I should point out that:

“THE truth is out there -- and if a senior garda, a Fianna Fail politician and a pilot are to be believed, aliens are keeping a close eye on us from above”

& “What better could you get than a senior garda, a politician and a pilot….”

Is a little misleading as both articles are in fact referencing three individual and otherwise unrelated UFO reports from three entirely different witnesses.

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Dunboyne UFOs Solved?

After I first wrote about the Dunboyne UFO -and by quoting from the above article- a message was left on the Blog post by someone named Andrea Mulligan (6 th October 2008). Andrea had held her wedding reception at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel on the 3 rd August 2008, which is the same evening that -also in Dunboyne- the UFO footage was recorded.

Andrea contacted me again and answered several questions I had regarding the lantern release.

Approximately 20 sky lanterns were released; the releases were staggered over 30-45 minutes starting from about 10.30pm. The reason for the varying release times is due to the amount of time taken to light the lanterns and to wait for the hot air to collect in order for them to rise. Andrea also noted that because of this factor then sometimes this was in bunches of three or four and other times it was only possible to release them at five minute intervals. Andrea also said that the movement was consistent and “reasonably smoothly.”

I also received confirmation from the events manager at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel

(Melanie Euler) who confirmed that lanterns were indeed released by a wedding party on the 3rd August and that this occurred between 10 & 11pm.

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After receiving these swift responses I then emailed Carl Nally, the co-founder of UFO and Paranormal Research Ireland whom had previously been quoted as saying that this particular camera phone footage was:

“The best film of a UFO ever filmed in Ireland and perhaps some of the best footage ever captured worldwide."

I asked if he was aware of this possible identification and had he applied this knowledge when evaluating the footage. Also by now there were two conflicting reports (surprise, surprise) in the media as to what could actually be seen in the footage.

Firstly the Irish Independent said:

“The triangular shaped image, with lights at each point, which appeared to send a red laser-type light towards earth, drew gasps of amazement from the 70 or so delegates who attended the world premiere of the footage.”

And then the Meath Chronicle wrote:

“There were worldwide reports of four triangular UFOs being spotted in the skies over Dunboyne at 10.45pm on 3rd August, the date of Andrea and Lynden's wedding.”

So I asked Carl Nally how many ‘triangles' are visible and did he recall how many lights in total could be seen. I also asked a couple of other simple questions such as do the lights appear the same size, do they move in a discernible direction and could he divulge the approximate locale from where this footage was captured. I realised that the amount of lights had already been posted by Carl in a public rebuttal to Andrea, (see further down for more information on this) and Carl was already quoted as saying: “The fourth triangular shaped UFO , turning anti-clockwise before shooting a beam down towards the Earth. It then can be seen flying off following the other UFOs in a northwest direction." But call me old-fashioned if you want but I still like to hear it from the source (as it were).

Unfortunately I've had no reply and so I assume that these are busy times for Carl with the upcoming Paranormal convention at Clontarf Castle, Dublin (where the footage is scheduled for an exclusive public showing) and with, “Interest in the footage from as far afield as Australia with various TV companies in touch looking for the footage to be made available for documentaries ” then I genuinely appreciate that because I've received no reply or acknowledgement it doesn't mean anything other than Carl is a very busy man at the minute.

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Anyway, I contacted Carl a couple of days ago now, the following story appeared in the Meath Chronicle just prior to my email:

The Hoax Files: Source of mystery UFOs revealed!

The mystery surrounding the appearance of UFOs in the skies over Dunboyne recently has been solved.

It's all because of a wedding!

'UFOs' spotted over Dunboyne' were among the rather lurid headlines in both national and local papers, while the incident was reported widely on the internet and was the highlight of a recent paranormal convention. The 'UFOs' were filmed by a high-ranking garda (not from Dunboyne) who happened to be in the area and even an excited Carl Nally, co-founder of UFO and Paranormal Research Ireland, described the footage captured on a camera phone as “the best film of a UFO ever filmed in Ireland and perhaps some of the best footage ever captured worldwide.”

However, the much publicised and discussed 'UFOs' were actually Chinese sky lanterns released by a local couple as a romantic end to their perfect day! Andrea Mulligan, a daughter of Mabel and Finian Mulligan of Dunderry, Navan, but who now lives in Manchester , married Lyndon James on 3rd August and held their reception in Dunboyne Castle Hotel. However, when planning their special day, they could never have imagined the headlines the romantic finale to the wedding would create. Andrea said:

“It is a Chinese tradition to celebrate a special event by making a wish on these lanterns, lighting them and releasing them into the sky…..My husband, our guests and I released them as part of our wedding celebrations. There wasn't an alien in sight! I cannot believe this story is all over the internet! ”

Andrea, who is a solicitor, and Lynden, who is a detective inspector with the British Police, have never really been interested in UFOs and are both astonished at the reaction to their gesture. There were worldwide reports of four triangular UFOs being spotted in the skies over Dunboyne at 10.45pm on 3rd August, the date of Andrea and Lynden's wedding.

“We had a good laugh. It is absolutely gas and I particularly loved reports that alien activity was increasing because of what is happening at Tara,” she added.

Traditionally used in Asian festivals, sky lanterns are said to create an awe-inspiring alternative to a fireworks display and are often used for weddings parties, barbeques and other festivities. Also known as paper or sky lanterns, they are extremely light and can fly in the air for up to 20 minutes and will travel several miles in distance, after which the flame will blow out and they will gently float back down for a safe landing. Sky lanterns can fly to more than 1,000 meters in altitude.

Because of Dunboyne Castle 's proximity to Dublin Airport, Andrea and Lyndon had to get permission from the Irish Aviation Authority and the local Gardai before releasing the sky lanterns.

“If all these people were so convinced it was aliens, just a little research with the Irish aviation authorities would have told them what it was,” Andrea said.

(Wednesday, 8th October, 2008/Ann Casey)
Source: The Meath Chronicle

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And the Tribune.ie wrote:

“Irish UFO tape to be beamed around the world.”

Footage of an alleged UFO, which was filmed in Co Meath by a senior garda two months ago, is to be the main attraction of Ireland 's first Paranormal Convention. The footage, filmed on a camera phone over Dunboyne on 3 August, will be shown to hundreds of UFO enthusiasts expected at the event in Clontarf Castle , Dublin next weekend.

Carl Nally, co-founder of UFO and Paranormal Research Ireland .

"What we have is the best film of a UFO ever filmed in Ireland and perhaps some of the best footage ever captured worldwide….The man involved is a high-ranking garda from Portlaoise. He was on his way back there from Dunboyne on 3 August at about 10.45pm when he spotted four triangular UFOs travelling over his head…..It was such an amazing sight that he jumped out of his car and began filming the objects on his camera phone. What he caught was the fourth triangular shaped UFO , turning anti-clockwise before shooting a beam down towards the Earth. It then can be seen flying off following the other UFOs in a northwest direction."

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Two 'stills' of Irish Triangle UFO

Tribune.ie

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But perhaps more interesting were the comments below the article, a couple of which were posted by Andrea herself, one by another guest at the hotel on the 3rd August and one is a reply from Carl Nally:

#4 Andrea Mulligan commented, on October 6, 2008 at 4:42 p.m.:The "UFO footage" is of sky lanterns (Chinese lanterns) released from Dunboyne Castle by my husband and I at our wedding reception there on the evening of 3 August 2008.

#5 Oliver Murray commented, on October 6, 2008 at 5:19 p.m.:
Yes, Ms Mulligan is correct. My wife and I stayed at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel on the nights of 2nd and 3rd August last, and between 10.30pm and 11pm on 3rd August we watched, from the balcony of our room, the wedding party release about a dozen “sky lanterns” from the car park which travelled in a roughly westerly direction. These are Chinese lanterns/hot air balloons, each powered by a candle. While they were neither coloured, nor triangular, I suspect these were the UFOs your correspondent Ken Sweeney is referring to. Sorry if this spoils the fun at the forthcoming UFO convention.

#9 Carl commented, on October 7, 2008 at 9:29 a.m.: I spoke Andrea on the phone who thought her wedding lanterns were the UFO's reported in the article.

Our video footage was taken by a Garda detective (a highly skilled and trained observer) and he is in no doubt about what he saw and videoed on the night of August 3rd at 10:45pm.

1) Twelve bright objects were observed.

2) There is no video footage on The Tribune website, just three small quality stills.

Since she has never viewed the video footage, she could not compare the two experiences.

We at UPRI are not aware of any sky lantern anywhere in the world having the capability to shoot a red laser type beam down to the ground. I personally have a lot of experience with sky lanterns, (we let dozens off every year at our UFO conferences) and the characteristics of the sky lanterns do not resemble the video footage in any shape or form whatsoever.

Carl Nally

#10 Andrea commented, on October 7, 2008 at 9:53 a.m.:
Mmmmm....what are the chances that we let off about 12 sky lanterns over Dunboyne at 10.45pm on 3 August 2008 and, at exactly the same time, on the same date and in the same location, 12 completely separate and unrelated UFOs decided to make an appearance?

Source: Tribune.ie

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A couple of observations……

The time is now established 10:45pm and as Carl actually has the original footage then this should be the most accurate and it also fits with the two timelines suggested by both Andrea and Melanie (Dunboyne Castle Hotel events manager) regarding the release of Chinese lanterns.

“12 bright objects were observed” and since the shape is known to be triangular then this would account for the four triangle UFOs that were reported earlier, but still, a little confirmation would be nice.

Instead of stating that Andrea hasn't seen the footage perhaps state why she hasn't viewed (or been shown) the footage?

If Carl is holding ‘definitive proof ' that is not only beyond reproach and the likes of which has never been seen before, but is also the most spectacular and amazing footage that Carl himself has seen then why prolong what must be imminent disclosure (or at least an academic acceptance of the phenomena) any more than necessary? Carl Nally is no stranger to UFOs or paranormal occurrences and has authored books on the subject, so when he waxes lyrical to such an extent as to proclaim what he has done about the footage then it ‘should' carry more weight than that of your average UFO hobbyist.

Additionally, when Carl personally writes statements like:

“We at UPRI are not aware of any sky lantern anywhere in the world having the capability to shoot a red laser type beam down to the ground…..I personally have a lot of experience with sky lanterns, (we let dozens off every year at our UFO conferences) and the characteristics of the sky lanterns do not resemble the video footage in any shape or form whatsoever.”

Then people may be forgiven for not instantly buying into the lantern explanation, and as the old adage goes, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Hopefully we may be allowed a taste-test before this particular pudding turns stale…..

Irish Conference UFO Footage Claimed To Be Party Balloons

A recent comment left on UFO-Blog.com by someone called Andrea was as follows:

Andrea said...

"The lights seen in the sky above Dunboyne Castle on 3 August 2008 and filmed by a senior Garda were not UFOs. In fact, they were Sky Lanterns released by me, my husband and our wedding guests as part of our wedding celebrations at Dunboyne Castle Hotel that evening. Not an alien in sight!!!”

I’ve left word to try and establish contact and at the minute nothing is confirmed ‘per se’ although I am trying to research this further so any help is greatly appreciated.

However, this doesn't account for the ‘light’ that can apparently be witnessed on the video coming towards the earth (according to the Irish Independent).

(Eric Rush of the ufo-uk.org mailing list recently commented that he had received information indicating that the: “Video footage of the Triangle UFO will be shown at the Dublin Paranormal Convention on Saturday 11th Oct in Clontarf Castle.”)

The comment was left on the original Blog post here (We're not alone - politician and pilot spot UFO)

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Further information on UFO Balloons / Chinese Lanterns / Sky Lanterns etc. etc. available here.

IFOs Into UFOs - Chinese Lanterns In Sunderland (Again!!)

The Sunderland Echo recently (3rd October 2008) ran a story regarding a UFO report from a few days ago, they reveal the source of the sightings whilst also mentioning that BUFORA (whom I personally thought were practically defunct) have also revealed that Chinese lanterns were the likely cause.

I wrote about these lanterns at the beginning of July foretelling of the misidentifications I believed that they were going to produce over the summer months, now only a couple of months later and the vast majority of UK UFO reports it seems are (eventually) attributed to these Chinese lanterns.

The article I wrote was titled: “IFOs: (LITs) UFO Balloons, Chinese Lanterns & Misidentifications” and can be viewed here.

Regular readers may remember that one of the three UFO reports I referenced to highlight the fact that these Chinese Lanterns/UFO balloons were predominantly reported as UFOs was in fact an earlier 2006 Sunderland report.

Anyway, here's the recent explanation of the September 2008 Sunderland UFO report:

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Teen party sparks UFO alert

(Last Updated: 03 October 2008 11:14 AM)

An 18th birthday party sparked a series of apparent UFO sightings across Wearside, it emerged today. Shocked residents told last month how they watched as eerie glowing orbs appeared over Hetton and Easington Lane .

As reported in the Echo, more than a dozen witnesses were left stunned after spotting nine "fireballs" in the night sky. Mum Sharon Johnston captured the orange lights on her mobile phone camera. The 33-year-old, from Hetton, said they appeared to be travelling in formation and were in the air for about 10 minutes before suddenly vanishing from sight. However, the British UFO Research Association later revealed it was likely the lights were Chinese sky lanterns, which are often released into the air at public events and celebrations.

Today it emerged that 30 lanterns were lit at Elemore Golf Club, Hetton, where Yasmin Renwick was marking her 18th birthday.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw the article in the paper…..It was a complete shock…..The lanterns were a surprise on the night and it was surprise the next day when I heard how many people had seen them…..It was a great birthday party, though, and I'll never forget it."

Often used as an alternative to fireworks displays, the lanterns – made of paper and bamboo – are known to rise as high as 1,500metres and can travel miles. Yasmin's gran, Yvonne, also from Hetton, helped organise the surprise party with the birthday girl's mum Zoe. She said:

"I was at a wedding about a year ago where I saw about 150 lanterns released into the air. It was so dramatic…..They went down well at the party, but the day after my phone didn't stop ringing. Apparently, people were rushing into their gardens with video cameras…..But we all had a laugh about it afterwards…..It is something to remember Yasmin's birthday by."

Source: Sunderland Echo

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When I wrte this Blog post the earlier article by the Sunderland Echo was unavailable online, this has now been rectified so here is the article that preceded the one above.

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Light thrown on UFO sightings

(01 October 2008)

UFO researchers today identified the mysterious orange lights spotted floating in the sky over a village.

Shocked residents last week told how they watched in awe as the eerie glowing orbs appeared over Easington Lane . As reported in the Echo, more than a dozen witnesses were left stunned after they saw up to nine "fireballs" on Saturday.

Mum Sharon Johnston captured the orange lights on her mobile phone camera. The 33-year-old, from Hetton, said they appeared to be travelling in formation and were in the air for about 10 minutes before suddenly vanishing from sight. The British UFO Research Association says it was likely the lights were Chinese sky lanterns, which are often released into the air at public events and celebrations. Often used as an alternative to fireworks displays, the lanterns, which are made of paper and bamboo, are known to rise as high as 1,500 metres and can travel miles. They are regularly seen at weekends and mistaken for UFOs.

After viewing the footage, a spokesman for the association said: " I see nothing at all here to suggest anything other than lanterns. The colour, appearance and behaviour of the lights unfortunately fit an all too familiar – and, from our perspective, annoying – pattern."

There have been similar sightings in Bristol, Lincolnshire and Wrexham.

The spokesman added: "It is not the fault of such witnesses that so much time ultimately becomes wasted on these reports as the general public are by and large, and perhaps understandably, unfamiliar with the behavioural traits of these things."

Source: Sunderland Echo

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Isle Of Wight UFO Reports – January & February 2008

More UFOs reported over the Isle of Wight

A number of inhabitants on the Isle of Wight have reported sightings of a brightly lit yellow(ish) craft which hovered low in the night sky, witnesses of the UFO have been able to watch the object for some time, and although it seemed to be close by it makes no noise and then disappears in a split second.

Back on January 28th (2008) the Isle of Wight County Press first ran a story after former RAF Engine Technician Frank Webb (who spent 22 years in the RAF and so surely meets the criteria of a credible witness) reported his UFO sighting, the sighting occurred approximately 8.20pm on Sunday 27th January 2008 over Newport.

Newport, Isle of Wight

Islanders saw "bright lights"

Mr Frank Webb, 69, of Terrace Road , watched as the brightly-lit craft moved from west to east across the clear night sky at around 8.20pm on Sunday 27 th January 2008 while walking along Terrace Road , Newport . Frank originally thought it was a low flying aircraft but quickly noticed that the object had no navigational lights and was eerily silent.

Frank Webb said that:

“I would call it a UFO, but only because it was, to me, unidentified…..I was in the RAF for 22 years as an engine technician, so I thought if I could hear it I could work out what it was. But there was no sound whatsoever. It was weird…..I saw these very bright lights in the sky coming towards us, it was going from west to east…..The lights were unusually bright - and as it got closer I realised that there was no navigation lights, so we stood there and watched; there was no engine noise whatsoever although it wasn't losing height, so it had got its power from somewhere."

Mr Webb said the craft, around the size of a medium-size aeroplane, was flying at between 400-500ft altitude and covered in yellow lights. As Mr Webb was unsure of what he was looking at and just in case it was an aircraft in trouble, he contacted both the police and Southampton Airport , Mr Webb's wife Valerie also witnessed the UFO:

“Valerie was with me at the time and all she can say about it is that it is weird. She came with me around the world because of my RAF career, so she knows a fair bit…..I just wonder if anyone else saw it.”

To listen to an audio recording of Frank Webb as he describes the UFO sighting then please click play on the audio-link beneath this text.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO.

Since the original article ran (which was titled, “DID YOU SEE THIS UFO? ”) several other Islanders have called or e-mailed the County Press with similar tales, some dating back to August 2007. The follow up article which was published on Wednesday, 6th February (2008) stated that they had received many UFO reports, some of which occurred on the same night with multiple witnesses.

Frank Webb and his wife were not alone when they spotted the UFO on Sunday 27 th January, there were many others including Richard McFarlane, 27, Barry Holland, 49 and Paul Westmore, 35, who were cleaning at Calbourne Classics, an ice-cream company near Shalfleet, Barry Holland said:

"We saw a yellow coloured light in the sky above the trees and I though that's a satellite, but it looked a bit low, we just stood there for two or three minutes wondering what it was…..I saw it move slightly and thought perhaps it's a helicopter, but it had no navigation lights at all and no engine noise…..It was yellow with like an aura around it and it was just static in the sky apart from when I saw it undulate for about five seconds…..I'm not saying it was little green men from Mars, but what I am saying is it was an object in the sky that I couldn't identify.”

Richard McFarlane added, “ It was a yellow ball in the sky. It had a haze around it and it wasn't moving at all. We watched it for ages. ”

To listen to an audio recording of Barry Holland & Richard McFarlane as they describes their UFO sighting then please click play on the audio-link beneath this text.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO.

Alan Marriott, Editor Isle of Wight County Press says that what happened next was quite extraordinary:

"We thought it would be a one-off, but we were just inundated with responses - people all over the Island were claiming to have seen things, the scale of it was outstanding."

To listen to an audio recording of Alan Marriott, Editor Isle of Wight County Press as he describes the response to the UFO sighting then please click play on the audio-link beneath this text.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO.

Jane Johnson, of Shanklin, claimed she saw UFOs twice in different places a few weeks ago. She saw one at Compton Bay , then while with her parents, Rick and Patsy Mellor, between Carisbrooke and Chillerton. She said: “ Both times, there was no noise and it moved quite slowly. It looked like an orb.”

Neil Clark, of Downend, Arreton, also said he had seen UFOs on several occasions, including once during the Bestival. He said the craft was close enough to see it looked like a diamond.

Ivan and Margaret Howes, of Lake , saw an orange object circle over their heads while watching New Year's Eve fireworks outside their home.

Bobbie and Jock Pratt with their two daughters, Louisa and Charlotte, saw an unusual object gliding across their conservatory in St Helens over Christmas. “ They looked like illuminated kites. There were three of them in a line, very neat and tidy .”

In August, Brian Humphryes, of Brighstone, said he and his wife saw a balloon-shaped object “lit up like a chandelier”.

However it appears that the consensus isn't unanimous as also reported was a Mr Andy Linington who thought it could have been an aircraft. He was near Ryde Town Hall when he saw a yellow object moving west to east: “It turned and started going towards London and it wasn't until it was above me I saw navigation lights on its nose. I think it was an aircraft.”

Newport, Isle of Wight

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UFOINFO.COM

The following UFO reports are from UFOINFO, a website which operates on a not-for-profit basis and, “Provides impartial coverage of a wide range of UFO topics and information for researchers.”

UFO Report - January 1st 2008
Shanklin, Isle of Wight , England

• UFOINFO Sighting Form Report
• Location: Shanklin Isle of Wight England
• Date: 1 January 2008
• Time: 12.10
• Number of witnesses: 2
• Number of objects: 1
• Shape of objects: Oval
• Weather Conditions: Cloudy
• Description: Orange oval shape staying still then moving quickly across sky. Too quick for aircraft, too long (5 mins) for firework, moving quickly from west to east.
• TV/Radio Sightings in our local paper, Isle of Wight County Press newspaper this week which prompted me to write about on your site.

UFO Report - February 7th 2008
Yaverland Beach , Isle of Wight , England

• UFOINFO Sighting Form Report
• Location: Yaverland Beach , Isle of Wight
• Date: 07/02/2008
• Time: between 5 and 6 pm
• Number of witnesses: 3
• Number of objects: 1
• Shape of objects: yellow pusating light
• Weather Conditions: clear sky, mild sw wind
• Description: My Daughter spotted a very bright yellow pulsating light with no definate shape and no sound, moving from a west to easterly direction and told my son and I so we looked up and watched it moving at a speed slow speed.
• There were no navigation lights flashing just this single big yellow light pulsating at regular intervals as it moved across the sky, i then lost sight of it as we were kite landboarding at the time so had to keep watching my kite.
• My son said that it speeded up and disapeared.
• The object pulsated at roughly 1 second intervals, best way I could describe it as opening and closing your hand every second from fist to open hand.

Contact the Isle of Wight County Press – “Did you see the UFO flying across Newport on Sunday night? Did you get a picture of it? If so, contact us by e-mail to editor@iwcp2.demon.co.uk or by calling the County Press newsdesk on 01983 522210.”

Sources::
BBC Hampshire
Isle of Wight County Press
UFOINFO

Multiple Witnesses to UFO - Stephenville, Texas (January 08th 2008)

The first most of us heard of the recent Texas UFO reports was when Associated Press (see above post) ran a story called, “Dozens in Texas Town Report Seeing UFO” on Monday (14th Jan) even though it was referring to UFO sightings that occurred the previous week on (January 08th 2008).

It has been very interesting to watch how the story propagated throughout the internet and is quickly becoming one of the most publicised UFO events of recent times. The independent witnesses already number quite a few and more are still surfacing along with corroborating video footage and photographs.

Out of the 30+ witnesses who have been identified there's a few which have to be classified as extremely credible, that's not to say the other witnesses aren't as credible but rather that the publics perception tend to favour the former. These witnesses are Erath County Constable Lee Roy Gaitan, local business owner and pilot Steve Allen and an airport technician, I feel their credibility is a little more pronounced due to the fact that the Constable is for all intents & purposes a, “Trained observer” and the other two witnesses are experienced with aircraft which surely makes them less likely to misidentify a terrestrial aeroplane for an extraterrestrial craft. Also several civilians including business owners and reportedly a teacher all gave accounts which seem to concur on the basics of the sighting.

The general consensus of the witnesses was most definitely had seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast, also noticeable and mentioned by some of the witnesses were alternate red and white flashing lights as well as the fact that the object was extremely large and moving extremely fast!!

Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.

Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth , said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting. Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.

Officials at the region's two Air Force bases — Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls — also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week.

County Constable Gaitan said:

"I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it…..I think it must be some kind of military craft — at least I hope it was. I saw two red glows…..They glowed, and then they kind of faded and glowed again. And I looked again. I thought, 'That's just not right.' What was so astonishing was the speed that this thing took off…..I mean, it took off so fast…..It wasn't an airplane…..It wasn't a meteor, because it wouldn't have been bouncing around. It wasn't just one light…..I had never seen anything like that – never….. They danced around, appeared, reappeared…..I sat there watching three or four minutes, got my binoculars from the car …..I was having trouble keeping up with them. We counted nine or 10 of those strobe lights. They were spread out in the sky, about a half a mile, a quarter of a mile. And after a while, they formed a formation, not a single line; they were still flashing, but not bouncing around like they had been. And then it took off—it appeared they were attached, because they all left at the same time. Shot off in the northeast direction, at a very high-rate speed, I couldn't even keep up with the binoculars…..I'm thinking they were some kind of military manoeuvres, maybe some kind of experiment.”

By the time his 8-year-old son Ryan came outside, the red glow had turned bright white and Ryan adds that it looked faster than any jets he's seen.

Angela Joiner, a local newspaper reporter says that it's the talk of the town right now and several of the witnesses she sees every day, knows them personally and is absolutely sure that they all believe what they saw and that they are speaking the truth.

Steve Allen, Mike Odom and Lance Jones were out admiring a beautiful Texas sunset Tuesday evening when they saw something none of them can explain. Allen called it an unidentified flying object. And, because he's been a private pilot for more than 30 years, he has a little more experience judging air speeds and distances than most.

The phones haven't stopped ringing at Steve Allen's trucking company in nearby Glen Rose. He's the guy who was out Jan. 7 watching the sunset at a friend's house near Selden when they all saw some weird flashing lights.

He indicated that the craft was difficult to see, but based on the lights that appeared to be on the edges of the thing he estimated it to be about one mile long and a half-mile wide. The lights went from corner to corner. It was directly above Highway 67 travelling towards Stephenville at a high rate of speed - about 3,000 miles per hour is what I would estimate. No mention of how thin this thing was, but it's a large craft to be sure, and a fast one, something we certainly don't have in our military -- at least not that we're aware of anyhow.

Steve Allen, a 50-year-old pilot, was at a campfire with friends and says the object was a mile long and half a mile wide. “I don't know if it was a biblical experience or somebody from a different universe or whatever but it was definitely not from around these parts,” Allen said.

Allen drew a sketch of the object, which he said travelled at amazing speed without making a sound. While drawing, Allen told Von Fremd that he saw “an arch shape converted in a vertical shape, and then it split and made two of them, and then these turned into just fire and it was gone.”

While town officials search for a logical explanation such as an army aircraft, residents say the UFO was too big, too quiet, and flew too low to the ground to be a plane.

Stephenville , Texas 1st UFO Reports - NUFORC (Tue 08, Jan 2008)

STEPHENVILLE , TEXAS , TUESDAY, JANUARY 08, 2008

A very peculiar object was reported to NUFORC recently, which reportedly was seen by many people near Stephenville , Texas . We have not spoken with any of the witnesses yet, but an article from the Associated Press was released over the internet on the date of this posting, January 14.

Peter B. Davenport, Director, Natl. UFO Reporting Center
Posted: 21:30 hrs. (Pacific), Monday, January 14, 2008

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Report #1:

Flashing strobes, silent, flames out the back side and jets chasing it! On 1-8-2008 at 6:15 pm cst. my friends and I was watching the sunset when several strobes or flashing lights coming from the east at about 3500 foot agl heading west toward Stephenville , TX . Estimated speed was about 2000 to 3000 mph.

The strobes made several changes of flash patterns and configurations. The flight duration lasted about 3 minutes. The front two strobes was about 1/2 mile a part and the back ones was about 1 mile back from the front strobes. The back side of the flashing lights came to a vertical flashing. Then there was 2 separate vertical flames about 1/4 mile apart for several seconds and the craft was gone.

We never head ANY noise from the craft! They headed west towards Abilene , TX . Then about 10 minutes later here came the craft again with 2 jets chasing. They were headed east towards South Ft. Worth, TX, at about 4000 ft. agl. The jets were unable to catch and went off into the distance at FULL throttle.

I am a pilot and have been fling for 30 years and have never seen anything like this. I also fly several times a week in the area. The craft is NOT from around these parts!

The witnesses are 1. ((male name deleted) 254-((number deleted)), rancher/trucker 2. ((male name #2 deleted)) 254-((name deleted)), delivers mail for the U.S. Postal Service 3. ((male name #3 deleted)) (myself) 254-((number deleted)) or cell 817-((number deleted)) owner of a large transportation/trucking firm.

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Report #2:

1 MILE LONG BY 1/2 MILE WIDE TRAVELING AT EST 3,000 MPH BEING CHASED BY MILITARY AIRCRAFT. NOT WITNESSED BY ME. KNOW THAT CREDIBLE PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. MILITARY AIRCRAFT WERE CHASING THE SECOND APPEARANCE. A COMPLETE ARTICLE IS IN THE STEPHENVILLE EMPIRE TRIBUNE 1-10-08 EDITION. THIS ONE IS FOR REAL!