Saturday, January 31, 2015

Letter to Astronomy Magazine in response to their March, 2015 editorial on UFOs


I e-mailed this to leters@astronomy in response to an editorial in their new March 2015 Issue, entitled "Let's cut the UFO crap". 

I worded the letter very conservatively, and did not mention any of the more extraordinary aspects of the phenomenon, such as abduction or contact, physics theories, cospiracy/coverup allegations, etc.

Here it is: Read on and let me know what you think.


============================

In his editorial "Let's cut the UFO crap", David Eicher correctly points out that UFOs are simply unidentified objects in the sky. He also states that studying UFOs has not taught us anything about extraterrestrial life, which may also be correct [CL Note, being very conservative here]. This does not mean there is a lack of evidence for the existence and unexplained nature of UFOs, themselves. Any curious reader of the anomaly literature will find that there are a large number well-validated unexplained reports. These include significant cases of physical evidence, radar detection and tracking, and effects on vehicles and electronics. Many sightings have multiple independent witnesses, high quality photos, video and/or other technological detection.

David Eicher is correct that that UFO reports and evidence do not establish that UFOs are interstellar in origin. However, a large number of well documented UFO reports fit the description of technology under intelligent control. Scientific analysis of the evidence tells us at least some are physical and have capabilities beyond what our technology can accomplish. The curious and discerning reader can look up literature such as the Sturrock Report, the COMETA report, and other studies establishing the reality of the phenomenon. Then use Occam's razor to draw your own conclusions.

Whatever their origin, unidentified objects in (or from) the sky may well represent one of the biggest mysteries of our time.

Thank you,
Craig R. Lang
Minneapolis, MN
Posted by at