Strange Lights in the Sky-UFO Sighting?

An Astronomer Recalls Something In The Sky He Couldn’t Explain

By Dorraine Fisher

Dorraine: Where did this sighting take place, and when approximately?

Phil: It was a semi-rural area just east of Beardstown in west-central Illinois. I was visiting friends at their home early in 1980 and had the telescope set up outside to look at the stars. As I looked west, I could see it. I think it was around 10 or 11 PM.

Dorraine: Describe what you saw.

Phil: It was a VERY bright object; as bright as a planet (Venus or Jupiter) but I knew neither of those planets were up at that hour.  I thought it might be a star but it was so close to the horizon it should have been dimmed by our atmosphere or “twinkle” like a deep sky object should at that altitude from the horizon.

Suddenly the one “star” split into two...one object above the other separated by a small distance, but of the same brightness as the lower one. It remained there only seconds and then shot upward at an incredible speed.  In a matter of mere seconds it was directly overhead. It was gradually getting dimmer as it left earth. Then I remembered I was standing next to my scope. I aimed it straight up, and as luck would have it, I was able to locate it at low power. I slowly zoomed to full power and watched it grow dimmer and finally fade from sight.

Dorraine: Was it making any sounds?

Phil: It was too far away for me to have heard any sounds.

Dorraine: What color was it?

Phil: No color. They just resembled bright stars. 

Dorraine: How did it move?

Phil: The first object near the horizon did not move. The one that appeared above it shot straight up without making any kind of arc or indication of a reduction in its acceleration.

Dorraine:  How high in the sky do you suppose it was?

Phil: The altitude was difficult to determine because it climbed so rapidly above the horizon to directly overhead. I was stunned by it’s rapid climb. 

Dorraine: Was there anyone with you during the event?

Phil: I was outside alone. My friends had gone inside to warm up.

Dorraine: What did you do after the encounter? Did you report it to anyone?

Phil: I went inside immediately to tell my friends. But I didn’t tell too many other people because I knew they wouldn’t believe me or understand what I was trying to say.

Dorraine: How long do you suppose the encounter lasted?

Phil: The whole viewing probably only lasted a minute or two.

Dorraine: Were there any other local reports, or did anyone else claim to have seen it?

Phil: I didn’t hear of anyone in the area that reported seeing what I saw that night.

Dorraine: Are there any military bases close to where this encounter took place?

Phil: To my knowledge, there are no military bases in west central Illinois. The closest would be Scott AFB which is 90 miles south.  But I observed the objects while looking west of Beardstown.

Dorraine: Did you get any pictures?

Phil: No, no pictures were taken.

Dorraine: Given your profession, your military background, and your background in astronomy, what is your overall impression of what you saw? What do you think it was?

Phil: Since that night, I have never been able to conclusively identify the objects. The first object did not seem to move at all. It remained in a fixed position above the horizon, then a little later, I noticed it had disappeared.  The object that appeared above it remained fixed for only a short time and then shot straight up. Nothing I’m aware of has the capability to perform in that spectacular a manner. In order for an object to achieve release from earth’s gravity it must meet or exceed “escape velocity” that applies to all objects on or near the ground. What I saw seemingly was not affected by those basic limitations. It was by definition an unidentified flying object. Or perhaps it would be better to designate it as an unexplainable flying object. And even that would that would not sufficiently categorize it. It behaved as though it had been fired from a cannon and that cannon was not of this world. I know it sounds ridiculous when you realize just how far it is to the next star (the Alpha Centauri system) but if the objects didn’t come from outside our solar system, that would mean they originated here. Hmmm!

Dorraine: Thanks for sharing your story, Phil.

Phil: Thanks, Dorraine

I think it’s important to note that Phil Douglas is a very credible witness. He currently holds an FAA license as an aircraft mechanic. He served from 1972 to 1976 in active duty for the United States Air Force where his career fields were AF security, and electronic maintenance of ground to air radio communications equipment. And he is an amateur astronomer with extensive knowledge of the stars and planets and their movement.

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©The Crypto Crew

[This is a post by TCC Team Member Dorraine Fisher]

The Legend of Piasa

Thunderbirds In Illinois

By Dorraine Fisher

            There is always some truth to legend. And legends of giant birds with up to a 25 foot wingspan flying and hunting over the rivers of central Illinois has long survived in Illinois native folklore.

            Central Illinois is a vast stretch of rolling plains, once home to the ancient mound building natives that first traveled the waterways via the Illinois River all the way south to the Mississippi River and Cahokia Mounds near St. Louis, Missouri.

            Native Americans told stories of times when the people watched carefully over their children to make sure they weren’t snatched by the giant birds that seemed to swoop down out of nowhere. And they claimed the birds flew in on the spring storm winds, and were large and strong enough to lift a baby buffalo and carry it away.  And skeletons of large birds of up to 600 pounds have been found in other places like Argentina. So we know for a fact that very large birds have existed in history.

            In 1868 a teacher reported a young boy in Missouri who had been snatched from schoolyard by “an eagle.” Apparently the other children caused such a loud raucous over the incident that the bird dropped the boy, unfortunately to his death.  According to local reports,  “eagles” in the area had been a problem in that period, snatching up small livestock and pets. But anyone who knows anything about eagles knows they aren’t anywhere large and strong enough to pick up such large animals (or people) and carry them any distance.

            Giant birds have also been reported in Illinois in modern times. In 1977, boy in Lawndale, Illinois was reported to have been picked by a large bird while playing hide and seek in his back yard. The bird lifted him possibly a foot off the ground, but dropped him as it realized the 60-pound boy was too heavy to carry off.  The boy’s mother filed a report. But not satisfied by the explanation she was given by local authorities of an attack by a turkey vulture,  she decided to do some leg work on here own and later described the bird as looking more like pictures she’d found of a California condor.  And this remains one of the most frightening accounts of giant bird attacks in Illinois to this day.

 So is there some truth to the legend? Some insight can be found in native stories from years past.

            In Alton, Illinois, near St. Louis, a cliff face on the Illinois River tells the horrific tale of a bird to be revered. A bird known as Piasa, (pronounced PIE-a-saw), meaning “a bird that devours men” is painted on the wide cliff wall. And according to Father Jacques Marquette’s diary, it “was as large as a calf, with horns like a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger, a face like a man, the body covered with red, green, and black scales, and a tail so long it passed around the body, over the head, and between the legs.”

 No one knows the artist of the huge painting, but it’s believed to be a product of the ancient Cahokian Indians who built a large earthen mound near there that rivals any Mayan pyramid. The painting is believed to have been a warning to river travelers that they were entering Cahokian territory.

And in the years since, there have been numerous claims by hunters and other outdoorsmen of unusually large birds patrolling the skies over the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. And there have been claims in other states like Alaska and Texas as well.  Some claim the birds to be larger than an airplane. And often when reports are filed, turkey vultures are again sited as the likely suspect. But witnesses maintain they’re not turkey vultures, which are roughly the same size as the bald eagles that hunt and fish along the rivers. They claim these birds are much bigger than that; large enough to block the sun.

So when the sky suddenly turns dark over your head as you walk along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, beware. ************

DF

© The Crypto Crew