• Full Story

Spike in UFO reports as 2012 begins

Email
Print

Spike in UFO reports as 2012 begins

3News NZ

What UFOs might look like if they were in fact spaceships

What UFOs might look like if they were in fact spaceships

By Dan Satherley

Any celebration involving fireworks is likely to trigger reports of UFOs, and this New Year's was no exception.

Philip Duncan, analyst for weatherwatch.co.nz, says in the past 24 hours they've had almost 80 reports of strange lights in the sky from around the world, including South Africa, Venezeula, the US and UK and Otago.

On a typical busy day they might get 10 reports, and Mr Duncan attributes the spike to the weather and "2012 hysteria".

"Many people around the world have been outside celebrating the New Year," he says.

"In the US, where most of the sightings came from, conditions were fairly mild and dry in many areas - so more people were outside to see things.

"Finally, it's 2012, the year the world is supposed to end according to the Mayans and it seems many are already worrying."

Some of the sightings are obviously meteors, but others are likely to have more down-to-earth explanations.

"My friend and I were in the car when we saw 3 orange triangular shaped lights, each one separated from the other equally in the sky last night over Farmingdale, New York at 12:14am," writes 'Anneke'.

'I called a friend around the block and several other people saw them, until they just disappeared, it was a very clear night here all the stars were visible and this was nothing like I've ever seen.'

From California, another person wrote: "At around 12:15-12:20am right after the new year, looked like 2 red stars. One travelled to were the other one had turned off then that one also turned off… I don't drink or use any drugs, I managed to run in the house and show my mom, she seen it also."

And from Spain: "My father and I saw them in Spain at 00:45am, but there were 5 or 6 of them all in a vertical line quite close to the earth....I have no answer to all these questions that we are all asking ourselfs and when I think I have an answer it just leads to more questions, so all I have to say is, WE ARE NOT ALONE!"

Many of the reports describe the lights as orange in colour, which Mr Duncan says are probably Chinese lanterns.

Other sightings are likely to be meteors, shooting stars, helicopters and planes. You can read the reports here.

3 News

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

6/11/2012 11:11:33 a.m.

Lisa Oliver wrote:

Around 10.30 on Saturday night 3rd nov 2012 we seen three orange lights going in an easterly direction following the same path that lasted at least 10-15 minutes. Last night we seen 1 orange light about 9.30pm in Milton Otago as well. Has anyone else seen them and what are they?????

6/01/2012 7:55:42 p.m.

Martin Harris wrote:

I saw these objects, two of them. The orange glow was caused by sun reflecting off high altitude artificial structures. As they began to fade I could see through 7x50 binoculars a mechanical structure to both objects. They were undr power , silent and took off one to west, one to the south west. Moved at apparrent speed of sattelite or civilian aircraft but wasn't either. Time was shortly after 10pm.I am a well educated, objective observer with a strong knowledge of astronomical and atmospheric phenomena. These ufos that are being reported lately are of a pretty consistent description. Most folk know when they see something out of the ordinary and the tired old "meteorite"explanation is a pathetic copout and an insult. A number of US military devices could be responsible. Perhaps the Lockheed HAL-D derigible ?

2/01/2012 3:56:01 p.m.

phillip wrote:

At night, if you look stright at something in the sky E.G a Star it WILL disapear because there are no rods in the center of your eyeball (Rods give night vision and are located on the outer edge of the retina)This Basicly means that you can't see stright ahead but only only can 'see' from the cornor of your eyeball (preferal vision. What you 'see' in when you are looking stright ahead is nothing, your brain simply fills in the gaps. This mainly unknown fact to everyday people is what cause around 90% off all U.F.O sightings as they see a Astriod or metor in the sky, look at it and it disapears and they think it's aliens when in fact it's still there...but you can't see it.

2/01/2012 3:21:15 p.m.

Leewroy wrote:

The 5 lights I saw in 2 groups (first 2 then 3) were travelling southerly /south western - direction. Wind direction was nor-nor westerly... Chinese lanterns travelling against the wind? Plus one of them starting travelling faster than the others and over took one of them along the path they were going. There were a strong orange colour non flickering. Not a flare. Who the heck would be sending up 5 weather balloons on a night like that...

2/01/2012 2:14:22 p.m.

holymofo wrote:

this is crazy, i saw 3-4 strange lights over top of The hunter hills in Waimate around 3am sunday morning. only lasted about 5-10 seconds aand then they just vanished. simply amazing stuff. its starts to make you wonder..

2/01/2012 1:48:22 p.m.

Bruce wrote:

Another possibility is, Strange how the majority of UFO sightings are in the earlier hours, after midnight, Sleep deprivation can also play weird games with the mind. Eye sight illusions are a problem for humans who are initially day time creatures in the animal world.