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From: Jim Deardorff <deardorj@ucs.orst.edu>
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 12:26:40 -0800 (PST)
Fwd Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:05:30 -0500
Subject: Re: Kenneth Arnold's testimony

> Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 00:33:55 -0500
> From: bruce maccabee <brumac@compuserve.com>
> Subject: UFO UpDate: Re: Kenneth Arnold's testimony
> Sender: bruce maccabee <brumac@compuserve.com>
> To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>

> >Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 22:57:28 -0500
> >From: James Easton <pulsar@compuserve.com>
> >Subject: UFO UpDate: Re: Kenneth Arnold's testimony
> >To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>

> >[...]Noticing flashes of light through his windshield, is somewhat
> >different to light reflecting on his aircraft from objects over a
> >hundred miles away. Initially, Arnold didn't mention any "flashes"
> >reflecting on his aircraft at all. [...]

> Even at 100 miles the objects would still be qhite bright if
> reflecting sun like mirror surfaces (see calculation in previous
> message; divide brightness ratio of mirror to sun by 4 for
> inverse square decrease of intensity)

James, and Bruce,

There's a point that hasn't yet been raised on this, because the
"rational" skeptic might be offended.  It could very well be that
the initial flash that alerted Arnold to look around for its
source was merely a bit of ET magic (alternate translation:
advanced alien technology; alternate translation #2:
non-primitive alien technology).  We've all heard of many
instances since then where certain UFO witnesses have been
prompted one way or another to look in the right area of the sky
to see a UFO, which they sensed was outside of their normal
behavior.

Arnold didn't make it clear if this initial flash was reflected
off a wing of his aircraft or from within the cockpit somewhere,
but he wasn't looking out at its source at this initial time.
And it was bright enough to make him think it must have been a
reflection of sunlight off of some plane that passed dangerously
close.  So this initial flash might have been purposely directed
at his plane by one of the nine UFOs to attract his attention.

The second flash that Arnold saw directly and described as having
"reflected brightly on my plane" may have been of the same
intensity and also enhanced over normal reflected sunlight.
Since the craft were described as being generally round or ovate,
those surfaces wouldn't present much area at all for specular
reflection, but perhaps part of their unusual shape near the tail
or rear had a larger flat section that could do better.

I do need to let some know that I'm well aware of the argument
that one looks for mundane 20th-century physical solutions to
anomalies before evoking "ET magic."  So we have no need to hear
another lecture on that. However, it seems to need stressing that
the aliens are not likely -- are not plausibly -- going to
restrict themselves to our primitive level of scientific
understanding, necessarily, when presenting themselves to us. So
let's stick with the plausible and not insist that the first one
or two flashes that attracted Arnold's attention and lit up his
plane had to be from ordinary specular reflection off of a small
planar section of one of the UFOs.

Jim Deardorff