Aliens On Earth.com Resources for those who are stranded here UFOs | Paranormal | Area 51 People | Places | Random Top 100 | What's New Catalog | New Books Search... for keyword(s)   in Page Titles in Book Title/Author in Contents of Pages ---other searches--- Metacrawler Yahoo FAST Search Google Altavista Dogpile Inference Find Northern Light IWon.com MSN Search Las Vegas Sun Our Bookstore is OPEN Mothership -> UFO -> Updates -> 1999 -> Jul -> Here

From: Nick Balaskas <nikolaos@YorkU.CA>
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:09:30 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Fwd Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 01:39:47 -0400
Subject: Noctilucent Clouds and UFOs


Hi everyone.

Dr. Michael DeRobertis is a York University professor of Physics
and Astronomy and the editor of Ontario Skeptics Electronics
News, a weekly publication which is sent out by e-mail to
subscribers.  Below is an article in the latest issue which some
UFO UpDates list members, and Dr. Kevin Randle in particular,
would be interested in since it involves Noctilucent Clouds
(Ambiguous Astronomical and Meteorological Stimuli) and the
suggestion that these clouds may be identified as UFOs
(Influence of Pre-existing Belief in UFOs).  In this case, I
would think everyone could readily tell the difference between
even rare very high altitude clouds and UFOs.  Witnesses to the
famous case of a large UFO obscured in the clouds hovering above
a landmark downtown Montreal hotel for a long time didn't
confuse the two.

Because of their great height, noctilucent clouds would seem to
be stationary and would glow bright in the dark sky from the
reflected light of the sun even well after sunset.  Has anyone
who has seen such clouds have any doubts that they were seeing
something other than just clouds?

Nick Balaskas

----------------

Ontario Skeptics    Electronic News #11    June 28/29 1999

<snip>

Noctilucent Ice Clouds Spotted Over Colorado for First Time -
there is speculation that these are responsible for some UFO
reports

June 24, 1999

Silvery-blue ice clouds known as noctilucent clouds that appear
each year in the far northern and southern latitudes in the
middle atmosphere were spotted over Colorado for the first time
on June 22.

Some scientists believe the clouds form from increases in
gaseous methane rising unimpeded through a natural "cold trap"
located about eight miles above Earth's surface, said Gary
Thomas, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder's
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.  The rising
methane may react with sunlight to form large quantities of
water vapor that eventually freeze and circulate to the top of
the atmosphere, facilitating noctilucent cloud formation.

Thomas, one of the world's leading experts on noctilucent
clouds, predicted in 1994 that the clouds would brighten by five
to ten times and be visible over the continental United States
by the 21st century.  "This is a big event," he said.  "While
they are a beautiful phenomenon, these clouds may be a message
from Mother Nature that we are upsetting the equilibrium of the
atmosphere."

The clouds, which bask in the late sunlight some 50 miles over
Earth's surface, were observed on June 22 at about 9:30 p.m. by
CU-Boulder meteorology Instructor Richard Keen while driving up
Coal Creek Canyon southwest of Boulder.  They also were spotted
that evening by Utah State University physics Professor Mike
Taylor from his home in Logan, Utah.

"I saw silvery clouds to the northwest that were distinctly
brighter and higher than the other clouds," said Keen.  The
previous record for the southernmost sighting of these clouds in
the continental United States was in North Dakota, some 500
miles to the north, said Keen.

Noctilucent cloud formation is likely hastened by increasing
amounts of rising carbon dioxide from Earth.  While CO2 is
thought to contribute to global warming in the lower atmosphere,
it ironically cools the middle and upper atmospheres, helping to
facilitate noctilucent cloud formation.

<snip>