A new Australian UFO ebook - 'UFOs Down Under'

Introduction

'UFOs Down Under' is the title of a new ebook, by Australian Barry Watts. Barry Watts, B. Ed. was born in 1936 and attended LaTrobe University. He is now a retired teacher of adults, and lives on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. In 1999, Barry and his partner started 'Pegasus Book Orphanage,' an online secondhand book business, which continues today. Between 1975 and the present, Barry has published seven books. 'UFOs Down Under' is his first self-published effort (ebook and paperback [coming next month.]) While 'Pegasus Book Orphanage' books cover a wide range of topics from Aviation to UFOs, Barry has had a specific interest in the subject of UFOs for decades.

The book

The full title of the book is 'Australasian Encounter: UFOs Down Under - The files revisited,' published by Pegasus Education Group, PO Box 223, McCrae, Victoria, 3938; 241pp.

Image courtesy of Barry Watts

The introduction includes 'In this book I have re-examined over thirty UFO encounters in Australia, New Zealand and Papua-New Guinea in detail...some of these are well known...Others are old or obscure, but are nevertheless provocative mysteries.'

Included in the well-known category are:

* 5 February 1947, Port Augusta, South Australia. Five, egg shaped objects in formation pass over the town

* May 1954, East Malvern, Victoria. Six people report a giant football.

* 31 August 1954, Goulburn, New South Wales. Radar/visual sighting.

* 22 August 1968, Zanthus, Western Australia. Aircraft encounter with a formation of one large and several smaller objects

* 21 October 1978, Bass Strait. The Valentich disappearance.

Among the lesser known cases we find:

* 14 January 1969, Childers, Queensland. A family see entities

* 23 March 1975, Nebo, Queensland. A group of people report an encounter to both the police and RAAF

* 20 October 1979, Wonthaggi, Victoria. A motorcyclist encountered an object on the ground.

Barry draws on a variety of sources, including Australian government files; books; magazines; blogs; and newspapers.

Each sighting is well researched, and references used are cited. The work is easy to read; and provides the reader with an excellent overview of each case.

In appropriate places, Barry draws attention to pieces of data which appear incorrect, or in conflict, e.g. some of the recollections of O'Farrell in the 31 August 1954 radar/visual event, and errors in newspaper reports of the 4 October 1960 Cressy, Tasmania observation.

The ebook is an excellent summary of over 30 Australian cases of interest. Barry has obviously done his homework in compiling information about each incident.

The work of Australian researchers including Bill Chalker; George Simpson; Paul Norman; Ben Hurle; Peter Norris; Ray Brooke, and myself, are cited and referenced.

This ebook (and paperback when available) is recommended as an excellent source of detailed information on some of the best Australian UFO cases. Barry is to be commended for all his hard work in drawing this material together.

Copies of the ebook are currently available through Amazon.

Well done Barry!

Could bolides cause some vehicular UAP cases?

I was talking to a friend recently about the observation of bolides (very bright meteors). He told me that on two occasions, while travelling in rural locations at night in a car, that the whole countryside had suddenly, brilliantly lit up.

Looking up, he then observed a bright fireball crossing the sky. He remarked that the entry of the meteor into the Earth’s atmosphere must have generated an immense amount of energy, which then lit up the entire countryside, as bright as daylight, for kilometres around.

I responded by telling him that one night I had been out in my back garden when the entire area lit up just like daylight, for a second or so, then went dark again. This lead us on to talk about electrophonic sounds, heard when bolides are seen in the sky.

These sounds have been heard for centuries

For centuries, observers have been reporting, that simultaneously with seeing a bolide, they heard unusual sounds around them. These sounds, later named electrophonic, were separate from the sonic booms heard moments after the passage of a bolide. Electrophonic sounds were heard at the same time the bolide was visible.

For many years, these electrophonic sounds (hissing, swishing, rushing, roaring, crackling, sizzling, rustling) were felt to be of psychological origin, for no physical mechanism seemed to be able to explain them.

Enter Australian researcher - Colin Keay

Then, Colin Keay, an Australian physicist, investigated sightings of a bolide which passed over New South Wales, Australia in 1978. He found that some observers reported electrophonic sounds. He then went on to demonstrate that large meteor fireballs generated very low frequency electromagnetic energy, which may be audible to some observers on the ground. This energy is transduced into sound waves by nearby objects such as a fence; vegetation; spectacles, and hair. It has now been scientifically accepted that this mechanism does explain the electrophonic sounds described by some, but not all, bolide observers.

I read a number of scientific papers about electrophonic sounds from bolides.

 However, it was on Colin Keay’s website homepage that I came across something very interesting.

‘In 1992 veteran fireball reporter Bob Pugh of Oregon, USA, collected several reports of a large fireball which passed over the Coos Bay region. Besides reports of hissing, crackling and popping sounds at the same time as the fireball was seen, there was a report of a house trembling and a metal lamp making a static-sizzling sound for 2-3 s. At Winston, OR a shock was also felt inside an automobile. Near Diamond Lake Junction an observer felt a pressure on his chest at the time of the fireball.’

The interesting part about the above, was the physical effects noticed, apart from the electrophonic sounds.

Long term readers of this blog, will now know where I am going with this blog post!

UAP reports

I revisited one of my catalogues of UAP reports, one which detailed observations from persons travelling in automobiles, usually in rural settings. I found four Australian sightings along the lines of interest to me.

1. March 1970, Scottsdale, Tasmania.

A forestry worker was driving alone when he saw a flash of light in the sky. His car radio was overcome with static. A soundless, green object, three times the angular size of the full Moon was seen to the rear of the vehicle. (Source – TUFOIC.)

2. 5 February 1979, Lawitta, Tasmania. 2150hrs.

While driving alone, a man noted his car radio had died. Seconds later, an intense white light enveloped the car and he could not see beyond the bonnet. The car’s lights and motor failed in the same instant. Beyond the events are vague and the next thing he knew he was being stopped by police for driving the car without lights at night. He was taken to hospital and examined, and found to be in a state of shock. His vehicle, a Ford Cortina 71TC was inspected and found to have a flat battery and the engine oil level was low. The cut-off switch on the alternator needed replacing as did wiring, especially the headlights. Radiator water was also low. (Source – TUFOIC.)

3. April 1979, Gormanston Saddle, Tasmania. 0020hrs.

A green light with a purple edge came straight at a taxi driver, seemingly going straight over the vehicle, and lighting up the interior as if it was daylight. The taxi lost power and would not accelerate, the motor just shook. The driver tried to radio for help but it was dead. After the light passed, everything returned to normal. (Source – TUFOIC.)

4. Ca. 1994, Harvey Creek, Queensland. 2030hrs.

A huge light approached two women travelling by car. The engine and lights of the car went out for no apparent reason. The light passed over the car, temporarily blinding the women. After a few seconds the vehicle’s lights came back on by themselves. The engine of the car started the first time the ignition key was turned. (Source – UFORQLD.)

Can bolides explain these case?

My question at this point, is, could electromagnetic energy from a bolide produce these kind of effects reported within the UAP literature? Obviously, a lot more research needs to be conducted.

There is one more UAP report which I would like blog readers to consider under this hypothesis.

16 September 1974, St. Helens, Tasmania. 2115hrs.

This very unusual event occurred to Mrs Andrea Richards, housewife, thirty four, and her daughters Janine (eight) and Kathleen (five) when they were travelling home to The Marches near St Helens. Weatherwise it was a light drizzling rain, on a dark night. They were all very tired when suddenly static was heard on the radio. As soon as the static began the sky directly ahead became brightly lit up. The car lost power on a gentle incline, then stopped dead. The headlights, radio, heater, and dashboard lights all went out, and it was dark apart from the light in the sky.

Aerial view of the sighting location

Mrs Richards tried to start the car but after ten seconds a deafening, vibrating noise enveloped the car. This lasted about a minute. Almost simultaneously, quite painful, electric shocks began penetrating their bodies.

The car was then filled with an invisible chocking smell. Both Mrs Richards and Janine jumped out of the car taking Kathleen with them. They fled down the road leaving the car. The light in the sky was still visible. They went to a house. Upon returning to the car the car started alright. The next day it was checked at a garage but no faults were found. Mrs Richards suffered a numb right side to the face and a two cent sized red mark above her right eyebrow. The day after, her arms and fingers were badly swollen and she had difficulty walking. (Source – TUFOIC.)

The full report on this sighting may be read here.

Still in the shadows

Last July, I decided to re-focus my UAP research, and now it is time to evaluate how this is going.

Facebook

One of the things I instituted, was to cease using Facebook in my UAP work. So, yesterday I spent a little time looking at a variety of current Australian Facebook UAP pages. I had previously noted, that I had found little actual research occurring on such pages. My review, yesterday, found that between July 2016 and now, that things were no different. Facebook UAP ‘research’ still consists of short comments; very little data exchange; and no analysis of material or sightings. So, I feel that my decision to stop using Facebook for my research, was justified.

Book reviews

A second change, was to cease writing up reviews of books dealing with UAP. This has been relatively easy to achieve. Yesterday, I used the Amazon Books website to take a look at the titles, authors and content of both hard copy and UAP ebooks, since July 2016. I can count on one hand, the number of serious books to be found. 

A recent, excellent, serious work

Since last year, I have been publishing on one blog, rather than my previous two blogs. The amalgamation has been going well.

Mass media

I have continued to receive requests from both mass media outlets, and from documentary film makers for interviews with me. I have declined each one of these, as the mass media, in my opinion, seeks only entertainment; and many documentaries never survive the process of being created, edited and then coming to market.

So, all in all, I do not regret any of the changes which I made to the way in which my research has been going.

So, what have I been doing since July 2016?

1. I completed a joint project with Anthony Clarke of UFO Research (NSW) Incorporated. This involved the two of us summarising nearly 60 audio recordings, of Australian UAP witnesses, recorded by US researcher James E McDonald, during his 1967 Australian trip. Our results may be found here.

2. I reviewed documentation about the famous 1957, Levelland, Texas, USA, multiple witness, close encounter case. I prepared, then published transcripts of three rare interviews about the incident.

4. Paul Dean of Melbourne, and I, also researched, then published, a detailed ‘cold case’ review paper, about the visual sighting and color movie film taken at Port Moresby, New Guinea, on 23 August 1953. Our paper may be found here.

5. I have contributed a review of about 40 Australian sightings, which are listed on the NICAP website. I updated both content, and references to these.

6. In addition, also on the NICAP website, I have updated some 40 non-Australian cases; all documented in the US Project Blue Book files. Here, I provided case summaries and copies of the Project Blue Book documentation, downloaded from the Fold3 website.

7. Paul Dean and I are currently working on some comments about the 1986 Japan Air Lines flight, encounter over Alaska.

Summary

As can be seen from the list of what I have been doing, my re-focus has been to work in the area of quality, detailed research, away from the rambunctious (uncontrollably exuberant; difficult to control; noisy) social media environment.

I feel it worthwhile to repeat my recent mantra, to my Australian UAP colleagues. Consider stepping away from the use of social media, and conduct your research ‘in the shadows.’ You will find an immediate benefit. 

Webs of deception

Hi all,

This month keep your (Australian) eyes to the skies!

May, in Australia, is the traditional month for reported falls of unusual looking, lengthy strands of 'silk-like' substance, which some UAP researchers refer to as 'Angel Hair.'

May 1974 - Albury, NSW - photo by Kevin Dixon

Is it simply spiders' web, or the residue of the propulsion system of extraterrestrial spaceships?

There was a very large fall of this substance around Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia,on 4 May 2015. For a detailed account of this fall, and the subsequent story which went viral on the Internet, take a look at my post dated 14 May 2015.

If the subject interests you, why not take a look at my comprehensive Australian catalogue and analysis of dozens of Australian falls, which may be found here.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has information on any 2017 falls.