Hmmm this email bounced.. I think there was a strange attachment. Lets see if I can post it through. Cyn ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] What was it? From: Lockman <lockman@aznex.net> Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 10:59:57 -0700 To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Speaking of UFOs, a few years ago I got an insight as to how it is people become convinced that the UFO they are seeing is an alien space craft. It was around noon. I was flying over Safford AZ on a southwesterly heading at 6000 feet MSL. It was sunny. Just slightly left of dead ahead, I noticed a bright reflection from what I assumed was another airplane. It appeared to be closing fast. I could perceive no relative motion of the object. Then I saw that it was a T33 with an unpainted polished aluminum finish. The reflection was originating from the curved part where the vertical stabilizer joined the fuselage. I could see the wings, tail parts, the canopy, and everything. The lack of relative motion between one's aircraft and another is what pilots are taught indicates their aircraft may be on a collision course with the other aircraft . I turned hard right in order to avoid the collision. Keep in mind that the time interval between first noticing the bright reflection through turning hard right was about 3 to 5 seconds. After I had gone perpendicular to my course for a time I felt was long enough to avoid the collision, I turned back on course. This was in time to see the object as we went past it. It turned out to be an escaped aluminized helium filled mylar children's balloon like they sell at festive events such as fairs. It wasn't another airplane at all; no wings, no fuselage, no tail parts. Apparently, expecting it to be another airplane, my brain had falsely filled in all those details about a T33. Had I not turned back on course in time to see what it really was, to this day I would have been convinced it was a T33 with a polished aluminum finish. After this experience I concluded that if one sees an object that would photograph with no detail greater than a bright point of light, but is expecting the object to be an alien space craft, one may well see an alien spacecraft in very fine detail. Bill Lockman Edward Lunt wrote: Thanks Darin; --- Darin Christensen <darinc@comcast.net> wrote: I've seen such a phenomonen as I was driving eastward in the mornings many times. It appreares to be a bright. stationary object. It always, eventually turned out to be a passenger jet flying at just the right angle and speed to appear sstaionary while getting lit up from below by the sunrise not yet visible to me. ____ -- http://www.hexwitch.com Elsinore Lucilla Aurelius CGC Angel Pumpkin Spice Lady CGC CH Pembroke Faded Glory CGC NA NAJ NAC OJC 0-TG-N S-TN-N NGC Spirit Chasers Spice CGC