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UFO-Aktuellt issue 2/2003

Issue 2, 2003 reached its Swedish subscribers in late June, 2003.  English translation by Stefan Isaksson  Page 2: The Danes Let the Swedes Take Over. On the 16th of March 2003, representatives from UFO-Sweden met with members from the Danish group  Scandinavian UFO-Information   and UFO-Norway   in Copenhagen. The purpose of the get-together was the delivery of the entire Danish sightings archive (several thousand sightings) to the hands of UFO-Sweden and the Archives for UFO Research. This well-renowned Swedish archive thus continues to grow, and all participants from the meeting were very pleased with the whole transaction.

Page 3: Editorial. Inspired by the first article, chairman Clas Svahn   emphasizes the importance of maintaining a well-knit community for serious ufologists around the world. The continuing growth of the Internet has allowed researchers from any part of the world to have swift and effective communication with colleagues, but the information revolution is still not the solution for all problems. History, Svahn says, is essential for the understanding of our present as well as our future, and only by maintaining the different UFO archives around the world can we be continue to work the UFO phenomena in satisfying ways.

Pages 4-8: The Tale of the Three Balls. The news media have always -- when it comes to UFO sightings -- had a tendency to exaggerate events in order to raise interests (and thus sales). And now it has happened again. On the night of the 4^th of May this year, two women in Tvååker   south of Varberg , Sweden, became witnesses to three balls of mysterious lights in the night ("three UFOs landed in a nearby field", as the local media put it). However, thanks to the thorough work of field investigators Anders Persson   and Magnus Olofsson,  the extraordinary event turned out to be something very mundane; namely the outdoor lightning on a nearby farm house. The article, written by Persson, is an extremely good example of how something unexplained, by the use of critical investigation, can result in something very down to earth. In this particular case; the sighting was brought to the attention of UFO Sweden thanks to a freelance photographer who arrived at the scene after both police and the fire fighters had shown up. Some people worried about a possible fire somewhere in the fields, and thus it had been decided to call for rescue.

Pages 8-9: The Archive to the Rescue. In January, UFO Sweden member Andreas Ohlsson   received a letter from a woman, Anne-Mari Pettersson ,  in Stockholm, in which she asked him for help with a sighting of a classic saucer shaped object she had had "somewhere around 1974-1975" in the small town of Sparreholm , in which she was living at the time of the sighting. The exact date she couldn’t recall, however, she did remember two other witnesses having seen the same thing and then telling the local newspaper about it. Thanks to UFO Sweden’s own archives Ohlsson could confirm that indeed  the local newspaper had   written about the sighting, and, yes, the other alleged witnesses did exist and had even told UFO Sweden (an organization which at the time was quite different from the one that exists today) about it. So by comparing the paper clippings, the original statements from the two other witnesses, and Pettersson’s own version of the story, Ohlsson was able to come up with the exact time and place for the sighting. Most likely it was a natural phenomenon, but this explanation is somewhat complicated by the fact that Pettersson claimed to have seen window-like shapes on the center of the object.

Pages 10-11: The Mora Picture -- An Update.  A certain picture taken in Mora, Sweden, in September 1952 has long been regarded as the "best" UFO photograph in Sweden, and UFO Update has written about it many times before. For more than half a century, the picture (which depicts what looks like two big balls of lighting) has continues to puzzle ufologists, but now UFO Sweden might have come up with a valid explanation. In the article, Svahn points out the many uncertainties about the sighting, primarily what exact date the sighting took place. If it indeed is   a very natural celestial phenomenon that was witnessed, then the most likely explanation is that it’s simply the planet Jupiter that was observed and photographed. Still, since UFO Sweden has no way of determining the exact date of the sighting; the exact answer can therefore never be found.

Pages 12-13: International ufology. Stefan Roslund    has eleven short news items about the international UFO, and forteana, scene. Among other things, Roslund mentions with pride an article written by Svahn (and translated by yours truly) that was published in International UFO Reporter   (Fall, 2002); but also alien implants, foo fighters, yet anther explanation for the Tunguska incident in 1908, strange cat-like creatures in Great Britain, and so on.

Pages 14-16: Sightings Over 17^th Century Stockholm. Once again Conny Ljung   has dug up historical sightings of strange phenomena in the skies over Sweden. This time the turn has come to Abraham Brahe , 1569 -- 1630. (Not related to the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe ). Obviously, the language used in 17^th century Sweden was quite different from the one used today, and that combined with the radically different cultural, religious, technological et cetera society, makes it tricky to evaluate such old sightings. However, contemporary computer programs can help today's ufologist reconstruct at least what the sky looked like at the time of the sighting, and thus Ljung concludes that it’s very likely that Brahe sometimes mistook very natural phenomena for strange apparitions in the sky. Obviously, that still takes place today.

Pages 16-17: Thousands Witnessed Impressive Meteorite.  Shortly after eight in the evening on the 8^th of April, thousands of Swedes were able to witness how a brightly shining meteorite traveled the night sky only to finally disintegrate in a white and noiseless explosion. Researcher Bill Odell    together with UFO Sweden was able to locate an approximate point of impact, and eventually located five pieces of dark stone on the ice of lake Yngaren . These stones have been sent to the U.S. for examination, but the results of the examinations are not yet known.

Page 18: "Free Energy" for All?  On the 29^th of March 2003, the Swedish branch of The Disclosure Project held a lecture in Gothenburg. Anders Persson   and Mikael Sjöberg   from UFO Sweden were in the audience, and also managed to conduct a short interview with Kim Forsell ,  who is responsible for the Swedish branch.

Pages 19-21: Rocks That Boggle Your Mind.  Richard Svensson   presents, as he always does, a very interesting article about fortean phenomena. This time he describes such strange phenomena as footprints where there should be no footprints (footprints depicting what looks like a shoe in a rock that is 100 million years old or supposed findings of footprints of dinosaurs and   man that cross each other). Svensson furthermore tells stories of various animals who have been found alive and well inside   of different rocks. And as always, the article is accompanied by a hilarious drawing by Svensson himself.

Pages 22-23: Book Reviews.  Four books reviewed by Svahn this time: one children’s book about the supernatural, one scholarly book about the New Age phenomena, one about conspiracy theories, and finally one dealing with pseudo science and what that’s all about.  On page 23 there is also an ad for the upcoming field investigator class held on the 6-7^th of September.

Pages 24-25: Media Watch.  C Göran Norlén   gives a review of news clippings from Swedish media, this time from the end of February 2003 to the end of May 2003. Norlén complains a little that there haven’t been as many UFO related articles as there usually are. Among other things, Norlén talks about The Raelian Religion, UFO balloons, and some of the things Svahn has been involved in.

Page 26: Older UFO Update for Sale.  A full page ad for older issues of UFO Update that the reader can buy.

Page 27: UFO Exhibition. Another full page ad, this one about the UFO exhibition hosted by UFO Sweden from the 23^rd of June ‘till the 17^th of August in Köping , Sweden.

Page 28-29: Possible Explanation for Mysterious Aussie Lights.  In the March issue of the magazine "Clinical and Experimental Optometry"; Australian professor Jack Pettigrew   claims to have solved the riddle of the so-called Marfa Lights in West Queensland, Australia. Local folklore says that the lights are the souls of the departed, who for some reason refuses to leave Earth. Professor Pettigrew, on the other hand, debunks those ideas and argues that it’s simply an optical illusion.

Pages 30-31: Successful Meeting.  Article by Jimmy Sassi   about UFO Sweden’s annual meeting and the following exhibition, which this year took place in Köping. With much to look at, several lecturers, and a friendly and relaxed atmosphere; the event went off as well as it always does. 

Back page: Ads. Two ads, one for UFO Sweden’s own t-shirts, and one for a new children’s book (reviewed in the book review section).