Ufos--What Are They?

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

the fall of stones from the sky was denied by such great scientists as Lavoisier. According to the pronouncement of French academicians (1772) "the falling of stones from the sky is physically impossible," and this phenomenon "can in no way be reasonably explained." The objections of those who demonstrated the reality of meteorites were to be explained by anti-scientific delirium and stupidity, "unworthy even of refutation."

## Second Explanation.

UFOs exist but actually they are not what they seem. An UFO is only an optical illusion connected with anomalous diffusion of light in the earth's atmosphere like a rainbow, or halo, caused by the sun or patches of light over water.

This point of view, sincerely put forward by D. Menzel in his book On Flying Saucers, has been widely accepted among scientists in the Soviet Union and abroad. But we must point out that the reading of Menzel's book involuntarily results in a feeling of deep disappointment since the author provides no convincing and scientific discussion of the phenomena. Therefore when Menzel's book is represented as a solid scientific work, as a circumstantial optical theory of explanation of UFOs, the opinion must be rejected as erroneous. The mystery of UFOs cannot be explained by means of atmospheric optics; the nature of these phenomena is clearly more complex than that.

## Third Explanation.

UFOs are new secret flying craft of one of the terrestrial powers.

At first this point of view was very commonly held and militaristic circles in the USA hastened to spread rumors to the effect that secret Soviet craft were flying over the country. This absurd explanation, based on natural causes, later collapsed and no longer has any advocates.

Figures 2 & 3. Last summer passengers on an air liner flying between London and Manchester looking out the plane window saw a strange shape very close to the plane. One of the passengers was able to record the object on his movie camera. The film showed how against the background of the blue sky the unknown object changed its shape after a few seconds and then seemed to dissolve in