Source of strange lights unknown (Azcentral)
Red Lights over Phoenix (Transworld)
Residents Report Mysterious Red Light Sightings in Skies Over Phoenix (FOXNews)
So there was another “incident” of the Phoenix Lights last night (21 April 2008). Thousands saw it and apparently the majority were morons as a poll over at MyFoxPhoenix.com indicates a majority of people think it was UFOs (as of 12:00 today). It annoys me to no end that people immediately jump to inane conclusions without having explored the more logical and reasonable possibilities.
As a witness to the original “Phoenix Lights” I am still of the strong opinion that they were nothing more than flares or helicopters despite wishful thinking on the part of so called UFO-logists ludicrous claims of mile wide lights in the skies and an object that supposedly blacked out the stars above the city (according to popular accounts, directly above 7th Avenue and Indian School Road). *Ahem.* Right. In 1997 Phoenix was in the throws of some of its worst pollution (both particulate and light) ever, pollution that for a near decade made it possible to see only the brightest of stars from within the city. I was also there at 7th Avenue and Indian School Rd coming back from a shopping trip when I saw the event. Trust me, no stars were “blotted out”. And certainly there were not throngs of people wigging out over some lights. Yes there was interest but I don’t remember a single person instantly assuming it was UFOs.
My vote then and now was it was helicopters most likely testing capabilities given a local Valley company was developing new choppers for the military. In all likelihood this incident is just flares, helicopters, or something else equally reasonable. Even the FAA has no interest in investigating.
Personally I think a bunch of people are hyping up the latest “incident” to try and boost sales of pointless books, videos and DVDs. It sounds too suspiciously like the hoaxes that were perpetuated a few years ago in Mexico for much the same purpose.
Image Source: Azcentral.com
Maybe I’ve been around airplanes, air shows, and military displays too much but the first thing I think when I see something like this picture is aircraft that are formation flying, not UFOs. I think people are too quick to jump to the fanciful. I don’t know why people do this. Perhaps its a desire for something more or a desire to see humanity get into space. Sadly too many of these people that I have talked to don’t support space flight efforts thinking they are wasteful and pointless.
Would I love for there to be intelligent alien life in the universe outside of humanity? Absolutely. We know very little about the universe and as such would be arrogant to presume ourselves the only intelligent and sentient species to develop. But I seriously doubt said aliens are bored enough to buzz the city of Phoenix or anywhere else for a few hours.
