Wonders in the Sky

by Jacques Vallee

  343.

  16 September 1759, Lönmora, Sweden

  Abducted for four days

  The following handwritten text is recorded in the parish book of Ramsberg, Sweden:

  “In the evening of 16 September 1759, the crofter Jacob Jacobsson’s eldest son Jacob, 22 years old, had crossed the lake, Vastra Kiolsjon, to the crofter Anders Nilson at Lönmora, to deliver the food packet for him and his father for the following day’s work in the Woods. Coming back across the lake, as he pulled the boat upon the shore, something strange happened to him.

  “A large and broad road appeared before him. He followed it and soon reached a large red mansion, in his own words, ‘with grander buildings than Gamlebo.’ Soon he found himself seated on a bench by the door in a big chamber. He saw a chubby little man with a red cap on his head, sitting at the end of a table, and crowds of little people running back and forth. They were in every way like ordinary men, but of short stature. A bit taller than the rest was a fine-looking maiden, who offered him food and drink. He said, ‘No, thank you.’ The Little people asked him whether he wanted to stay with them, and he answered, ‘God, help me back home to my father and mother!’ Then the man with the red cap said, ‘Throw him out, he has such an ugly mouth!’

  Fig. 32: Lönmora manuscript

  “In the next instant he was back by the lake shore, and from there he returned home. His parents greeted him with pleasure. They had been very worried; together with the neighbors they had searched the woods and the lake for him. Four days and nights had passed without a trace of him. When he finally came back on Thursday evening he had not eaten or slept for four days, yet he had no desire for food or drink. He thought he had been away only for a little while. The following day everything was normal except for an uneasy feeling in his body and mind.

  “Jacob made this statement to me in the presence of his parents on St. Michael’s Day 1759. This boy has quite a simple, pious, meek and gentle character. He is praised by everyone; all his life he has been known to take pleasure in reading and contemplating God’s words whenever he has some spare time.”

  Source: Ramsberg sockens kyrkobok, E1:1, 1786-1774, handwritten entry by Reverend Vigelius. The book is kept at Landsarkivet, Uppsala, Sweden. Translation by Clas Svahn.

  344.

  7 May 1761, France: Planetoid orbiting Venus

  Prominent French astronomer J. L. Lagrange observed an object that seemed to be in orbit around Venus. He announced that its orbital plane was perpendicular to the ecliptic. Venus was then an evening “star” at 207° heliocentric longitude and 34° elongation.

  Source: “The Problematical Satellite of Venus,” The Observatory 7 (1884): 222-226.

  345.

  6 June 1761, unknown location

  Planetoid orbiting Venus

  Astronomer Scheuten reported an object that he observed while tracking Venus in transit across the disk of the Sun. The planet was accompanied by a smaller dark spot on one side, which followed Venus in its transit.

  Source: “The Problematical Satellite of Venus,” The Observatory 7 (1884): 222-226.

  346.

  26 December 1761, Weyloe, Denmark

  A pale object emits a beam

  “The following letter was received from Weyloe, in the diocese of Copenhagen:

  “On the 26th of December last, about ten at night, there arose a great storm. I did not go to bed, and about four minutes past two in the morning, I observed a sudden light across my windows, which I took for lightning: the storm at this time increased not a little. I kept my eye fixed at my window; and at four o’clock I perceived a ray of light which seemed to come in a horizontal direction from the moon, to appearance about a toise and half (nine feet) in length, and about the thickness of a man’s arm. Rays darted from it on each side.

  “Running into my garden, I saw a ball of fire, about the size of a common ball, running gently from south to north. At first the ball was of a pale colour, like the sun covered with clouds, and threw out many rays. It grew more and more red, and smaller, and in two minutes disappeared without noise or smoke. My astonishment was the greater, as the tempest ceased soon after, though it had been accompanied with such violent blasts of wind, that many imagined they felt the shock of an earthquake. I have spoken to a dozen of people, who also saw it. Of all the phaenomena I have seen in Norway, I remember none equal to this, nor attended with like circumstances.”

  Given the weather environment, one could hypothesize globular lightning, but the description of multiple beams is highly unusual.

  Source: The annual register, or a view of the history, politics, and literature, for the year 1761, 5th Ed (London: J. Dodsley, 1786), 67.

  347.

  February 1762, Nuremberg, Germany

  Unknown astronomical object

  Single object, “a black round spot” passing in front of the Sun, as observed by Mr. Staudacher. He missed it the next day, and commented, “Perhaps this is a new planet.”

  Source: “Observations of the transits of intra-mercurial planets or other bodies across the Sun’s disk.” The Observatory (1879): 135.

  348.

  9 August 1762, Basel and Solothurn, Switzerland

  Slow-flying spindle in the Sky

  Two witnesses at separate observatories (Rostan in Basel and Croste in Solothurn) reported a vast spindle-shaped cigar in slow flight in front of the Sun.

  Monsieur de Rostan, an astronomer and member of the Medicophysical Society of Basel, Switzerland, observed the object with the aid of a telescope as it eclipsed the sun. This object could be observed daily for almost a month from Lausanne and also by a second astronomer in Sole, near Basel. Monsieur de Rostan traced its outline with a camera obscura and sent the image to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris. The drawing has not been preserved, unfortunately, but there is no doubt that it once existed and was regarded with some amazement. As this is historically an important incident the original report is produced in full below:

  An account of a very singular phenomenon seen in the disk of the sun, in different parts of Europe, and not in others.

  “The 9th of August, 1762, M. de Rostan, of the economic society at Berne, of the medico-physical society at Basle, while he was taking the sun’s altitudes with a quadrant, at Lausanne, to verify a meridian, observed that the sun gave but a faint pale light, which he attributed to the vapours of the Leman lake; however, happening to direct a fourteen foot telescope, armed with a micrometer, to the sun, he was surprised to see the eastern side of the sun, as it were, eclipsed about three digits, taking in a kind of nebulosity, which environed the opaque body, by which the sun was eclipsed.

  “In the space of about two hours and a half, the fourth side of the said body, whatever it was, appeared detached from the limb of the sun; but the limb, or, more properly, the northern extremity of this body, which had the shape of a spindle, in breadth about three of the sun’s digits, and nine in length, did not quit the sun’s northern limb. This spindle kept continually advancing on the sun’s body, from east towards west, with no more than about half the velocity with which the ordinary solar spots move; for it did not disappear till the 7th of September, after having reached the sun’s western limb.

  “M. Rostan, during that time, observed it almost every day; that is to say, for near a month; and, by means of a camera obscura, he delineated the figure of it, which he sent to the royal academy of sciences at Paris.

  “The same phenomenon was observed at Sole, in the bishopric of Basle, situated about five and forty German leagues northward of Lausanne. M. Coste, a friend of M. de Rostan, observed it there, with a telescope of eleven feet, and found it of the same spindle-like form, as M. de Rostan, only it was not quite so broad; which, probably, might be owing to this, that growing near the end of its apparition, the body began to turn about, and present its edge.

  “A more remarkable circumstance is, that at Sole it did not answer to the same point of the sun as it did at Lausanne: it therefore
had a considerable parallax: but what so very extraordinary a body, placed between the sun and us, should be, is not easy to divine. It was no spot, since its motion was greatly too slow; nor was it a planet or comet, its figure seemingly proving the contrary. In a word, we know of nothing to have recourse to in the heavens, whereby to explain this phenomenon; and, what adds to the oddness of it, M. Messier, who, constantly observed the sun at Paris during the same time, saw nothing of such an appearance.”

  Source: “Natural History: An Account of a Very Singular Phenomena Seen in the Disk of the Sun, in Different Parts of Europe, and Not in Others,” Annual Register 9 (1766): 120-121.

  349.

  19 November 1762, Location unknown: Planetoid

  Planet-like body passing in front of the sun: “Lichtenberg saw, with the naked eye, a great round spot of about one twelfth the diameter of the Sun, traverse a chord of 70° in 3 hours.”

  Source: R. C. Carrington, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 20, January 1860.

  350.

  4 March 1764, unknown location

  Mystery satellite of planet Venus

  The supposed satellite of Venus was observed again as the planet was an evening “star.” Its heliocentric longitude was 59° and its elongation was 30°. There were no less than eight observations of this object during 1764.

  Source: “The Problematical Satellite of Venus,” in The Observatory 7 (1884): 222-226.

  351.

  28 March 1764, unknown location

  Mystery satellite of planet Venus

  Another reliable observation of a planetoid object apparently orbiting Venus. The planet’s heliocentric longitude was 98° and its elongation was 35°.

  Source: “The Problematical Satellite of Venus,” The Observatory 7 (1884): 222-226.

  352.

  May 1764, near Gotha, Germany: Unknown object

  Single object, seen passing in front of the sun by Mr. Hoffmann. It was a large round spot of about one fifteenth the diameter of the Sun, crossing it slowly north to south.

  Source: “Observations of the transits of intra-mercurial planets or other bodies across the Sun’s disk,” The Observatory 29 (1879): 135.

  353.

  13 June 1765, Mount Prospect, Inishannon, Ireland

  Sky throne

  “Last Monday Evening, between eight and nine o’Clock, an extraordinary Phaenomenon was seen from Mount-Prospect, near Inishannon, by several Gentlemen and Ladies. A most superb Throne appeared in the Northern Sphere, enclosed by a broad Circle of a Gold Colour, with a Lion in the front Protecting the Throne, which appearance lasted about half an Hour, and went off by slow Degrees. The Evening was very Serene, and the Sky all around appeared quite black. We are assured of the Truth of this Relation by People of Veracity.”

  Source: The Public Register, or Freemans Journal (Dublin, Ireland) 15 June, 1765.

  354.

  8 September 1767, Perthshire, Scotland

  Large luminous pyramid leaves damage in its wake

  “We hear from Perthshire, that an uncommon phaenomenon was observed on the water of Isla, near Cupor Angus, preceded by a thick dark smoke, which soon dispelled, and discovered a large luminous body, like a house on fire, but presently after took a form something pyramidal, and rolled forwards with impetuosity till it came to the water of Erick, up which river it took its direction, with great rapidity, and disappeared a little above Blairgowrie. The effects were as extraordinary as the appearance.

  “In its passage, it carried a large cart many yards over a field of grass; a man riding along the high road was carried from his horse, and so stunned with the fall, as to remain senseless a considerable time. It destroyed one half of a house, and left the other behind, undermined and destroyed an arch of the new bridge building at Blairgowrie, immediately after which it disappeared.”

  Source: Letter from Edinburgh dated 8 Sept. 1767, in The Annual Register, 1767.

  355.

  4 January 1768, Copenhagen, Denmark

  Unidentified planetoid orbiting Venus

  Astronomer Christian Horrebow reported an observation of “a small light, that was not a star” which appeared to be in orbit around Venus. This object, named “Neith” by M. Hozeau of Brussels observatory, was never identified with certainty and was certainly not a natural satellite.

  Source: H. C. F. C. Schjellerup, “On some hitherto unknown observations of a supposed satellite of Venus,” Copernicus 2 (Dublin, 1882): 164-168.

  356.

  24 October 1769, Oxford, England

  Hovering intruder

  An object like a “house on fire” seen in the sky for an hour. It moved up and down with jets of gas, rumbled.

  Source: John Swinton, “An account of a very remarkable Meteor seen at Oxford”, Philosophical Transactions, 60 (London, 1771): 532-535.

  357.

  8 May 1775, Waltham Abbey, Hertfordshire, England

  Light ball

  “At 8:30 P.M. a remarkable phenomenon was observed by a gentleman at Waltham Abbey.

  “A meteor, resembling a nebulous star, appeared just above the moon, passed eastward, with a slow motion, parallel to the ecliptic, through an arch of about 5 or 6 degrees, and then disappeared. It subtended an angle of 6 or 7 minutes, and was of the same brightness and colour with the moon.”

  Source: The Annual Register (London, 1776): 116.

  358.

  17 June 1777, France, location unknown

  An unidentified Messier object

  During a lunar eclipse, astronomer Charles Messier observed dark objects moving in parallel directions, which he described as “large and swift and they were ships, yet like bells.”

  “These, Messier says, may have been hailstones or seeds in the air; but they were more probably small meteorites.”

  Source: “Observations of the transits of intra-mercurial planets or other bodies across the Sun’s disk,” The Observatory 29 (1879): 136.

  Fig. 33: French astronomer Charles Messier

  359.

  5 February 1780, Bussières, France: Flaming dragon

  About 6 P.M. a flaming “dragon” was seen in the sky for 15 minutes, illuminating everyone below.

  Source: French UFO magazine, Lumières dans la Nuit 338.

  360.

  March 1783, Japan, location unknown: Low-flyers

  For several days, people reported luminous objects flying north to south “just over the rooftops.”

  Source: Brothers I, 1. No original source provided.

  361.

  24 June 1784, China, exact location unknown

  Oscillating ‘star’

  A big star appeared suddenly in the southeast, scintillating. It rose and came down three times. Another star repeated the same motion and was said to have fallen on a village.

  Source: Shi Bo, La Chine et les Extraterrestres, op.cit., 44.

  362.

  11 September 1787, Edinburgh, Scotland

  Wandering globe

  About 8:30 P.M. people saw a fiery globe larger than the sun in a northerly direction. It proceeded horizontally to the east, about 15 to 20 degrees in elevation. Then it descended to the horizon, rose again higher than before with short waves in its trajectory and finally moved west and was lost to view behind a cloud, where it seemed to explode.

  Source: John Winthrop, “An Account of a Meteor Seen in New England, and of a Whirlwind Felt in That Country: In a Letter to the Rev. Tho. Birch, D. D., Secretary to the Royal Society, from Mr. John Winthrop, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge in New England,” Philosophical Transactions 52 (1761-1762): 6-16.

  363.

  12 June 1788, Zamora, Spain: Two large flying globes

  A letter from an Irish clergyman at the University of Zamora mentions that between 4 and 5 A.M., “a most alarming and singular phenomenon appeared in the southeast quarter of the Heavens. Two large globes of fire, seemingly about the bulk of a Bristol barrel, were seen to move horizontally for a few minutes at the height of sev
en or eight degrees from the surface of the earth.

  They approached and dashed violently against each other, till some kind of centrifugal force separated them, after which they steered different courses; one moving East South East and the other West by North. As many persons were then up in the town, numbers repaired to an adjacent hill for the advantage of prospect.”

  The ‘meteors’ proceeded slowly in their course for about twenty minutes. The one on the southeast quarter burst with a crack that might be heard at ten miles distant. The other continued gradually descending till it was lost to sight.

  Source: London Times, Thursday, July 10, 1788.

  364.

  12 November 1791, Göttingen, Germany

  Object in front of the sun

  Single witness (astronomer Lichtenberg): An object is observed passing in front of the Sun.

  Source: Philosophy Magazine 3 (1899).

  365.

  19 January 1793, England, exact location unknown

  Opaque body

  A long opaque body was seen stationary over the center of the sun by many witnesses.

  Source: Gentleman’s Magazine & Historical Chronicle 63 (1793).

  366.

  28 December 1793, Bucharest, Romania

  Unexplained “moon”

  In the evening, a man who was dining in Bucharest about 7:30 P.M. reported that “the moon has accomplished a miracle,” making a journey along the sky in half an hour.

  Source: Ion Hobana and Julien Weverbergh, Les Ovni en URSS et dans les Pays de l’Est (Paris: Robert Laffont, 1972), 222. The authors cite Biblioteca Academiei Române, BAR ms. rom. 2150, fol. 1110.

  367.

  20 August 1794, Balasore, India

  Phenomenon in the heavens

  At 7:45 P.M. a number of witnesses saw an oversized meteor, brighter than any of the planets. As it descended “it made short and frequent pauses, at which times it appeared far more brilliant than while it was in motion.”