Updated: UFO Seen Over Israel, Lebanon, Turkey Was Russian Missile Test

Not a UFO: Russian Topol-M Missile

June 7, 2012 - Updated June 8, 2012 - Thousands of people saw fast-moving glowing objects streak through the sky today.

The object was seen by thousands in Israel, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. People in those countries called local authorities about the sighting. Was it a meteor, a Russian ballistic missile, or something else?

"Experts" disagreed initially, but it has now been confirmed that the object was a Russian missile.  

Updated Information: The Russian Strategic Missile Forces were quickly announced that they had conducted a successful test of their Topol-M class intercontinental ballistic missile. The Topol is fired from mobile launchers (see a video about this, and more about the Topol series here).

A report by APA said that the missile was launched "from the firing ground at Kapustin Yar in Astrakhan, Russia." APA added that the missile's speed "wasn’t fast" and that its diameter was only 3-5 meters.

According to Russian military sources, the new version of the Topol-M series is codenamed "RS-12M" and is designed "to counter the anti-ballistic missile defense shield the U.S. is deploying in countries such as Poland," according to CBN News.

Russia's Pravda news service reported the same thing. "The unusual phenomenon in the sky above Israel, which hundreds took for a UFO," said Pravda, "could be connected with the test launch of Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile Topol. The missile was launched from Kapustin Yar test ground in Russia's Astrakhan region."

The Jerusalem Post reported that "hundreds" of people in the northern part of Israel "flooded police lines" to report what they saw. "The Israeli Astronomical Association," says the JP report, "said the object was 80 kilometers high and was not a meteor."  

However, "experts" disagreed at first as to what the object was. Lebanese news services are calling the luminous object a meteor.

The official Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. (LBCI) said that “according to the scientific explanation, the phenomenon of the glowing objects resulted from large meteorites.”

An excerpt from the  LBCI report:

"Appeared on Thursday evening, objects illuminated and meteors fireworks in the skies of the north and Marjayoun and different regions of the Bekaa also appeared in a number of areas of Jordan and in northern Iraq and the Syrian-Turkish border. The specialist in the science of space, Magdy Saad of the LBCI, that scientific explanation of the phenomenon of objects illuminated as stone meteorites of the size Great burst and leave the dust in the air. He stressed that no need to fear."  (Google translation)

Offering some clarification in English, Naharnet.com reported that LBCI said: “glowing objects and fiery meteors appeared in the sky above the North, Marjeyuon and several Bekaa areas.”

The Lebanese reports could not have been more incorrect.

Naharnet also noted that state-run National News Agency "reported similar sightings in Akkar, Tripoli, the Bekaa, Byblos, Halat, Ashrafiyeh and Tyre, saying the objects were clearly visible."

Some of the witnesses theorize that it might have been a failed rocket launch. YnetNews.com (Israel) is wondering if the "UFO" was "a Russian ballistic missile."

Indeed, the Russians confirmed their missile launch right away.

"Later Thursday," reported Ynet, "Russian news agency Novosti quoted the Defense Ministry in Moscow, which confirmed that a missile was test-fired from the Astrakhan region in central Russia. The trail of light seen in Israel was also reported in Armenia, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region." There you go. Proof once again that Lebanese "experts" don't know jack about meteors.

Full MUFON Report of Diamond-Shaped, Humming UFO in Costa Mesa, CA on April 5, 2012

Image source:  Phantoms & Monsters

An interesting UFO case coming to light out of California last week:

"On the evening of April 5, 2012, over the Costa Mesa area of California," reports Huffington Post, "a motorist reportedly saw a diamond-shaped object hovering about a mile away from him.  In his report filed with the Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, he also claims to have heard a humming sound emanating from the object."  Huffington Post has more....

See the full "Long Description of Sighting Report" that was filed with MUFON.  

As for that "humming sound," Examiner.com reports that the California motorist who saw the UFO was  "driving southbound along Harbor Blvd. toward the 405 Freeway near the Santa Ana and Costa Mesa area." He claims that he heard the diamond-shaped object making a "humming noise."

The full MUFON report, filed on April 6, did not include any videos or photos. The report, made anonymously, says this:

"I was driving south bound on harbor blvd near the 405 fwy. At this time I saw what appeared to be a diamond shape vehicle in the eastern sky abpproximately 1 mile from my location. while i was driving I noticed the vehicle hovering, so i thought it was a heliocopter, but then it did not have the aviation lights. Also, it was much to big to be a heliocopter. When arrived on harbor and baker it was still in the sky hovering/gliding south east direction. I arrived at Stater Bros which is located on the south/east corner and got out of my pickup truck. at this time the vehicle tilted on its side and then i was able to see it was in the shape of a diamond, or actually two diamonds connected in the middle. At first i thought it was a hoax but this vehicle was much too sophisticated to be a toy and very large. It made a hummimg noise that I could hear from approximately a mile away... Several people in the parking lot became spectators with me as we all watched in awe. 

"The vehicle at that time proceeded to fly/hover/glide higher in altitude and in a north/east direction. i felt at tthat time it was in the Orange county airport flight path ,so it should have shown up on their radar. Also at that time, the craft emmitted 4 brighter than the sun lights, or energy sources when it tilted. Ive see many things at night and in this area but nothing to this degree. If it was a hoax it would of costed the person(s) in the millions of dollars to conduct... I am very confident I was not the only person that was watching this because of the size and duration of the incident. I know for a fact there are witnesses at the gas station, Stater bros, and possibly more that were driving in a 2-4 square mile of the craft."

Blue UFO Over Utah Was Publicity Stunt by Andrew Smith of Freelancer.com

February 1, 2012 - Was that UFO over Utah from another planet or dimension? A mysterious, bright blue object was spotted and captured to video on a cellphone (see it below) on the night of Friday, January 27, 2012.

In the video, a bright blue object seems to be spinning while suspended in the dark sky. It also appears to move slowly through the air.

The video and story have gotten a lot of attention for amateur videographer Anthony Piceno. Said Piceno, "I looked up in the sky and, you know, it was just a different object, it was neon blue, red flashing lights." But the mystery of what the object was - or was not - seems to have been solved. It was a fake, and it's not the first time the faker has done this.

"When he peered out his window in American Fork, Utah," reported International Business Times, "Anthony Piceno saw a UFO hovering in the night sky. Neon blue and red lights flashed in the sky and drifted slowly from side to side. The UFO, or Unidentified Flying Object, was unlike anything he had ever seen."

'Frightening' UFO Buzzes Elderly Couple's Car in U.K.

Image via Wikipedia
January 26, 2012 - UK - The Teesdale Mercury newspaper has an amazing story about a close encounter with a UFO. 

A man and woman, both 84 years old, say that the glowing object came within inches of their car.

"Two Barnard Castle pensioners say a flying saucer hovered inches from their car as they drove home at night," reports the Mercury in an article dated January 26, 2012. "Bruce and Priscilla Wetherill ... have described the brief encounter at 'frightening'. They say the UFO sighting happened near Arlaw Banks (see map) on Darlington Road (A67) between the towns of Gainford and Barnard Castle, as 'frightening'."

The couple described the UFO as silent and shaped like a flying saucer, dark on top and glowing underneath.

Mrs Wetherill is quoted as saying, “We saw this thing heading towards us – it was coming right at us and was as low as the car and huge," and "Bruce kept driving but we both ducked down, expecting it to hit us. I thought, ‘This is it, we’ve had it’."

According to the Mercury, the Wetherills's UFO sighting occurred two years ago "but they wanted to come forward after a spate of recent UFO sightings in Teesdale." More at the Teesdale Mercury...

On February 10, 2009 the Mercury published "Little Green Men Over Teesdale?"

"Several strange sightings in the area were reported last month," the 2009 report said. "On-lookers described seeing three balls of light that became orange and then disappeared. People living in other areas of County Durham also saw the lights. Witnesses Jeff Edwards said he watched the UFO over Barnard Castle .... The incident was reported to uk-ufo.co.uk, a website listing unexplained incidents in Britain. It was said to have taken place between 6pm and 6.30pm on January 1 [2009]." Full story....

What Was That In Chicago's Sky On Saturday, January 21, 2012?

Image via Wikipedia 

January 22, 2012 - Chicago, did you see that thing fall from the sky? At 10:28 PM (CT), I was looking south from the Logan Square area on Chicago's north side. I had just stepped outside and looked up to enjoy the half dozen or so stars that you can see from there, through the orange glow of the city's night sky.

Then I saw it: A very bright object moving at high speed from north to south. Smaller, glowing chunks seemed to fall off and trail behind, dimming rapidly as they did so. Technically, this was a "UFO." That is, it was a flying object and unidentified. It was definitely not a spaceship, however. Perhaps some terrestrial space junk in a pyrrhic homecoming?

www.ehow.com

The object I saw was definitely burning, and it reminded me of an acetylene torch being applied to steel.

It might have been a meteor, or "shooting star," I suppose. If so, however, it was like none I've ever seen. After years of driving in the desert of the American Southwest and seeing meteors hundreds of times, I don't recall ever seeing one that looked like the one I saw last night. This was brighter than usual, with a bluish glow.

It suddenly stopped glowing, before it reached the horizon. That's normal for a falling meteor, but I've never seen one over a city before, only in the open desert. The part of Chicago that I was in does not have any tall buildings (nothing over 5 stories), and the tallest structures near me were 2-3 story apartment buildings. I found myself holding my breath, listening for the sound of a crash. The sound never came. But it must have landed somewhere, unless it vaporized. Possible, I suppose, but I had the impression that this thing was low, perhaps only a mile or two high.

So, did you see it too? If you were lucky enough to get a photo, would you share it with us? Share the photo in the comments here, or tell us a link to your photo if you post it online.

Third Cylinder-Shaped UFO Report From Indiana

Is there an intergalactic convention in Indiana? Why are there so many recent UFO sightings there?

Examiner.com reports that a "third report of a cylinder-shaped UFO moving overhead on the same day was filed from LaPorte, IN, June 30, 2011, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database."

"Previous reports were made from both Indiana and Illinois that appear to describe the same object," says the Examiner. "The witness was standing in a parking lot on Pine Lake Road when the object moved overhead." - Story at Examiner.com

There was another UFO sighting in Indiana on June 20, as recorded in the video below.  "Mr. Black" posted about his sighting and the video on the Alien Research Corp. website.  (Also see MUFON - Indiana)