Wonders in the Sky

by Jacques Vallee

  Mr. Goulvier-Gravier, founder of a private observatory dedicated to meteoritics, observed a magnitude 3 “shooting star” that came from the southeast and reversed course at 4:45 A.M.

  Source: Goulvier-Gravier, Recherches sur les Météores (Paris: Mallet-Bachelier, 1859), figure 88 on page 300.

  453.

  3 October 1850, Talcot Mt., near Hartford, CT, USA

  Maneuvering object

  According to a paper read by Professor Brocklesby before the American Association in 1851, an observer named Graylord Wells, who was on the eastern slope of Talcot Mountain saw an unidentified object:

  “The evening was clear and the moon near the meridian, when Mr. Wells saw, a little south of west, and full 60 degrees above the horizon, a bright meteor apparently a foot in diameter. It shone with an orange hue, and below was a train which seemed to be 15 or 16 feet in length, fan-shaped, and possessing an apparent breath at its further extremity of two feet. The meteor rose from east to west with a slow and steady motion, and in its progress passed above or to the north of the moon. And when it had arrived on the eastern side, directly turned toward the southeast, and dropping below the moon, a part of its attendant train swept over the lunar disk.”

  The phenomenon gradually descended to the horizon in the southeast. The observer stated that this could not have lasted less than three minutes in moving the length of its train, and that the time of its visibility “could not possibly have been less than an hour, and was probably an hour and a half.”

  Source: The Ohio Journal of Education 2 (Dec. 1853): 411.

  454.

  10 October 1852. Reims, France

  Wandering “star” makes a 90 degree turn

  M.Coultier-Gravier, observing the sky from his private observatory to compile statistics on shooting stars, recorded an unusual “meteor” at 8 P.M. It was a third-degree object first seen near “nu” of Capricorn. It described a 30-degree trajectory in the sky, changing its direction from northwest to southwest.

  Source: Coultier-Gravier, op. cit., 306 and fig. 97.

  455.

  1853, Paris, France: Red disk on slow trajectory

  A witness named Amédé Guillemin, who lived on Rue Amelot, observed an object moving extremely slowly, horizontally above Père-Lachaise cemetery. The object was “a pale red disk.”

  Source: Flammarion, Bradytes, op. cit., 155.

  456.

  22 May 1854, unknown location: Multiple unknowns

  A contributor named R. P. Greg reports that a friend of his saw an object equal in size to Mercury in the vicinity of that planet, and behind it an elongated object, and “behind that something else, smaller and round.”

  Source: Baden Powell “Report on observations of luminous meteors, 1854-55,” Annual Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1855): 79-100, at 94.

  457.

  21 January 1855, New Haven, Connecticut

  Another red object

  About 10 P.M. a man saw a brilliant red ball about two minutes in diameter, first visible about eight degrees below the guards in Ursa Minor. It seemed stationary at first, but in about fifteen seconds commenced moving slowly towards the east in an almost horizontal line, with what seemed like a slight undulatory motion. It passed below and about one degree from the star Benetuash in Ursa Major and disappeared in the distance, not far from Denebola in the constellation Leo. The observation had lasted ten minutes. The writer adds: “there was no explosion, nor was any scintillation thrown off at any time.”

  Source: New Haven Palladium, 23 January 1855.

  458.

  11 June 1855, Bonn, Germany: Dark unknown body

  A dark body was seen crossing the disk of the sun. It was reported by astronomers Ritter and Schmidt.

  Source: E. Ledger, “Observations or supposed observations of the transits of intra-Mercurial planets or other bodies across the Sun’s disk,” Observatory 3 (1879-80): 135-8, at 137.

  459.

  11 August 1855, Tillington, Sussex, England

  Red wheel in the sky

  At 11:30 P.M. a Mrs. Ayling and other witnesses watched in awe as a red wheel-like object with spokes emerged from behind some hills and remained visible in the sky for an hour and a half.

  Source: Baden Powell, “Report on observations of luminous meteors, 1855-56,” Annual Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1856): 53-62, at 54-55.

  460.

  10 December 1855, Copenhagen, Denmark

  Unexplained object

  An object varying in size from the apparent diameter of the sun to that of a star was visible in the south-western atmosphere for 10 to 12 minutes. It “changed its configuration several times, having appeared now in one mass, then in two, then again in three, and so forth alternately, lighting up the heavens to a considerable distance.”

  Source: Copenhagen Faedrelandet, quoted by the Manchester Guardian of 5 January, 1856, under the heading “Prussia, from our own correspondent.”

  461.

  1858, Jay, Ohio, USA: Silent vessel with passengers

  Alerted by a sudden shadow over the place where they were standing, several witnesses including Mr. Henry Wallace are said to have looked up in time to see “a large and curiously constructed vessel, not over one hundred yards from the earth.” A number of very tall people were seen aboard this craft, which the recorder of the event believes was “a vessel from Venus, Mercury, or the planet Mars, on a visit of pleasure or exploration, or some other cause.”

  Mr. Wallace reportedly added: “The vessel was evidently worked by wheels and other mechanical appendages, all of which worked with a precision and a degree of beauty never yet attained by any mechanical skill upon this planet (…) This was no phantom that disappeared in a twinkling…but this aerial ship was guided, propelled and steered through the atmosphere with the most scientific system and regularity, about six miles an hour, though, doubtless, from the appearance of her machinery, she was capable of going thousands of miles an hour.”

  Author Jesse Glass rediscovered the book containing this report and claimed he found evidence at the Ohio Historical Society regarding the existence of a man named Henry Wallace in Jay, Ohio at the time.

  Research by C. Aubeck disclosed that there was indeed a Post Office at Jay from March 14th 1839 to March 23rd 1842, but its whereabouts had become unknown shortly afterwards. Indeed, the town did not figure in any gazetteer or Erie County history. Aubeck managed to pinpoint the location of Jay from comments made by the historian Henry Timman in his popular weekly column, Just Like Old Times. It was, he said, “on the township line between Milan and Huron” but nothing marks the spot today. According to census records a Henry C. Wallace lived in nearby Erie County in 1850, a fifteen year old lad from New York. By 1860 he must have either died or moved on, because he is not listed again in the state of Ohio. This Mr. Wallace was too young to have lived in Jay and in fact was registered as a resident of Florence, a different township.

  We can only conclude that the claim rests on the veracity of names that cannot be verified today.

  Source: Dr. William Earl, The Illustrated Silent Friend, embracing subjects never before scientifically discussed (New York, 1858).

  462.

  26 March 1859, Orgères, France: Sighting of Vulcan

  Mr. Lescarbault, an amateur astronomer, has observed a body of planetary size crossing the disk of the sun. He wrote to Le Verrier, who came to Orgères to meet with him and to verify the records of the observation in view of computing an orbit for Vulcan, the intra-mercurial planet which he hypothesized. In his letter, Lescarbault wrote:

  Fig. 37: French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier, discoverer of Neptune

  “The duration of the passage of the new planet was one hour seventeen minutes, and twenty seconds of sidereal time. I have the conviction that, some day, a black dot, perfectly circular, very small, will be seen again passing in front of the sun (…) This object must be the planet or one of the plan
ets whose existence in the vicinity of the solar globe you have announced a few months ago, Mr. Director, using this same wonderful power of computation that made you recognize the existence of Neptune in 1846.”

  Source: L’Année Scientifique (1878): 16.

  463.

  29 January 1860, London, England

  Unknown planetoid

  An unknown object of planetary size is reported by Mr. Russell and three other observers.

  Source: F. A. R. Russell, “An Intra-Mercurial planet,” Nature 14 (October 5, 1876): 505.

  464.

  1 March 1860, Moscow, Russia: Unexplained sky object

  At 9:45 P.M. “a star to the southwest of the Great Bear suddenly commenced to wax larger, assuming at the same time the color of iron at a red heat, but without the appearance of any sparks or rays.” It was observed in this condition until 11:30 P.M., growing to half the size of the moon. It then became dimmer, and by midnight it had disappeared. In its stead “a sort of black speck was to be noticed by the light of the other stars.”

  The writer adds: “It remains for the astronomers to describe, and poets to sing, the destruction of the luminary, which, for ought we know, may have been the abode of a race superior to our own.”

  Source: The Russian correspondent of the London Telegraph, quoted in The Banner of Liberty (Middletown, New York), 6 June 1860.

  465.

  17 July 1860, Dharamsala, India: Lights in the heavens

  On the evening of the day when a remarkable meteor had fallen in the area, a man who was observing the sky about 7 P.M. saw a pattern of lights, each lasting for one minute or more, over places where there were no houses or roads:

  “Some were high up in the air moving like fire balloons, but the greater part of them were in the distance in the direction of the lower hills in front of my house, others were closer to the house and between Sir Alexander Lawrence’s and the Barracks. I am sure from some which I observed closely that they were neither fire baloons (sic), lanterns nor bonfires, nor any other thing of that sort, but bona fide lights in the heavens. Though I have made enquiries among the Natives the next day, I have never been able to find out what they were or the cause of their appearance.”

  Source: The Canadian Journal of Industry, Science and Art, Canadian Institute (1849-1914), vol 7 (1862): 197.

  466.

  24 September 1860, Nebraska City, USA Three unexplained objects in apparent formation

  After sunset Mr. Joel Draper and ferryman Mr. Beebout saw a bright object low in the West. “While gazing with amazement at that, which in size, color, brightness and shape resembled one-fourth of the sun taken from its edge, we soon discovered another spot further to the right and a little higher, which was about one-third the size of the first; then another directly above the first, one-third the size of the second. All of these we soon discovered to be moving towards the south, or to the left of their former position, with great rapidity (…) as they moved, they all retained the same relation to each other as when they first appeared.”

  The account goes on: “This took place after sunset, but, by means of the brightness of these bodies, it was as light as some ten or fifteen minutes before sunset. There were no clouds or vapors in the sky in that direction. They could not have been sun dogs or mock suns, for (such phenomena) remain, as long as they continue, in the same relative position to the sun.”

  Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 12 October 1860.

  467.

  10 November 1860, Washington, D.C., USA

  Three unknown objects flying over the Capital

  Just about sunset several witnesses observed an object “the size of a balloon” moving with great rapidity in a south-westerly direction: “Notwithstanding the light of day was still strong and clear, the illumination of the object was brilliant and distinct (…) We heard, while gazing at this wonder, that two similar ones had passed previously. The one we saw, after moving south-westerly, at an angle with the path of the sun, took a course directly west, and straight from us; fading gradually and very rapidly until lost from sight.

  Source: Washington D.C. Herald and Brooklyn Eagle, front page, Friday 16 November, 1860.

  468.

  1861, North Atlantic Ocean: Three luminous bodies

  Three luminous bodies are reported to have come from the North Atlantic Ocean and stayed in view for no less than ten minutes during a squall.

  Source: “A Catalogue of Observations of Luminous Meteors,” Report of the British Association, 1861.

  469.

  4 October 1861, New York, USA

  Mysterious object with occupants

  About 6 P.M. a “mysterious balloon” passed over the city, with two men in it, from west to east at great height. Witnesses speculated that it was either “in the service of the traitors” or that it was “a device built by Professor Lowe, which had parted its fastenings,” both impossible explanations.

  Source: The New York Times, 5 October, 1861.

  470.

  12 August 1863, Madrid, Spain: Maneuvering object

  “The night before last there was observed on the horizon a luminous body that appeared towards the east, and it was promptly thought to be a comet. Its colour was reddish, and on the top part there could be seen an appendix or crown, that was doubtlessly ablaze. It was stationary for a long time; but later it began to move quickly in different directions: horizontally, rising, and lowering.”

  The comet hypothesis is not tenable in this case.

  Source: Gaceta de Madrid, 14 August 1863 (issue 226). Recorded by Franck Marie and Daniel Villain archives. Cited by Charles Garreau in Alerte dans le Ciel, 142.

  471.

  1 November 1864, Florence, Italy: Hovering white globe

  “A white globe of fire many times larger than the full moon seemed hanging almost motionless in the air.” Shades of orange and blue passed over its surface. After a full minute it suddenly disappeared, vanishing on the spot. The witness adds: “Only just before its disappearance a smaller ball was seen immediately below it, of a fiery orange colour, the first one appearing at that moment of the same hue.”

  Source: Madame Baldelli, “Large Fireball,” Astronomical Register 3(1865): 53.

  472.

  4 December 1867, Chatham, England

  A group of black disks

  “On the afternoon of Monday the 4th, between the hours of 3 and 4, I witnessed a very extraordinary sign in the heavens…The facts are as follows: I was passing the Mill by the water-works reservoir. On the gallery I observed the miller uttering exclamations of surprise, and looking earnestly towards the west. On inquiring what took his attention so much, he said: ‘Look, sir, I never saw such a sight in my life!’

  “On turning in the direction towards which he was looking, the west, I also was astounded—numberless black disks in groups and scattered were passing rapidly through the air. He said his attention was directed to it by his little girl, who called to him in the Mill, saying, ‘Look, father, here are a lot of balloons coming!’

  “They continued for more than 20 minutes, the time I stayed. In passing in front of the sun they appeared like large cannon shot. Several groups passed over my head, disappearing suddenly, and leaving puffs of grayish brown vapor very much like smoke.

  “I am, sir, your truly, James E. Beveridge, Darland, Chatham.”

  Source: Letter to the editor of Chatham News and Symonds’ Monthly Meteorological Magazine (Dec. 1867): 8.

  473.

  8 June 1868, Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, England

  Unknown astronomical body

  Astronomers recorded, at 9:50 P.M., a luminous object that moved quickly across the sky, stopped, changed course to the west, then to the south, where it hovered for four minutes before heading north.

  Source: “Remarkable meteor” English Mechanic 7 (July 10, 1868): 351.

  474.

  25 July 1868, Parrammatta, NSW, Australia

  Flying ark, spirit voices, strange formulas, abduction


  The following account, based upon a transcript of a manuscript that has never been located, must be taken with great caution. It purports to tell the story of Mr. Frederick William Birmingham, an engineer and local council alderman, who saw what he described as an “Ark” as he was standing under the verandah of his rented cottage in Duck’s Lane and looked up to the sky:

  “While looking at it (…) I said to myself aloud ‘Well that is a beautiful vessel’, I had no sooner ended the sentence than I was made aware that I was not alone, for, to my right hand and a little to the rear of my frontage a distinct voice said, slowly, ‘That’s a machine to go through the air’– in a little time I replied ‘it appears to me more like a vessel for going upon the water, but, at all events, it’s the loveliest thing I ever saw.’ During this part of the conversation the machine made three courses: the first a level, the second a rapid backward descent, and the third left descent, but with a forward and curved easterly movement.”

  Birmingham’s description goes on:

  “The machine then quite stopped the forward motion and descended some twenty feet or so as gently as a feather on to the grass [and] showed its bottom partially, its side fully, and a half front section or view, its peculiar shapings are well impressed upon my mind and the colour seemed to blend with faint, flitting shades of steel blue, below, and appearing tremulous and like what one might term, magnified scales on a large fish, the latter being as it were flying in the air. The machine has not the shape of anything that has life.”

  This observation led to a classic contact or abduction scenario:

  “Shortly after my declaring it was the loveliest thing I ever saw–the spirit said to me ‘Have you a desire or do you wish to enter upon it?’ I replied Yes, – ‘then come’– said the spirit, thereupon we were lifted off the grass and gently carried through the air and onto the upper part of the machine, which was about 20 yards distant from where we were standing – (the spirit appeared like a neutral tint shade and the shape of man in his usual frock dress). While I stood on the machine the spirit moved to a cylinder pointing and indicating its purposes by downward motion of hand then made sign (that another and similar, was beyond and back of the Pilot house – as I term a part of the machine) which former I could not from my position see – the spirit then went further to the right two steps or so and went down in the machine to his waist returned to me and while passing on one side going to the rear of the machine the spirit – en passant – and making a sign, pointing, said ‘step in’ and I partly turned in the direction indicated to me I saw steps (three, I think) steep ones. I stepped down into the – let me call it – ‘Pilot house’ which had a floor about three and one half feet lower than the first or upper floor it was enclosed at the sides, end and top and only open in front, and nothing was in the Pilot house that I could discern but a table with passage all around it, and this table or bench seemed covered all round its sides and top alike a solid or at all events a thing about five feet long or so, and 3 1/2 broad and 2 1/2 feet high covered like with oil skin or something of that sort, or perhaps iron covered with rubber cloth tightly–the side spaces round it were about 2 feet wide and everything appeared very strong, the sides I noticed (when about ‘stepping in’) were extremely thick, about six inches – and I wondered why they were so strong in a machine to go through the air.