UFOs in the daily Press:

"FLYING SAUCERS" ARE NOTHING MORE THAN FIREBALLS PRODUCED BY LIGHTNING

declares the famous German astronomer Hans Haffner

HAMBURG, September 15
(Reuter)

The eminent German astronomer Hans Haffner writes in the weekly "Die Zeit" that flying saucers, if one excludes hallucinations and aerial reflections, are fireballs produced by lightning at high altitude. He claims that his theory fits all reported sightings of flying saucers to date.

"Let's put an end to the flying saucer psychosis," he writes. "Flying saucers are in fact a natural phenomenon that occurs in the layer of air surrounding the Earth."

Mr. Haffner, professor of astronomy at the University of Hamburg and section chief at the Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory, states that all aerial phenomena called "flying saucers" seen so far can be attributed to:

1. Hallucinations, which are more frequent than generally believed.
2. Optical illusions, which can even deceive the camera lens, as the so-called photographs of flying saucers are often reflections observed when taking photos against the light.
3. Confusion with weather balloons.
4. Finally, they could involve unknown flying objects.

All manifestations of this fourth category can be explained by what is known about fireballs produced by lightning. This phenomenon occurs rarely, and there are only two or three known photographs of it. The size, shape, speed, color, brightness, duration, electrical composition, and mode of dissolution of these fireballs are "remarkably similar" to the descriptions of flying saucers, writes Professor Haffner.

The death of an American aviator

Fireballs, which are often flattened in shape [no], and sometimes emit very bright light rays [no], also correspond to the accounts of people claiming to have seen saucers. Similarly, fireballs can change shape and direction in less than a second, just like the famous saucers. The directional changes of fireballs produced by lightning are easily explained by the influence of magnetic fields and by the faster cooling of one side of the ball [no]. Finally, fireballs always disintegrate suddenly, sometimes silently, sometimes with a loud detonation. This could explain [no] the mysterious disappearance of an American fighter captain, Captain T. Mantell, who vanished along with his plane after pursuing a flying saucer. Professor Haffner suggests that Captain Mantell may have collided with an exploding fireball.