Latest Reports Of UFO Sightings

[eburacum]

That looks like a fuel dump from a rocket, blurred by the long exposure.
Presumably Chandrayaan 3, on its way to the Moon.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66402526

This is confirmed, by the way. The photographer caught the 3rd stage passivation as it travelled north of Australia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passivation_(spacecraft)

The passivation of a spacecraft is the removal of any internal energy contained in the vehicle at the end of its mission or useful life. Spent upper stages are generally passivated after their use as launch vehicles is complete, as are satellites when they can no longer be used for their design purpose. Internally stored energy generally takes the form of unused propellant and batteries.

Basically, a fuel dump to make the rocket booster safe for re-entry.

 

[eburacum]

Well, there's the Robert Taylor incident of 1979 in Dechmont Woods, Scotland, the strange UFO which landed and left definite marks of something very heavy in the soil.
No signs of this heavy craft coming into the woods, or leaving. Which leaves it flying away, apparently.

Hmm. Steuart Campbell thinks these marks were left by the local water authority laying pipes in a nearby field. Holes in the ground are interesting evidence, but they aren't proof.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

And yet this article states the reverse:

The UFO sighting investigated by the police​

"Det Con Ian Wark, the scene of crime investigator, arrived at the clearing to find a large gathering of police officers were already there.
He told the BBC he saw strange marks on the ground. There were about 32 holes, which were about 3.5 inches in diameter, as well as marks similar to those made by the type of caterpillar tracks often fitted on bulldozers.

The officer went to Mr Taylor's employer, Livingston Development Corporation, to see if the machinery they had could solve the mystery.
"After examining every piece of machinery they had up there, we did not find anything to match," he said.
The police officer said that the unusual marks on the ground were only to be found in the clearing where Mr Taylor had experienced his reported close encounter.
"These marks just arrived," Det Con Wark said. "They did not come from anywhere or go anywhere. They just arrived as though a helicopter or something had landed from the sky."
The police report from the time said the marks on the ground indicated an "object of several tons had stood there but there was nothing to show that it had been driven or towed away".
PC William Douglas wrote: "There appeared to be no rational explanation for these marks."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-50262655

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

It is very interesting that a 'footprint' can be used as firm evidence and proof in a murder case, yet landing marks, 'prints', etc. can be dismissed when it comes to these strange vehicles arriving and leaving our planet.
I'm sure the Apollo 11 craft left some landing marks in 1969 when it arrived on the moon, and that the astronauts left some footprints there.

 

[eburacum]

So there were caterpillar tracks, and newly-laid pipes put down by the water authority, but they suspected aliens instead of heavy plant. Sounds like the water authority explanation is slightly more likely to me.

 

[Sid]

So there were caterpillar tracks, and newly-laid pipes put down by the water authority, but they suspected aliens instead of heavy plant. Sounds like the water authority explanation is slightly more likely to me.

Not so. . . according to the report, (They found "ladder-shaped marks" in the ground where Taylor said he saw the large spherical object and other marks that Taylor said were made by the smaller, mine-like objects.)
It seems the object (the spherical object), formed 'ladder like' marks beneath where it landed, and staggered prod marks where the mine-like object is supposed to have grabbed then dragged him towards the spherical object.

 

[eburacum]

Lots of things can make marks in the ground. I have no idea what 'ladder-shaped marks' or 'prod marks' might look like, and I suspect nobody else does, either. It is a good bet to expect that holes and marks on the ground were made by terrestrial activity, rather than aliens. At Rendlesham it was probably rabbits.

 

[Sid]

Lots of things can make marks in the ground. I have no idea what 'ladder-shaped marks' or 'prod marks' might look like, and I suspect nobody else does, either. It is a good bet to expect that holes and marks on the ground were made by terrestrial activity, rather than aliens. At Rendlesham it was probably rabbits.

From memory of the remake account of his experiences, this is what the marks left behind were supposed to have looked like after the ground areas had been examined later:

 

[eburacum]

I'm not sure how a spherical object is supposed to make 'ladder marks'. In any case, these 'ladder marks' were also described as caterpillar tracks, which suggests a human-made vehicle was responsible. Possibly the water company's vehicle that was employed in laying the nearby water pipes.

Certainly this is an interesting case, however - no explanation has ever been put forward for Taylor's torn trousers or the corn starch found on them - although corn starch really doesn't sound very alien either.

 

[eburacum]

Here's a diagram of the holes and the 'caterpillar tracks'. The holes were described as four inches deep and four wide, too large to be made by the sea-mine-shaped robots, which were relatively small gadgets. I suspect it was a bulldozer with a digging attachment, perhaps for laying pipes or pile-driving. Note how the holes radiate from the location of the tracks.

The most curious thing about the case, to me, is that when Taylor tried to find the location where he was assaulted by animated sea-mines, he found a place where the ground was strangely disturbed. Was this a coincidence, or had he noticed it beforehand? Or was he really attacked by robots covered in corn starch?

 

[Sid]

Here's a diagram of the holes and the 'caterpillar tracks'. The holes were described as four inches deep and four wide, too large to be made by the sea-mine-shaped robots, which were relatively small gadgets. I suspect it was a bulldozer with a digging attachment, perhaps for laying pipes or pile-driving. Note how the holes radiate from the location of the tracks.

The most curious thing about the case, to me, is that when Taylor tried to find the location where he was assaulted by animated sea-mines, he found a place where the ground was strangely disturbed. Was this a coincidence, or had he noticed it beforehand? Or was he really attacked by robots covered in corn starch?

Maybe Mr Taylor had accidentally dropped some cornflour (may have been making up gravy) onto his trousers previous to his encounter, and didn't happen to bring it to mind as a reason for the 'corn-starch' being on his garment?
('Brown & Polson' were only thirty miles away in Glasgow!)

 

[Paul_Exeter]

And yet this article states the reverse:

The UFO sighting investigated by the police​

"Det Con Ian Wark, the scene of crime investigator, arrived at the clearing to find a large gathering of police officers were already there.
He told the BBC he saw strange marks on the ground. There were about 32 holes, which were about 3.5 inches in diameter, as well as marks similar to those made by the type of caterpillar tracks often fitted on bulldozers.

The officer went to Mr Taylor's employer, Livingston Development Corporation, to see if the machinery they had could solve the mystery.
"After examining every piece of machinery they had up there, we did not find anything to match," he said.
The police officer said that the unusual marks on the ground were only to be found in the clearing where Mr Taylor had experienced his reported close encounter.
"These marks just arrived," Det Con Wark said. "They did not come from anywhere or go anywhere. They just arrived as though a helicopter or something had landed from the sky."
The police report from the time said the marks on the ground indicated an "object of several tons had stood there but there was nothing to show that it had been driven or towed away".
PC William Douglas wrote: "There appeared to be no rational explanation for these marks."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-50262655

This is the best source for this case;

The Dechmont Woods UFO Incident (An Ordinary Day, An Extraordinary Event)​

"One of the most incredible close encounter cases ever to have occurred in Scotland occurred on November 9th, 1979 when forestry worker Robert (Bob) Taylor encountered a hovering dome shaped object above a clearing in Dechmont Woods near Livingston, Central Scotland. He was then ‘attacked’ by two spherical objects with spikes that rushed out from beneath this object and pulled him towards the larger object.
This case stands head and shoulders above any other Scottish UFO case and has the prestigious hallmark of being the only case officially investigated by the police and forensic science laboratories in Great Britain. UFO researcher Malcolm Robinson was one of the investigators on this astonishing case and in this blockbusting book he provides all the facts and figures. The Dechmont Woods Incident stands the test of time as being one of the biggest UFO cases in the annals of British UFOlogy. A must read."

https://amzn.eu/d/egKxGG6

Scottish Ufologist Malcolm Robinson researched this case in person and it is an excellent and inexpensive read.

 

[Erinaceus]

Cornstarch used to be used on rubber gloves to stop them sticking together and make them easier to put on. I hope the cornstarch on the trousers didn't come from the gloves worn by the forensics people.

 

[Sid]

Cornstarch used to be used on rubber gloves to stop them sticking together and make them easier to put on. I hope the cornstarch on the trousers didn't come from the gloves worn by the forensics people.

Good point - but you would have thought that they would have worked that one out for themselves, wouldn't you!

 

[catseye]

Maybe Mr Taylor had accidentally dropped some cornflour (may have been making up gravy) onto his trousers previous to his encounter, and didn't happen to bring it to mind as a reason for the 'corn-starch' being on his garment?
('Brown & Polson' were only thirty miles away in Glasgow!)

Corn starch used to be used instead of baby powder to be dusted on, say, sore feet. As both Mr Taylor and his wife were well past child bearing age, I would guess there was no baby powder in the house and it had been used by either Mr or Mrs Taylor for some personal hygiene reason that they may well have forgotten about by the time the testing had been completed and the results released.

 

[eburacum]

Absolutely. Plenty of mundane reasons for traces of cornstarch.

 

[Ronnie Jersey]

This is the best source for this case;

The Dechmont Woods UFO Incident (An Ordinary Day, An Extraordinary Event)​

"One of the most incredible close encounter cases ever to have occurred in Scotland occurred on November 9th, 1979 when forestry worker Robert (Bob) Taylor encountered a hovering dome shaped object above a clearing in Dechmont Woods near Livingston, Central Scotland. He was then ‘attacked’ by two spherical objects with spikes that rushed out from beneath this object and pulled him towards the larger object.
This case stands head and shoulders above any other Scottish UFO case and has the prestigious hallmark of being the only case officially investigated by the police and forensic science laboratories in Great Britain. UFO researcher Malcolm Robinson was one of the investigators on this astonishing case and in this blockbusting book he provides all the facts and figures. The Dechmont Woods Incident stands the test of time as being one of the biggest UFO cases in the annals of British UFOlogy. A must read."

https://amzn.eu/d/egKxGG6

Scottish Ufologist Malcolm Robinson researched this case in person and it is an excellent and inexpensive read.

I just tried to order this book from our local library, not available.
I will have to order it on ebay, does it thoroughly investigate the case, and does it mention the puzzling landing marks left on the ground, and the lack of incoming / outgoing tracks?

 

[eburacum]

...forestry worker Robert (Bob) Taylor encountered a hovering dome shaped object above a clearing in Dechmont Woods near Livingston, Central Scotland. He was then ‘attacked’ by two spherical objects with spikes that rushed out from beneath this object and pulled him towards the larger object.

The mention of a 'dome-shaped object' reminds me of this image, which shows a nearby domed water storage tank surrounded by spiked railings.

If Taylor had some sort of neurological breakdown that impelled him to attempt to climb this fence towards the 'domed object', then he very well may have torn his trousers on these wide, sharp fence-posts.

Here is a sketch of the object as Taylor remembers it.

I'm not sure, but the water storage tank does resemble this sketch in a very vague way.
Admittedly this water tank is on the other side of the M8 motorway, but it is relatively nearby.

 

[eburacum]

Another skeptical analysis here; suggesting he may have been ingesting poisonous berries.
http://anomalousculture.blogspot.com/2010/05/spaceships-spheres-and-devils-herb.html

I'd suggest a mini-stroke myself, especially since he temporarily lost the power of speech; but a medical examination should have detected this.

---------
Also from that page;

Could the trace evidence recorded by the police have been augmented by the transportation and unloading of materials and ensuing work in erecting a perimeter fence? The diagrams, close-up photos of the holes and measurements taken by the police were all made after the forestry labourers had installed the fence. The site was therefore effectively contaminated and altered prior to it being properly analysed. Erecting of the fence would have involved ingress of a vehicle to transport the fence posts and wire mesh bails and the use of tools such as a sledge hammer to drive the posts into the ground. Indeed, the close-up photo of one of the holes showing the size, penetration angle and flattening of the grass is consistent with a sledge hammer strike.

The site was compromised, it seems. Oh dear; now we'll never know.

 

[eburacum]

I'd suggest a mini-stroke myself, especially since he temporarily lost the power of speech; but a medical examination should have detected this.

Yet another possibility is that Taylor was poisoned deliberately, perhaps by someone who spiked his drink or food. Lysergic acid could produce this sort of hallucination, and so could a range of other psychoactive drugs.

One particularly nasty possibility is a nerve agent, such as BZ, which can cause hallucinations. On very rare occasions terrorists and fanatics have managed to get hold of nerve agents and used them against civilians, although usually these chemical are used by state agents as terror weapons.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

The mention of a 'dome-shaped object' reminds me of this image, which shows a nearby domed water storage tank surrounded by spiked railings.
View attachment 68495
If Taylor had some sort of neurological breakdown that impelled him to attempt to climb this fence towards the 'domed object', then he very well may have torn his trousers on these wide, sharp fence-posts.

Here is a sketch of the object as Taylor remembers it.

I'm not sure, but the water storage tank does resemble this sketch in a very vague way.
Admittedly this water tank is on the other side of the M8 motorway, but it is relatively nearby.

Was that nearby to the UFO encounter site or nearby to yourself? It is certainly similar.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

I just tried to order this book from our local library, not available.
I will have to order it on ebay, does it thoroughly investigate the case, and does it mention the puzzling landing marks left on the ground, and the lack of incoming / outgoing tracks?

£1.99 on Kindle in the UK or $2.99 in the US, trust me it is worth this small outlay. Otherwise he also covered this case in his earlier 'UFO Case Files of Scotland Vol. 2' which may be available from your library and in which he refers to this case as the 'Livingston' incident. He got to know Robert Taylor very well as both a person and a witness. In fact Robinson is now in possession of Taylor's ripped work trousers from that day...!

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Yet another possibility is that Taylor was poisoned deliberately, perhaps by someone who spiked his drink or food. Lysergic acid could produce this sort of hallucination, and so could a range of other psychoactive drugs.

One particularly nasty possibility is a nerve agent, such as BZ, which can cause hallucinations. On very rare occasions terrorists and fanatics have managed to get hold of nerve agents and used them against civilians, although usually these chemical are used by state agents as terror weapons.

I find this unlikely given he was not a political figure or such like and my understanding is that he went straight to work from home that day (although I will double-check this). Also no apparent issues in his home life and appears to have had a stable marriage.

The case is very much like that of Alan Godfrey (Todmorden policeman) and in fact only a year apart. Both seem to have entered an altered state of consciousness after initially seeing an 'alien' craft they could not identify or explain rationally, and yet in both cases there were objects nearby* and/or they were familiar with that might explain how they thought they saw what they saw. Both objects left traces: Taylor's left those tracks and Godfrey's left a dry circular patch on the road surface.

Incidentally, skeptics have argued that Taylor's UFO should have been visible from the nearby busy motorway during take off and landing, yet Taylor's testimony clearly states the object was seemingly attempting to 'cloak' itself and not all of it was visible at any one time. It is not a great stretch therefore to conclude it might not take off and land as a Harrier jump jet would .Sometimes skeptics seem to ignore the evidence in coming up with their solutions.

*assuming that water storage tank was nearby, thinking of it I may have read this suggestion somewhere

 

[Bigphoot2]

There was a story about it in the Daily Record from November 2013

UFO investigator claims he has answer to one of Scotland's greatest unexplained alien encounter mysteries
PHILL FENTON, from Livingston, reckons the alleged UFO spotted by Bob Taylor in 1979 was actually a nearby saucer-shaped water tower.

Bookmark
NEWS
ByBrian McIver
08:39, 22 NOV 2013UPDATED08:40, 22 NOV 2013

E
A UFO investigator believes he may have solved one of Scotland’s great unexplained mysteries.

Forestry worker Bob Taylor reported an incident 34 years ago involving an alleged alien craft and two “robot” attackers.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ufo-investigator-claims-answer-one-2837456

 

[Bigphoot2]

A quick look on Google Maps found this circular object at the top of the image on the north side of the M8 which could be the tank in question or they've landed again.

 

[eburacum]

A quick look on Google Maps found this circular object at the top of the image on the north side of the M8 which could be the tank in question or they've landed again.

Yes, that's the one. To get there Taylor would need to cross the M8. There's a footpath there. Also there's a footbridge and a tunnel to the other side of the motorway, but the water tank is about a kilometre's walk away from the alleged sighting location.

Or maybe he was on that side all along. Depends how ill he was.

 

[eburacum]

The case is very much like that of Alan Godfrey (Todmorden policeman) and in fact only a year apart.

Jenny Randles has investigated this case in great detail, without coming to a conclusion. I'm more inclined to accept that Godfrey was in an altered state due to night work; night work can do that to you. (I once saw an 'alien' in my bedroom, thanks to disturbed sleep and semi-lucid dreaming, recounted elsewhere on this forum).

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Here is the man himself:

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Jenny Randles has investigated this case in great detail, without coming to a conclusion. I'm more inclined to accept that Godfrey was in an altered state due to night work; night work can do that to you. (I once saw an 'alien' in my bedroom, thanks to disturbed sleep and semi-lucid dreaming, recounted elsewhere on this forum).

Probably her final foray into UFOs after an accomplished career as one of the more respectable Ufologists:

WHO OR WHAT WERE THEY? by Alan Godfrey

A book 37 years in the making

Only now is it possible for Alan Godfrey to reveal what happened before, during and after

his close encounter in Todmorden, whilst driving a police patrol car on duty.

Someone wanted to stop you reading these facts.

But now you can.

With the help of professional UFO researcher, Jenny Randles, one of the original team to

investigate this case in 1981, the extensive notes and evidence that Alan studiously recorded

over the years has been turned into an explosive book.


More here:

http://www.ozfactorbooks.com/author-q--a.html

 

[eburacum]

One curious aspect of the sighting is that Malcolm Drummond 'and a group of forestry workers' set off to find the location of the sighting, and found it quite easily. Despite not having Taylor with him at the time. Perhaps they found an area of 'disturbed ground' that vaguely fitted the bill, and Taylor simply agreed with them. It wouldn't take much for Taylor to have walked to the other side of the motorway from where he was parked.