The policemen observed Venus as a cross, rather than a star-like point- an observation that is consistent with my own attempts to see the crescent, and with the Portage 'ice cream cone'.In this case it wasn’t difficult for him (and others, including the science correspondent of the Daily Mirror, Arthur Smith –...) to recognize that the ‘flying cross’ was a classic sighting of Venus, which was particularly bright in the dawn sky at the time.
There are very many problems indeed with trying to identify the object as Venus when one listens to the characteristics and maneuvers described in the interview. You can really hear the trauma in Spaur's voice too, sometimes. My hat is off to skeptics trying to explain these things conventionally, they certainly do their research --and then some, and that is as valuable to us as legit sightings.I grew up in NE Ohio and actually remember, as a kid, this story hitting all the local newspapers. The thing I do not remember is that there were any photos taken of the object. There surely were none in the contemporary accounts - perhaps the image surfaced only much later. I do see that the pic was supposedly taken by another law enforcement officer who was 20 miles away from Spaur and Neff's position, and it is only assumed that it depicts the same object. That hardly makes sense if, in fact, the object was as low and as close as the pursuing officers seemed to think.
That being said, I find it hard to believe that these guys could have mistaken Venus for the object they followed. Anyone who's seen Venus couldn't be fooled for very long. How could a couple of experienced policemen (used to working the night shift) chase it all the way to the Pennsylvania border? It just seems unlikely.
I actually ran into Officer Neff at a local UFO group meeting in 1973 or 74. He seemed calm and intelligent (and his life didn't unravel like Spaur's). He certainly did not seem the type to misidentify a planet.
But there are many more problems associated with the idea of police cars chasing an aerial object across 86 miles. This object was moving at the same speed as the police cars and yet appeared largely stationary when they got out of their vehicles. The best fit is something far away that maintains a constant angle to the observers. Something like a celestial object.There are very many problems indeed with trying to identify the object as Venus when one listens to the characteristics and maneuvers described in the interview.
Jupiter is particularly prominent at the moment in the evening sky, and Venus is just starting to become visible in the dusk, near the Moon. I'm quite impressed that someone at the station was knowledgable enough to identify Jupiter in the recent incident. Most people haven't a clue.the officer was leaving her station late Tuesday when she noticed that a bright light in the sky appeared to be “following her.” The officer jumped on the freeway but “couldn’t lose it” and called a police complaints line, saying she feared she was being “pursued” by a “drone.”
The officer was told to return to her station where she would be met by a senior officer, the report said. She was found standing in the parking lot with her hood up trying to hide from the “drone,” according to the Daily Record. That’s when she learned the bright dot was actually Jupiter, which is often visible on a clear night.
This hoax balloon may explain the initial sighting, but it doesn't explain the 86 mile chase. I still favour Venus for that.
Another recent example of a a police chase has been mentioned in another thread;
https://www.police1.com/police-humo...rns-it-was-actually-jupiter-VLQEjqJVTem7Tln9/
Jupiter is particularly prominent at the moment in the evening sky, and Venus is just starting to become visible in the dusk, near the Moon. I'm quite impressed that someone at the station was knowledgable enough to identify Jupiter in the recent incident. Most people haven't a clue.