Mysterious Spiral of Light in Sky Over Norway
From SpaceWeather.com -- by Dr. Tony Phillips.
STRANGE LIGHTS OVER NORWAY: Wednesday morning, Dec. 9th, people in arctic Norway were stunned when a gigantic luminous spiral formed in the northern sky. "We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Norway, but this was different," says Nick Banbury of Harstad who witnessed the phenomenon on his way to work "between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. local time."
The first reaction of many readers when they see this picture is Photoshop! Surely this must be a fake. But no, many independent observers witnessed and phtotographed the apparition. It is real.
Banbury continues: "It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in color to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end. This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to Earth. According to press reports, this could be seen all over northern Norway and must therefore have been very high up in the atmosphere to be seen hundreds of km apart."
HYPOTHESIS: Evidence is mounting that the phenomenon was caused by a malfunctioning suborbital rocket, possibly a Bulava ICBM launched from a Russian submarine in the White Sea. A Navtex no-fly alert was issued for the White Sea on Dec. 9th, and photographers have recorded what appears to be the initial boost phase of a launch beneath the spiral . A rocket motor spinning out of control could indeed explain the spiral pattern.
CONFIRMED: The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the launch and subsequent failure of a submarine-based missile: BBC Report.
Russian missile test launch fails
A Russian test launch of an intercontinental missile has failed, resulting in a white light seen over parts of Norway.
The submarine-based Bulava ballistic missile failed when launched from the White Sea, the Defence Ministry's press office told Itar-Tass news agency.
Russian newspapers had earlier reported the failure. At least six of 13 previous tests also ended in failure.
The Bulava can carry six individually targeted nuclear warheads.
It is designed to have a range of 10,000km (6,200 miles), but its repeated failures have caused embarrassment for Russia which hoped it would support its nuclear deterrent.
Spiral light
Russian media reported that on Wednesday's test the third stage engine failed.
It was fired from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea, the usual site for such missile tests by Russian submarines.
In Norway, a white spiral light was reported over the city of Tromso at the same time, with many people wondering if it was a UFO sighting or meteor.
In one of the recent tests a Bulava self-destructed after a malfunction during the first stage of its flight from the White Sea, Reuters news agency reported.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8405481.stm
Published: 2009/12/10 11:26:49 GMT
STRANGE LIGHTS OVER NORWAY: Wednesday morning, Dec. 9th, people in arctic Norway were stunned when a gigantic luminous spiral formed in the northern sky. "We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Norway, but this was different," says Nick Banbury of Harstad who witnessed the phenomenon on his way to work "between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. local time."
The first reaction of many readers when they see this picture is Photoshop! Surely this must be a fake. But no, many independent observers witnessed and phtotographed the apparition. It is real.
Banbury continues: "It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in color to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end. This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to Earth. According to press reports, this could be seen all over northern Norway and must therefore have been very high up in the atmosphere to be seen hundreds of km apart."
HYPOTHESIS: Evidence is mounting that the phenomenon was caused by a malfunctioning suborbital rocket, possibly a Bulava ICBM launched from a Russian submarine in the White Sea. A Navtex no-fly alert was issued for the White Sea on Dec. 9th, and photographers have recorded what appears to be the initial boost phase of a launch beneath the spiral . A rocket motor spinning out of control could indeed explain the spiral pattern.
CONFIRMED: The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the launch and subsequent failure of a submarine-based missile: BBC Report.
Russian missile test launch fails
A Russian test launch of an intercontinental missile has failed, resulting in a white light seen over parts of Norway.
The submarine-based Bulava ballistic missile failed when launched from the White Sea, the Defence Ministry's press office told Itar-Tass news agency.
Russian newspapers had earlier reported the failure. At least six of 13 previous tests also ended in failure.
The Bulava can carry six individually targeted nuclear warheads.
It is designed to have a range of 10,000km (6,200 miles), but its repeated failures have caused embarrassment for Russia which hoped it would support its nuclear deterrent.
Spiral light
Russian media reported that on Wednesday's test the third stage engine failed.
It was fired from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea, the usual site for such missile tests by Russian submarines.
In Norway, a white spiral light was reported over the city of Tromso at the same time, with many people wondering if it was a UFO sighting or meteor.
In one of the recent tests a Bulava self-destructed after a malfunction during the first stage of its flight from the White Sea, Reuters news agency reported.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8405481.stm
Published: 2009/12/10 11:26:49 GMT
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