In the interview on the Richard and Judy Show, Captain Bowyer stated that the objects he saw were somewhat similar to two of the graphics displayed during the show – see above.

Despite his insistence that the objects were not lenticular clouds it has to be said that they are, at least, very similar to lenticular Clouds.

Lenticular clouds, technically known as altocumulus standing lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction (http://www.crystalinks.com/lenticular.html). The visual characteristsics of these clouds can be very misleading and they are commonly mistaken for UFOs.

The pilot mentioned going through a haze layer indicating that conditions were calm with little air movement, idea for the presence of oval clouds ( possibly lenticular ) which could have been around for a couple of hours. Also, whatever the pilots saw does seem to have been translucent in some way, again indicating a cloud-like object.

Examples of Lenticular Clouds. Notice the similarity with the Russian UFO photo (see above) and the convincing lens-type shape they can adopt. They are often mistaken for craft-like objects.

It is indeed fortunate that the NASA MODIS satellite was over the area the same time envelope as Captain Bowyer’s sightings – especially when we take into account his comment that the objects were visible as Radar tracings for 55minutes.

Captain Bowyers comments that he was 50 miles from the " large object" which means
it must have been of some considerable size (seemingly at least a mile in length if not considerably more), anything of that size would show up on the images and all that is visible is thin cloud and elongated, possibly lenticular cloud.

It is also noticeable that aircraft trails are evident criss-crossing the region – none of these trails are a mile wide so they do give some indication of scale.

It is quite safe to state that the satellite images contain no evidence whatsoever of any solid, extremely large object at altitude in the area – certainly nothing over a mile long and predominantly glowing yellow in colour.

Satellite Image 1 - The resolution of this image is 250 metres resolution.

Satellite Image 2 – Different wavelength and resolution of 500 metres – allowing us to see through the cloud.

For website presentation purposes the images have been reduced to the area of the sightings.

(Please note: MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (EOS AM) and Aqua (EOS PM) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days.)

Courtesy of NASA - Reproduced with permission (Many thanks to "The Bionic Man")
MODIS image - Satellite 1	MODIS image - Satellite 2

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Air Map of the Incident - "Thanks to the Bionic Man" ( Click on image to see in full resolution)

Differences in the various statements makes it difficult to determine the exact positions of the aircraft involved in this incident and the objects reported. The Air Chart graphic is, as far as it is possible based upon the information available, an accurate representation of the position of the aircraft and objects which were described as UFOs.

The Casquets Lighthouse is Visual reporting point (VRP) and is marked on the chart hence Captain Bowyer must be very familiar with it. Interestingly, via Email Trinity house stated:

                 …… there was no testing or maintenance taking place at Casquets at that time. Casquets is a 24 hour light and therefore would have been on during the day.

It is also worthy of note that all the red circles shown on the chart are danger areas and Flamanville is a Nuclear facility.

Bowyer reported being on airway R41 , as shown on the chart but he claims to have been heading South, but in fact he must have been heading SSW within the airway. He must have been flying almost directly into the Sun.

It is interesting to note that Jetstream 32 almost certainly flew over, through or very close to the second object which is the more westerly of the two.

The chart shows a scale in Nautical Miles bottom right. According to Bowyer's description and that of the Jetstream the objects could not have been more than 25 Nautical Miles from Bowyer’s aircraft - not 50 Nautical Miles as he estimates.

 

The Size of the Object

The size of the object described, taking into account the distances mentioned by Captain Bowyer, is also debateable. For instance, an object 1 mile wide at a range of 25 miles subtends an angular size of about one degree and the description given buy the pilot suggests the object he was looking at was much bigger than one degree....and further away. Consequently he may well have been looking at an object at least five miles across This means the object Captain Bowyer was looking at was at least five miles across.

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Conclusions

It is interesting to note that there have been numerous reports by pilots of the sighting of large glowing spheres from all over the world – for instance:

On June 17, 1966 from the air near Teheran, Iran, several airline pilots sighted a brilliant sphere of light, "sitting on the horizon," so to speak, deep within the Soviet Union. The intensely glowing sphere expanded to enormous size, dimming as it expanded, always remaining "sitting on the horizon." The pilots observed the phenomenon for 4 to 5 minutes. A CIA report on the incident was released under the Freedom of Information Act.

On September 10, 1976, the crew and passengers of British European Airway Flight 831, over Lithuania en route from Moscow to London, observed an intensely glowing, stationary ball of light above the clouds underneath the plane. When alerted by the airline pilot, Soviet authorities on the ground curtly informed him to pay no attention and, effectively, to exit the area.

From Afghanistan in September 1979, British war cameraman Nick Downie observed gigantic, expanding spheres of light deep within the Soviet Union, toward the direction of Saryshagan missile test range.

On June 18, 1982, pilots and crews of Japan Air Lines Flights 403 and 421 reported sighting a giant, expanding globe of light in the North Pacific, 700 kilometers east of Kushiro.

Etc…………….       (See: The Berwyn Mountains Incident on this site.)

So perhaps Captain Bowyer’s sighting is not unique, especially when it occurred within close proximity to a military test area. Is it possible that the object he observed was the results of a military test of some description? In fact the UFO photograhed in New Mexico in 1957(see above) which, according to Captain Bowyer, is very similar to the object he observed, was actually flying over the Holloman Test Range – the implications cannot be ignored.

Also, the incident occurred close to areas which have been used for the dumping of nuclear waste. Apparently the Hurd Deep, a seismic rift trench which runs just north of Alderney, contains large amounts of plutonium in concrete drums and other radioactive waste dumped there by the British authorities in an era when less care was taken over these matters.

Who knows what might happen in an area where such dangerous substances lurk on the seabed? Is it unreasonable to suggest that a large glowing gas cloud could be emitted, eventually to be observed in the skies over the area?

The absence of visual evidence of any object on the MODIS Satellite photos does suggest, however, that a brightly-coloured object or craft of immense proportions was not present at the time of the sighting allowing for the 55 minutes tolerance during which Captain Bowyer claims that Radar shows traces of something.

Without the actual Radar tapes that show the alleged “traces” it is impossible to reach any definite conclusions in this matter but it has to be pointed out that the satellite images do show evidence of meteorological conditions that are ideal for the creation of lenticular clouds. Also as shown above, calculations show that the object was quite possibly five miles in length which is not unusual for this phenomenon.

The Casquets Lighthouse does, in fact, continue to emit a beam for twenty four hours a day and taking this into account, surely it is worth considering that the object observed by Captain Bowyer was, in fact, a lenticular cloud formation through which the lighthouse beam passed – creating a highly visible, bright craft-like illusion.

The M.O.D. Documents

The M.O.D. responses to the reported UFO sighting by Captain Bowyer.
ufo sighting channel islands 23 apr 07 (PDF Documant)
ufo sighting channel islands 23 apr 07 enc (PDF Documant)

Acknowledgements

NASA, The M.O.D., Ufology in UK, Channel 4 Television, Trinity House and "The Bionic Man"

Copyright © 1998 - 2007 by G. Richardson All rights reserved.
Revised: 19 Jun 2005 18:08:17 +0100 .

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