Lights
over Phoenix a UFO hoax
Unusual
red lights that hovered over Phoenix on Monday night captured the attention of
Arizonans and reprised an infamous UFO siting in 1997.
Alas,
it turns out it was just a nocturnal prank, according to local media: The
man, who did not want to be identified, said he used fishing line to attach road
flares to helium-filled balloons, then lit the flares and launched them a minute
apart from his back yard. He said he believed turbulence created by a passing
jet caused the balloons to move around. ... “I
feel bad for the people freaking out about this,” Lino Mailo, who watched
his neighbor launch the balloons, told the Arizona Republic. “I could've
put this whole thing to rest.” Here's
how another writer at theArizona Republic (a Gannett cousin of USA TODAY) initially
explained the light show: There
were absolutely four lights. They appeared to hover in the sky. They
looked red or white, and they flickered. They were visible for nearly 15 minutes
on Monday night. The
lights were seen by, among others, a Phoenix police-helicopter pilot, air-traffic
controllers and a reporter. There was even an extended videotape. But
the lights were a mystery. A mystery that generated a lot of interest. ... Here
are photos. Many
residents recalled the "Phoenix Lights" of March 1997. A Village Voice
writer who worked in Phoenix at the time sets everyone straight (mostly the media)
about that night's two events and the official explanation for only one. UFO
Evidence has an archive of articles and documents pertaining to the "Phoenix
Lights." YouTube has a "documentary." Over
at LiveScience, the Bad Science Columnist offers this reminder of the danger of
gullibility: The light show of 2008 shows just how easy it is to fool the
public and create a media stir. All it takes is a few balloons and flares, some
spare time, and a mischievous streak.
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