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http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090402/sc_livescience/ufohoaxwasasocialexperiment
Did you fall for the social experiment?
Zz.
Did you fall for the social experiment?
Zz.
Last edited by a moderator:
In a posting at Skeptic.com, the pair said the hoax was a "social experiment on how to create your own media event surrounding UFO sightings...to show everyone how unreliable eyewitness accounts are, along with investigators of UFOs."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS07/703010425/1001/NEWS... The lights were flares, said the Air National Guard, dropped during nighttime exercises at the Barry M. Goldwater Range.
That's what they were, insists Lt. Col. Ed Jones, who piloted one of the four A10s in the squadron that he says launched the flares.
Jones, in his first interview with the news media concerning the night 10 years ago, says he can't believe a decision to eject a few leftover flares turned into a UFO furor that continues to this day.
[continued]
The deliberately hoaxed Phoenix lights he refers to appeared in 2008. This is not the same incident as the National Guard Flare release of 1997:Ivan Seeking said:No, but it seems that the linked skeptic isn't universally skeptical. The National Guard has claimed credit for the Phoenix Lights that he attitributes to a hoaxer.
I examined the case the next day, noting striking parallels between this sighting and the infamous 2008 Phoenix Lights hoax in which flares were tied to balloons. I provided a detailed, point-by-point analysis showing that the New Jersey lights were almost certainly a copycat hoax.
Thus the mysterious Phoenix Lights of 2008 are explained. Any object seen in the sky, especially at night, can be very difficult to identify, and it's no wonder that the lights puzzled many people...
The link says "page not found". This guy's claim that they dropped flares from the air are not consistant with the reports in the link to the article that the skeptic linked to.Ivan Seeking said:No, but it seems that the linked skeptic isn't universally skeptical. The National Guard has claimed credit for the Phoenix Lights that he attitributes to a hoaxer.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS07/703010425/1001/NEWS
So it would seem that the hoaxer hoaxed the skeptic.
I can not imagine how flares dropped to the ground would be able to go back up into the air and float for ~ 20 minutes.1) The formation of the lights is consistent with independently moving objects, not fixed lights on an aircraft. They rose into the air together, stayed in more or less the same formation while in the same air currents, then drifted apart as they gained altitude. Also, the mysterious lights drifted toward the east—the same direction as the wind.
3) The way the lights disappeared also supports the hoax theory. They did not zoom away at high speed, as one might expect from an aircraft. Nor did they all suddenly and mysteriously disappear. Instead, eyewitnesses reported that the lights were visible for between 15 and 30 minutes, until they went out one by one. This is exactly the pattern we would expect to see from flares that were lit (and launched) in sequence: they would go up, remain lit for about 20 minutes, then first flare would extinguish. A minute or two later the second would burn out, and so on.
4) One of the hoaxer's neighbors, a Mr. Mailo, actually saw the hoaxer launch the helium balloons and flares. Mailo said the flares were lit about 8 p.m., just before the UFO lights were first sighted.
zoobyshoe said:The deliberately hoaxed Phoenix lights he refers to appeared in 2008. This is not the same incident as the National Guard Flare release of 1997:
There have been several pieces of evidence presented to support the claim that the "UFO Hoax" was revealed. These include eyewitness testimonies, photographs and videos, and scientific analysis of the supposed UFO sightings. Additionally, the individuals responsible for perpetrating the hoax have come forward and provided details about how they orchestrated the event.
While the initial sightings may have seemed convincing, further investigation and analysis of the evidence revealed inconsistencies and discrepancies that pointed to a hoax. Additionally, the individuals responsible for the hoax have provided concrete evidence and explanations for how they created the UFO sightings, further solidifying the fact that it was not a legitimate extraterrestrial encounter.
The individuals responsible for the "UFO Hoax" have stated that their main motivation was to garner attention and publicity. They wanted to create a buzz and generate interest in the subject of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Additionally, they may have had financial gain in mind, as the hoax drew in a lot of media attention and could potentially lead to book or movie deals.
The scientific community has largely dismissed the "UFO Hoax" as a legitimate extraterrestrial encounter. They have pointed to the lack of substantial evidence and the inconsistencies in the eyewitness testimonies and physical evidence. Some scientists have also criticized the individuals responsible for perpetrating the hoax for spreading false information and wasting valuable time and resources.
While the "UFO Hoax" may have caused a temporary stir and generated some interest in the subject, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the study of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. The scientific community will continue to approach the subject with skepticism and rely on verifiable evidence and rigorous analysis. However, the revelation of this hoax may serve as a cautionary tale for future UFO sightings and investigations.