Not all UFO sightings can be explained

09 December 2005 06:15

Most of the Unexplained Flying Objects seen each year turn out to be meteorites - but, of the UFO sightings reported in Norfolk each year, experts say at least 5pc cannot be explained.

Now a series of lectures exploring Life on Earth and Beyond looks set to pit the cynics against the believers as it asks: are there aliens out there and, if so, are they heading our way?

According to Mark Lawrik-Thompson, chairman of Norwich Astronomical Society, who will give the lectures, the respective answers are probably yes followed by probably no.

Up to 100 sightings are reported in the county - dubbed a Bermuda Triangle of paranormal activity - each year. While 95pc can be attributed to human technology or natural events, the remainder baffle astronomers.

Mr Lawrik-Thompson said: "The Earth orbits the sun which, in universal terms, is a pretty ordinary star.

"When you consider there are 100,000 million other stars in our galaxy, millions of galaxies in the universe and that the universe is 13 billion years old, it is more logical to say that there is life out there than there isn't.

"Whether that life is at the same stage of evolution as on Earth, whether it is capable of exploring space and whether we can detect it, all remains to be seen."

He also believes that by understanding the processes and conditions that led to life on Earth, scientists can better understand where else life could exist.

While many dismiss UFO sightings as figments of a creative imagination, Mr Lawrik-Thompson said the figures at least demand closer examination.

"Over the past five to 10 years the number of sightings has grown, possibly because of an increased awareness," he said. "When a sighting is reported we can normally look at the description, look at the time and position at which it was sighted and explain it away.

"But in a significant minority of cases there is no explanation. Is it really that difficult to believe there is life out there?

"These lectures will not be naïve but nor will they be overly cynical. They take an open-minded scientific approach to explore all of the issues."

In his lectures at Seething Observatory, Mr Lawrik-Thompson will explore the possibilities created by new space-piercing telecopes so powerful they can detect an astronaut on the moon wiggling his finger.

Visitors will get a chance to look through the society's telescope to get stunning views of Mars, the Moon and, later in the evening and with weather permitting, Saturn.

Seething Observatory is eight miles south of Norwich on the B1332 Bungay road. Admission is £2 for adults and £1 concessions. The lectures start at 7.30pm today, Saturday and Sunday.

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