Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 80: Mar-Apr 1992 Issue Contents

Other pages Home Page Science Frontiers Online All Issues This Issue Sourcebook Project Sourcebook Subjects

Unidentified Light

Strange optical phenomenon seen off the coast of Trinidad in 1991.

January 13, 1991. Caribbean Sea. Aboard the m.v. Trinidad and Tobago.

"At 0210 UTC whilst the ship was proceeding eastwards along the north coast of Trinidad, a relatively bright patch was noticed in the almost cloudless sky and was thought to be a cluster of stars. Its bearing was approximately 300� at an elevation of about 50�, and closer inspection through binoculars revealed a rather strange phenomenon, as shown in the sketch.

"The bright patch was a perfect circle of a bright, light-blue colour and was transparent as stars could be seen through it. There was also a trail from the circle which looked like the track a disc would describe if it moved through an arc. This trail was also of light-blue colouration but was not nearly so bright as the circle. The entire phenomenon dissipated after about five minutes."

(Knight, M.; "Unidentified Light," Marine Observer, 62:22, 1992.)

From Science Frontiers #80, MAR-APR 1992. � 1992-2000 William R. Corliss

---