Flashback: Lubbock Lights.

I started to rifle through some of my old UFO / Alien books I accumulated back when I was a kid and a teen, most of them are full of stories and photos that actually have been since discredited, but some stories in there caught my eye and I remember reading up on them in some of my more 'mature' books I have gotten since my teenage days.

The story of the Lubbock lights is rather simple, a classic "CE1" encounter, and was even part of the project blue book.
The situation is simple, a flying 'V' formation of lights of about 18 or so them had been witnessed by civilians in the northern area of Lubbock Texas, started on the 25th of August 1951 and was finally photographed on the 31st of the same month and year by Carl Hart Jr.

Here is a quick video and run down of what happened:



But what the video does not explain is the reason to why project blue book investigators dismissed them as simply birds in migration during that time. Many eye witnesses saw them during the evenings between that time, and it did seem to fit the bill of the type of bird that was suggested for the migration path a bird known as a Plover.
But upon investigating and gathering information eye witness accounts and expert opinions were conflicting one another stories. While the eye witness accounts all seemed to explain the exact same thing without collaboration, the investigators attempted to put a logical explanation to it.

In the end investigators put it this way:

In late September 1951, Lieutenant Ruppelt read about the Lubbock Lights and decided to investigate them.[8] Project Blue Book, founded in 1948 as Project Sign, was the Air Force's official research group assigned to investigate UFO reports. Ruppelt traveled to Lubbock and interviewed the professors, Carl Hart, and others who claimed to have witnessed the lights. Ruppelt's conclusion at the time was that the professors had seen a type of bird called a plover.[9] The city of Lubbock had installed new vapor street lights in 1951, and Ruppelt believed that the plovers, flying over Lubbock in their annual migration, were reflecting the new street lights at night. Witnesses who supported this assertion were T.E. Snider, a local farmer who on August 31, 1951 had observed some birds flying over a drive-in movie theater; the birds' undersides were reflected in the light.[10] Another witness, Joe Bryant, had been sitting outside his home with his wife on August 25 - the same night on which the three professors had first seen the lights. According to Bryant, he and his wife had seen a group of lights fly overhead, and then two other flights. Like the professors, they were at first baffled by the objects, but when the third group of lights passed overhead they began to circle the Bryants' home. Mr. Bryant and his wife then noticed that the lights were actually plovers, and could hear them as well.[11] In addition, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer and one of Project Blue Book's scientific consultants, contacted one of the Texas Tech professors in 1959 and learned that the professor, after careful research, had concluded that he had actually been observing the plovers

But what gets me is there has not really been a story like this ever since. It seems to have an easy explanation, but in reality, does it really?

Here is a quote that best explains it:

They weren't birds, they weren't refracted light, but they weren't spaceships. The lights... have been positively identified as a very commonplace and easily explainable natural phenomenon. It is very unfortunate that I can't divulge... the way the answer was found.... Telling the story would lead to [the identity of the scientist who "finally hit upon the answer"] and... I promised the man complete anonymity.

Edward Ruppelt wrote in his book "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects".

When he wrote that passage it was after the fact of the investigation, he had seemingly no idea what to make of the case.

originally posted by: strongfp

Here is a quote that best explains it:

They weren't birds, they weren't refracted light, but they weren't spaceships. The lights... have been positively identified as a very commonplace and easily explainable natural phenomenon. It is very unfortunate that I can't divulge... the way the answer was found.... Telling the story would lead to [the identity of the scientist who "finally hit upon the answer"] and... I promised the man complete anonymity.

Edward Ruppelt wrote in his book "The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects".

When he wrote that passage it was after the fact of the investigation, he had seemingly no idea what to make of the case.

I always thought the Lubbock Lights were of interest too mostly because of the professors observations in addition to the photos. Of course birds weren't out of the question but the keen testimony suggested otherwise. Been a long time since I've revisited it though.

What I can't wrap my mind around is WHAT "very commonplace and easily explainable natural phenomenon?" You have any ideas on that? Also Im not sure why he couldn't name the phenomena and leave out the part about how it was discovered.

a reply to: The GUT

I tried to find the actual book that Ruppelt wrote, but best I could do was an 'Audio book'.



I am leaning towards some sort of military air craft. You have to remember project blue book was probably hounded and closely monitored by air force at the time.
Then again, almost all eye witness accounts reported NO sound at all. Either they had some crazy technology back then or, well, who knows!

a reply to: strongfp

It's a fascinating statement. Ruppelt might have said "natural phenomena" to provide cover for some secret high tech. Karl 12 might have some more info on this. I'm going to dig around a bit and see if I can find any commentary on what he was inferring.

a reply to: strongfp

Very cool thread. I went ahead and just looked up some info on the plovers themselves because, personally, I don't see how any flock of birds could possibly reflect something that looks like the lights the kid took. Especially given the quality of pictures back then, how could it look that bright?

Anyways,

Piping plovers migrate through the Great Lakes along the river systems through the Bahamas and West Indies. They are currently found along the Atlantic Coast from Canada to North Carolina and along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan and Superior. Gulf Coast beaches from Florida to Mexico, and Atlantic coast beaches from Florida to North Carolina provide winter homes for plovers.

Given that info, because I'm not good at really pinpointing geographic issues or whatever, if plovers migrate to the lower Laguna Madre on the Texas coast from the quote ares above, is there any reason they'd be seen in Lubbock?

Tx Parks and Wildlife

Texas over the past decades has had some most interesting sightings. In addition to the famous Lubbock lights there was of course the Stevenville sightings, and then there is the Marfa lights too.

From what I recall Ruppelt cleared up the mystery in his second edition of the book.

The world famous Lubbock Lights were night flying moths reflecting the bluish-green light of a nearby row of mercury vapor street lights.

Source : The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects (Second Edition) By Edward Ruppelt

a reply to: mirageman

Moths flying that high and that fast? I believe the plover theory more than that.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: The GUT

I tried to find the actual book that Ruppelt wrote, but best I could do was an 'Audio book'.

There's a free EBook copy of it here mate and thanks for linking the audio version - hadn't seen that one.

Made a thread about Lubbock lights many moons ago and there's some great posts from Internos on there including document and pics.


test.abovetopsecret.com...

Cheers.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: mirageman

Moths flying that high and that fast? I believe the plover theory more than that.

I'm only ckearing up what Ruppelt himself said about the 'natural phenomenon'.

IsaacKoi's thread www.abovetopsecret.com...

provides some disputed details on Ruppelt's explanation.

originally posted by: PageLC14
a reply to: strongfp

Very cool thread. I went ahead and just looked up some info on the plovers themselves because, personally, I don't see how any flock of birds could possibly reflect something that looks like the lights the kid took. Especially given the quality of pictures back then, how could it look that bright?

Anyways,

Piping plovers migrate through the Great Lakes along the river systems through the Bahamas and West Indies. They are currently found along the Atlantic Coast from Canada to North Carolina and along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan and Superior. Gulf Coast beaches from Florida to Mexico, and Atlantic coast beaches from Florida to North Carolina provide winter homes for plovers.

Given that info, because I'm not good at really pinpointing geographic issues or whatever, if plovers migrate to the lower Laguna Madre on the Texas coast from the quote ares above, is there any reason they'd be seen in Lubbock?

Tx Parks and Wildlife

Not really. This is a classic case of explaining away something that should be given more thought. Plovers? LOL. The people putting out these explanations are counting on the public's inattention and lack of ability to question every aspect of cases like this. And they're right -- most people will accept BS if it comes from an authoritative source. In this case, they expect us to believe plovers were seen with light reflected off of their bodies when this happened but we never hear of this happening the next year or any subsequent year. And we've never had anyone film these plovers lighting up the night sky. We're just expected to buy the crap they're selling.

originally posted by: strongfp
But what gets me is there has not really been a story like this ever since.

Hudson Valley sightings in 1983?

a reply to: Visiting ESB

This is a classic case of explaining away something that should be given more thought. Plovers? LOL. The people putting out these explanations are counting on the public's inattention

Well it was given more thought. It was not plovers...The head of Project Bluebook Ed Ruppelt said in his book (first edition)

They weren't birds, they weren't refracted light, but they weren't spaceships. The lights... have been positively identified as a very commonplace and easily explainable natural phenomenon.

See: Opening Post

Then in his second edition clarified

The world famous Lubbock Lights were night flying moths reflecting the bluish-green light of a nearby row of mercury vapor street lights.

See : Seventh Post in thread

Now what were you saying about inattention?

It was moths.

originally posted by: mirageman

It was moths.

Have to say I was always a bit dubious of the bluish green night flying moth explanation MM - don't know the real reason why Ruppelt felt the need to 're-edit' his new book with a 'tacked on' cynical last 3 chapters (in a highly unusual way omitting the date publication so the foreword made the new edition appear to be the original) but thought Dolan made some rather important points about it in this vid.

Cheers.

Phoenix?

a reply to: Blue Shift

originally posted by: FrostyFlakes
Phoenix?
a reply to: Blue Shift

I suppose that one, too, although from what I understand both Lubbock and Hudson Valley sightings took place over the course of several days or weeks. Phoenix was more of a one-night deal, as I understand it. But, still, it could count as a similar event.

a reply to: karl 12

Yep. It's a mystery to me too actually. The moth explanation just doesn't seem too convincing.

Ruppelt did actually try to make something out of Blue Book during his tenure. I think he lost heart after the 1952 DC incidents and then the Robertson Panel issued recommendations to dampen down the public interest.

Unfortunately Ed Ruppelt died at a very young age. He was younger than Hynek by more than a decade. He'd be 95 now had he have lived a long and fruitful life. Maybe he'd have said more. But we can only look back at his legacy nearly 60 years after his death.

a reply to: mirageman

Couldn't agree more mate and Dolan also makes some interesting observations about Ruppelt in the vid below - he (Ruppelt) stated there was another 'powerful' group investigating the Lubbock case that had full access to all USAF UFO files and were fans of the interplanetary theory.



Also interesting that he was well aware of Lubbock sightings which were nowhere near mercury street lamps and that on the same night as the first report (Aug 25th) there was also a sighting of a low, silent flying wing shaped object by a USAF security guard and his wife near Sandia AFB 300 miles to the West.