By T.K. Randall
October 16, 2022 · 16 comments
Not everyone is convinced by the accuracy of the observations. Image Credit: US Air Force
Last month Ukranian researchers claimed to have observed large numbers of UFOs in the skies over the country.
The original study, which was conducted by astronomers from the Main Astronomical Observatory (MAO) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, used two meteor stations situated in Kyiv and Vinarivka village to scour the heavens for anything strange or unusual.
According to reports that surfaced back in September, strange and unusual things are exactly what the researchers found – large numbers of them, in fact.
The paper’s authors described two categories of UAP – “cosmics” (which are very luminous objects brighter than the sky) and “phantoms” (very dark objects that appear black against the sky).
These objects were detected numerous times, often in groups of several at a time.
The researchers also recorded some of them moving at considerable speeds.
While these revelations caused quite a stir at the time, other scientists have since moved to play down the significance of these claims and to argue that the sightings were not at all what they seemed.
An investigation by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), for example, concluded that the findings “did not meet the professional requirements for publication of the results of scientific research.”
“The processing and interpretation of results were performed at an inappropriate scientific level and with significant errors in determining distances to the observed objects,” the panel wrote.
Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb had similar criticisms.
He maintains that the researchers had incorrectly estimated the distances involved – possibly by as much as ten times – suggesting that they may have simply been observing artillery shells.
“If you bring it even closer, it could be insects – like a fly moving at a high speed near the telescope, and it would appear dark,” he said.
Source: Live Science | Comments (16)
