Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Are aliens afraid of the dark?

By Everett Themer - posted Tuesday, 1 September 2015


A growing number of people believe that if they look up to the skies, they might just see an alien spacecraft flying among the stars. Witness reports vary, with the suspected UFOs ranging from glowing balls streaking across the distant horizon to city sized mega-structures hovering directly overhead but one aspect remains consistent; the UFOs are consistently flying with their lights on at night.

UFO proponents often claim that alien races are routinely visiting earth to carry out mysterious and secret agendas that must be hidden from humanity. They propose the ideas that people are being abducted, hybrid races are being created and human technology is being monitored, all without our being aware of these activities. To support their theories, they rely on UFO reports that frequently describe the objects as being lit up like carnival rides. The idea that an alien race with the intention of remaining hidden from the world's population would allow themselves to be observed not only violates these secret agendas, it also downplays the intelligence and technology of any advanced civilization that may exist somewhere in the universe.

Here on earth, vehicle manufacturers are developing and implementing driver assist systems designed to aid in object detection and visibility. It is a reasonable assumption that an alien race capable of inter-stellar travel would have developed their own systems hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. These systems would be far more advanced than ours and likely capable of allowing any craft to maneuver in complete darkness. There is no reason to believe that any visiting alien race would be concerned with visibility as they travel through our skies and it is absurd to believe that a UFO might crash into a radio tower or high rise building because the pilots forgot to turn on their headlights.

Advertisement

Some in the UFO community theorize that the light coming from these UFOs is related to their propulsion systems. Physicists are exploring theories on how light may be used for space travel but this argument ignores the many daytime reports of reflective or metallic-like objects floating across the sky with little or no light appearing to emanate from them. It also does little to support the many night time reports of alleged spacecraft landing and remaining stationary while lights glow and flash along the vehicles body.

The images of lights glowing eerily in the darkness or flashing from a spacecraft as it shoots through the sky are more a product of the television and movie industries than of science. Attempting to make memorable and entertaining images, television and film producers have turned many UFO reports into fictionalized cinematic displays of computer technology rather than representations of the facts and science. These tales are certainly more compelling when they involve unexplained lights dancing across the sky and evil looking aliens sneaking around in the dark of night but they do little more than perpetuate pop culture myths and sell tickets by feeding on peoples desires to be both scared and entertained.

There is no doubt that a majority of the people who report a UFO honestly believe that they have witnessed something from outside our world. As technology continues to evolve at an increasing rate it is easy to see how a person might witness something that they don't understand or haven;t seen before. However, not having an explanation for what they observed does not immediately mean that their experience involved aliens, only that they saw something that they may be unfamiliar with. As people continue to report seeing unusual lights, whether sailing across the open sky or hovering directly overhead, question after question is asked and left with no definitive answer, but one question that never seems to be asked is "why would a UFO need lights at all?'

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

9 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Everett Themer is a creative director for a marketing company specialising in keeping small businesses relevant in a global economy.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Everett Themer

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 9 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy