[FPSPACE] Fw: UAP: Website for Astronomers to Report Unexplained Aerospace Phenomena

[LARRY KLAES]

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-----Original Message-----
From: "AAS Press Officer Dr. Rick Fienberg" <rick.fienberg at aas.org>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:06:00 
To: <Rick.Fienberg at aas.org>
Subject: UAP: Website for Astronomers to Report Unexplained Aerospace
 	Phenomena

THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE UNIDENTIFIED AEROSPACE
 PHENOMENA (UAP) OBSERVATIONS REPORTING SCHEME IN THE NETHERLANDS AND
 IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING DOES NOT IMPLY
 ENDORSEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.) Rick Fienberg,
 American Astronomical Society: rick.fienberg at aas.org, 1-202-328-2010
 x116.
 
 December 16, 2009
 
 Contact:
 Philippe Ailleris
 contact at uapreporting.org
 +31 641 890 976
 
 UAP Observations Reporting Scheme website:
 http://www.uapreporting.org <http://www.uapreporting.org> 
 
 WEBSITE LAUNCHED FOR ASTRONOMERS TO REPORT
 OBSERVATIONS OF UNEXPLAINED AEROSPACE PHENOMENA
 
 A website has been launched giving amateur and professional
 astronomers a formal mechanism for reporting any unexplained phenomena
 they observe when studying the night sky. Initiated within the
 framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), the
 Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena (UAP) Observations Reporting Scheme
 aims to provide a global focus for sightings by astronomers and
 contribute toward a better understanding of transient phenomena
 occurring in the atmosphere.
 
 The reporting scheme has been set up by amateur astronomer Philippe
 Ailleris, who proposes to use the IYA2009's network of professional
 and amateur astronomers to collect additional and more rigorous
 information on UAPs, more popularly referred to as UFOs.
 
 "These phenomena are mainly seen in the night sky, a domain that
 astronomers have long considered their own, and it is important to
 collect testimonies from members of the population that are trained
 observers. We aim to approach this controversial field of UAP
 sightings from a professional, rational point of view and without any
 preconceived ideas. Certainly whenever there are unexplained
 observations, there is the possibility that scientists could learn
 something new by further study," said Ailleris.
 
 Ailleris has developed a questionnaire that requests precise details
 of the sightings, including the location, time, elevation, velocity,
 apparent size and distance of the UAP, as well as a description of the
 terrain and weather conditions at the observation point and any
 sketches, photos, audio or video footage. A short and long version of
 the questionnaire in English and French can be downloaded from a
 dedicated website, www.uapreporting.org <http://www.uapreporting.org> .
 
 The website provides detailed information on common nocturnal and
 daytime misidentifications, such as sightings of satellites, weather
 balloons, rockets and natural phenomena such as meteors, planets, ball
 lightning, sprites and mirages. There are also links to relevant
 websites where people can further check charts and details.
 
 "As well as allowing people to double check their sighting against
 explainable causes, we hope that the website will be a useful tool for
 the astronomy community to redirect enquiries from the general public
 and to help engage with the public in discussions about the science
 behind what is seen in the sky.  Many professional and amateur
 astronomers are scanning the skies with all kinds of technical
 equipment -- telescopes, binoculars, video-cameras, cameras with
 spectrographs -- which creates an excellent opportunity to obtain
 supplementary data related to UAP sightings. This is also a great
 opportunity to engage with the general public and discuss some of the
 challenges astronomers face in determining various parameters such as
 coordinates, altitude, distance, speed and size. I hope we can use
 this opportunity to enthuse young (and not so young) people and prompt
 them to start looking upwards and outwards to make sense of their
 place in the Universe," said Ailleris.
 
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