Credits and Permissions

UFODATA is grateful for the use of images and media provided by the sources listed below:

Project Hessdalen

Hessdalen is a small valley in the central part of Norway. At the end of 1981 through 1984, residents of the Valley became concerned and alarmed about strange, unexplained lights that appeared at many locations throughout the Valley. Hundreds of lights were observed. At the peak of activity there were about 20 reports a week.

Project Hessdalen was established in the summer of 1983. A field investigation was carried out between 21.January and 26.February 1984. Fifty-three light observations were made during the field investigation. You may read the details in the technical report. There was an additional field investigation in the winter of 1985. However, no phenomena were seen during the period when the instruments were present.

Lights are still being observed in the Hessdalen Valley, but their frequency has decreased to about 20 observations a year. An automatic measurement station was put up in Hessdalen in August 1998. Both data and alarm-pictures can be viewed on the Project Hessdalen website.

NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech (Public Domain)

Using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the first Earth-size planet orbiting a star in the "habitable zone" -- the range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet. The discovery of Kepler-186f confirms that planets the size of Earth exist in the habitable zone of stars other than our sun.

While planets have previously been found in the habitable zone, they are all at least 40 percent larger in size than Earth and understanding their makeup is challenging. Kepler-186f is more reminiscent of Earth.

Ron Masters, Ph.D. UFODATA Team Scientist

Ron developed the spectroscopy videos for the UFODATA project.

Ron is well-trained as a scientific observer, with numerous publications in the field of atomic spectroscopy, analytical instrument design, and optics. Ron currently manages an R&D laboratory for a global chemical company, and continues to be interested in optics, spectroscopy, instrument design, and instrument construction, most particularly spectrographs, telescopes and mounts. Ron's professional portfolio includes 17 issued US patents, ranging in issue number from the low 5MM in the early 1990s, to over 8MM in 2012. Ron's corresponding issued global patents number into the twenties. Multiple applications are pending. Ron's astrophotography and spectroscopy work is recorded for public viewing at:

http://www.buytelescopes.com/gallery/photographer/30160