2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly
TheNorwegian spiral anomaly of 2009[1](Norwegian:det spiralformede lysmønsteret,"the spiral-form light pattern",det spiralformede lysfenomenet,"the spiral-form light phenomenon" )[2]was a light phenomenon that appeared in the night sky overNorwayin the morning of 9 December 2009.[3]It was visible from, and photographed from, northern Norway andSweden.The spiral consisted of a blue beam of light with a greyish spiral emanating from one end of it. The light could be seen in all ofTrøndelagto the south (the two red counties on the map to the right) and all across the three northern counties which composeNorthern Norway,[4]as well as from Northern Sweden[1]and it lasted for 10 minutes.[4]According to sources, it looked like a blue light coming from behind a mountain, stopping in mid-air, and starting to spiral outwards.[5]A similar, though less spectacular event had also occurred in Norway the month before.[6]Both events had visual features of failed flights ofRussianRSM-56 BulavaSLBMs,[7][8]and theRussian Defence Ministrysaid shortly after that such an event had taken place on 9 December.[9]
Initial speculations[edit]
Hundreds of calls flooded theNorwegian Meteorological Instituteas residents wanted to know what they were seeing.NorwegiancelebrityastronomerKnut Jørgen Røed Ødegaardpointed out the area over which the light had been observed was exceptionally large, covering all of Northern Norway and Trøndelag.[4]It was also suggested that it could have been a rare, never-before-seenNorthern Lightsvariant.[citation needed]
UFO enthusiastsimmediately began speculating whether the aerial light display could be evidence ofextraterrestrial intelligenceproposing among other things that it could be awormholeopening up, or somehow was linked to the recenthigh-energy experimentsundertaken at theLarge Hadron ColliderinSwitzerland.[10]
Ballistic missile test[edit]
On 10 December 2009, theRussian Defence Ministryannounced that aBulavamissiletest had failed. According to a spokesman, "The missile's first two stages worked as normal, but there was a technical malfunction at the next third stage of the trajectory."[9]Russian defence analystPavel Felgenhauerstated to AFP that "such lights and clouds appear from time to time when a missile fails in the upper layers of the atmosphere and have been reported before... At least this failed test made some nice fireworks for the Norwegians."[11]Prior to the Russian statement,Jonathan McDowell,anastrophysicistat theHarvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,had already suggested that the unusual light display occurred when the missile'sthird stagenozzlewas damaged, causing the exhaust to come out sideways and sending the missile into a spin.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abLinder, Alexander (9 December 2009)."Märkligt ljussken över Kiruna"[Strange lightning over Kiruna].Norrländska Socialdemokraten(in Swedish).Retrieved6 February2010.
- ^"Russisk rakettsmell synlig i hele Nord-Norge".aftenposten.no.
- ^"Norway Spiral".spellconsulting.Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2021.Retrieved20 February2010.
- ^abcHaugdal, Marthe; Andersen, Ingunn; Bleikelia, Mats; Enerstvedt, Vidar (9 December 2009)."Vet ikke hva den mystiske kjempespiralen er"[Unknown what the mysterious giant spiral is].Verdens Gang(in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2009.Retrieved9 December2009.
- ^"Strange light in Norwegian sky sparks mystery".The Daily Telegraph.UK. 9 December 2009.Retrieved9 December2009.
- ^Andreas Grimsæth (3 November 2009)."Mystisk lys var russisk rakett"[Mystical light was Russian rocket] (in Norwegian). yr.no.Retrieved18 March2018.
- ^"Strange 'Norway spiral' likely an out-of-control missile".New Scientist.10 December 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 13 December 2009.Retrieved10 December2009.
- ^"Norway spiral: A rocket scientist explains the mystery".The Christian Science Monitor.10 December 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 13 December 2009.Retrieved11 December2009.
- ^abClara Moskowitz,'Russia admits missile caused UFO lights'.MSNBC News,10 December 2009.
- ^"Norway wormhole is First Contact, claim UFO watchers".news.au.Sydney, Australia. 10 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2009.Retrieved11 December2009.
- ^UFO frenzy was Russian missile failureArchived15 December 2009 at theWayback Machine,Yahoo!7 News
External links[edit]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Trung Quốc đài khí tượng cho hấp thụ ánh sáng 20 năm trước UFO tuyệt mật ghi hình"(YouTube video).YouTube.29 April 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2021.Retrieved9 December2009.(Video of similar event that happened in China in April 2009.)(in Chinese) | |
| "Spiral ejecta from tumbling rocket stage – simulation"(YouTube video).YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2021.Retrieved23 December2009. |
- Post on Russian site of official warning of a rocket test, prohibiting navigation in the area until 15 Dec.
- Atkinson, Nancy (9 December 2009)."What was the Norway Spiral?".Universe Today.
- New Russian missile failure sparks UFO frenzyArchived6 January 2010 at theWayback Machine
- Estimation of the Location, Trajectory, Size, and Altitude of the "Norway Spiral" PhenomenonArchived27 May 2021 at theWayback Machine2009–2011
- Norwegian spiral anomaly 2009 at UfoSightingsToday.org
- Tenth Anniversary of the 'Norway Spiral': The Birth of an Internet Mythologyby James Oberg, 4 December 2019
