| ID | #1604749057 |
| Added | Sat, 07/11/2020 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | Mike Swords; Keith Roberts. Field report TA 78 112. Maatsuyker Island 17.9.78
Maatsuyker Island Report Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre, updated 1998
|
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Research
|
Initial data
Keith Roberts did the investigation, and we were lucky to get his field report.
Roberts writes:
"The details of this event were taken from the lighthouse log. A large white glowing light was seen from West to southwest. It was at a low altitude of about 12 degrees. The light was the size of a Crescent moon and was motionless.
21: 30: all electricity in block 1 has been cut off. Fuses and circuit breakers were checked in the house and in the engine room. Everything was fine. The power generator continued to work, and the beacon was working normally.
21: 35: the Power went back on; the lights didn't move. The light was checked with binoculars. Then a red light appeared in the center with the naked eye; later, it moved towards the light as if it had turned. [Main] light and red light observed through binoculars.
22: 10: the power was cut off again; this time for 15 minutes. Checks were made again, but nothing bad. The lighthouse is still in order. The lantern was still in its original position for the W&SW. The call was delivered to Cape Bruni 40 miles to the northeast. The lighthouse Keeper there didn't see anything.
22: 55: the Lights finally went out. [Observers] got the impression that it flew straight away from the witnesses or just shrank in size on the spot.
There is an assumption that the light somehow affected the electricity in the house, although this cannot be proved. The light was estimated to be 4 miles away."
As for the astronomical component: witnesses searched for candidates in this part of the sky in the following evenings, finding only Venus nearby. Venus, however, does not cope with the case, as she sat down long before the mysterious light left the neighborhood. Plus, witnesses said that Venus paled in comparison, and they deliberately noted the relative movement of the heavens compared to the stationary light during the 1 and 1/2 hours of the event.
The lighthouse crew remained at a loss as to how a power failure of one element of their operation could have occurred when the system was working properly and there were no problems either before or after the selective shutdown.
Original news
Date: September 17 1978
Location: Maatsuyker Island, Tasmania
Time: 9:20 PM.
Summary: Keith Roberts investigated and we are lucky to have his field report. Roberts writes: ” Details of the event were taken from the lighthouse log. A large white glowing light was noticed in a westerly to southwesterly direction. It was at low elevation about 12 degrees. The light was half-Moon sized and stationary. 9:30 PM: All power in number 1 quarters went off. Fuse and circuit breakers were checked in the house and engine room. All were OK. The power generator continued to work and the lighthouse operated normally. 9:35 PM: Power came back on; the light had not moved. Light was checked with binoculars. Then, with naked eye, a red light appeared in the center; later it moved to the side of the light as if it had turned. [Main] light and the red light observed with binoculars. 10:10 PM: power in house off again; this time for 15 minutes. Again checks made but nothing wrong. Lighthouse still OK. The light was still in its original position to the W&SW. A call was put through to Cape Bruny 40 miles northeast. The lighthouse keeper there could not see anything. 10:55 PM: Light finally went out. [observers] had the impression that it travelled directly away from the witnesses or that it just diminished in size on the spot.” “There is a suggestion that the light somehow affected the power in the house, although this can not be proved. The light was estimated to be 4 miles away.” Concerning an astronomical component: witnesses looked for candidates in that section of the sky on subsequent evenings, finding only Venus in the vicinity. Venus however fails to deal with the case, having set long before the mystery light left the vicinity. Plus, the witnesses said that Venus paled in comparison, and they had deliberately noted the relative motion of the heavens vs. the stationary light across the 1&1/2 hours of the event. The lighthouse crew remained flummoxed as to how the power to one element of their operation could have malfunctioned when the system was intact and no problems were in evidence either before or since the selective outage.
Source: Mike Swords; Keith Roberts. Field report TA 78 112. Maatsuyker Island 17.9.78; and Keith Roberts . Maatsuyker Island Report [ a compilation of the events on this island across the years], published by the Tasmanian UFO Investigation Centre, updated 1998.
Hypotheses
Investigation
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