Science and the UFO's

The debate about UFO's has raged for as long as people have stared into the heavens. Yet to this day the scientific establishment has steadfastly refused to engage in systematic study of what they are. This book examines why.

Randles and Warrington establish by detailed case histories of many UFO sightings that unexplained phenomena certainly exist. Picking their way expertly through the maze of misinformation and fantasy, they examine the possible explanations, rejecting the 'standard' view- that UFO's are alien spaceships- in favour of more scientifically based and testable ideas. They suggest ways in which scientific standard should be applied and consider the fruits that such enquiries might yield- and the potential consequences for mankind of explaining the hitherto inexplicable.

Preface vii

I The Past

1 A Historical Perspective 1

2 The Evidence for UFO's 8

3 The Official Line Science in the Shadows 18

4 Transferring the Problem Science in the Ascendant 50

5 The Failure of Ufologists 67

6 Science and Skepticism 73

2 Current Investigation

7 The Problem of Investigation 81

8 UFO Types: Some Examples 89

9 Unidentified Atmospheric Phenomena: Possible Explanations 117

10 Alien Contacts: Over the Edge of Reality 128

3 The Future

11 The Way Ahead 155

12 The Importance of UFO to Science 172

APPENDIX: Code of Practice for UFO Investigators 193

Bibliography 199

Useful Addresses 207

Index 209

Jenny Randles is National Director of Investigations at the British UFO Research Association. Peter Warrington is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Editor of the Manchester Astronomical Society Journal of Record. The debate about UFO's has raged for as long as people have stared into the heavens. Yet to this day the scientific establishment has steadfastly refused to engage in systematic study of what they are. This book examines why.

Randles and Warrington establish by detailed case histories of many UFO sightings that unexplained phenomena certainly exist. Picking their way expertly through the maze of misinformation and fantasy, they examine the possible explanations, rejecting the 'standard' view- that UFO's are alien spaceships- in favour of more scientifically based and testable ideas. They suggest ways in which scientific standard should be applied and consider the fruits that such enquiries might yield- and the potential consequences for mankind of explaining the hitherto inexplicable.