03 September 2005 12:17
To many, it is the stuff of Hollywood films, but an astronomy conference is to investigate why Norfolk is a hotspot for paranormal activity and mystery bright lights in the sky.
The gathering, which is being held to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Norwich Astronomical Society (NAS), will feature four world-class speakers on the subject.
They will reveal all they know about the paranormal phenomenon in the county, which boasts twice the national rate of unexplained activity, and also probe new allegations about NASA's findings in Mars and the secrets of Black Holes.
Conference organiser Mark Lawrik-Thompson FRAS (Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society) and chairman of 160-member strong NAS said information that would surface at the conference would place the existence of extra terrestrial life form firmly within the realms of reality.
He added it would also raise serious questions about the motives prompting the USA's federal space administration to deny them information while lending support to sightings reported within Norfolk.
Already this year a league table of paranormal supernatural and mythical phenomena ranked a 234 square mile “Bermuda Triangle” area in Norfolk behind only Cornwall and Yorkshire in the spooky stakes.
The Norfolk Triangle covers most of the north-eastern area of the county, which boasts well above average reports of UFO sightings from military personnel, police and families.
Referring to transcripts show how coastguards were dumbfounded by strange red and green rotating lights in the skies off the East Anglian coast in the early hours of Saturday, October 5, 1996, Mr Lawrik-Thompson said: “People in Norwich and Norfolk are much more aware of the night time sky than people in many areas and cities in the UK.
“Our rural surroundings encourage an interest in astronomy because the relative darkness allows people to see things occurring in space - as this transcript shows.”
Mr Lawrik-Thompson said representatives from paranormal groups within the area would be present at the conference to discuss local peculiarities.
He said: “People will come away from this conference with an understanding of how big our galaxy and how its fits within the several billion galaxies out there.
“While it can make us feel insignificant it's also awe-inspiring. Every time we discover something new about it, we discover another 10 things we don't know about.”
Speakers at the event will include Dr David Whitehouse, Dr Robin Catchpole and Professor Paul Murdin, Dr Heather Couper (FRAS) who has interviewed 60 of the world's leading space scientists and Nigel Henbest - the latter two of whom will be signing copies of their books.
The conference, which will include trade stands and exhibitions, will open at 9.30am for registration and run until 4.30pm on Sunday, October 9 at the John Innes Centre.
Norfolk-based space memorabilia retailer Space Rock will also have a stand at the event.
It is open to all ages and costs £15 plus an optional fee of £5.50 for lunch
Details on line:
http://www.norwich.astronomicalsociety.org.uk/events/special.htm