The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, March 13, 1979--Page 9 Center studies 'close encounters' By BlITH ROSENBERG Special to the Daily EVANSTON, Il1.-His truck had stalled by the side of the road and a bright light seemed to be moving toward him from the sky. The wind was blowing fiercely. A strange force glued him to the spot and turned his feet into cement blocks too heavy to move. His face began to turn bright red from the strong illumination from the heavens as the light loomed closer. That scene from the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" may seem far-fetched, but similar reports occur daily at the Center for UFO Studies, started by Northwestern University's prof. J. Allen Hynek. OPERATING IN conjunction with a sister station in Australia, the Evan- ston-based Center-the only one of its kind in the world-receives from three to 15 calls and hundreds of mail reports per day regarding UFO (unidentified flying objects) sightings. Estelle Postol, an anthropologist who works at the Center, said 90 per cent of the calls turn out to be misiden- tifications of IFOs (identified flying ob- jects). "The objects sighted tend to be natural phenomena such as meteors, planets and stars, or man-made objects such as airplanes, balloons, and satellites," she explained. THE REMAINING 10 per cent of the reports are considered UFOs and are thoroughy investigated by the staff, which consists of astronomers, an- thropologists ,psychologists, physicists, and social scientists. One recent unproven UFO sighting in Tyler, Texas, involved an individual who said he was abducted by strange beings. The after-effects of the incident reportedly were a triangular burn five inches high on the individual's chest, radiation sickness, and a missing time element. high in the sky or close to the ground, often are reported to hover, and can seem to disappear in the distance with astounding speed; and * Radar-Visuals, which are of special significance and appear as unidentified blips on radar screens coinciding with and confirming simultaneous visual sightings by the same or .other wit- nesses. Relatively close sighting categories are: " Close Encounters of the First Kind-when the witness observes a UFO nearby, but it does not appear to interact with either the witness or the environment; * Close Encounters of the Second Kind-in which there is a reported in- teraction between the UFO and the en- vironment which may vary from the in- terference with car ignition systems and electronic gears to imprints or bur- ns on the ground and physical effects on plants, animals, and humans; and K Close Encounters of.the Third Kind-where entities generally of a more-or-less human-like appearance are reported in or closely associated with the UFO. Usually no direct contact or communication with the witness oc- curs, but some reports of incidents in- volving very close contact mention temporary detainment of the witness. The term "close encounters" preceded the movie and was coined by Hynek, who also served as technical consultant for the film. The scene from the movie was a composite of many UFO sightings combined for dramatic effect. HENDRY SAID over 1,000 physical traces of evidence have been studied, including compressed and dehydrated vegetation, broken tree branches, and imprints in the ground. He said $5,000 worth of geophysical equipment is beind developed at the Center to study imprints, but research problems are limited to the observers' perceptions. "Imagine you had never seen a car and found tire tracks in the dirt. Now try to figure out the internal com- bustion of the vehicle. The task would be difficult because you would only have your perceptions and knowledge to base your guesses on," Hendry said. Attempts to explain UFOs, Hendry said, hinge on collecting mechanisms, randomness of reportings, validity, in- terpretation of statistics, and physical evidence. Only 13-16 per cent of all UFOs are reported. In cases of possible UFO sightings, Hendry recommended that one should find as many other witnesses as possible and take a photograph of the object, taking careful note of its ap- pearance, its motion, the time and duration of the sighting, and the direc- tions involved. RELAXATION TRAINING A 3-4 wk. research relaxation train- ing, program is being conducted in the EMU Psychology Department. If you are interested in participating in this free program call: 487-1155 DENNIS J. DELPRATO, Ph.D., Faculty Supervisor M EMOREX 90-Minute Cassette Buy two- * MEM* Get one Free! PRIC4E XD < MEMj Recording Tape is it live or is it Memorex?' f MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE 599 E. University 662-3201 1 1-STOP SHOPPING SAVES MONEY, TIME, ENERGY ' 'I A l'l o Ti IM k 16 thr7il*fty acres' PRICES GOOD THRU SATURDAY MARCH 17, 1979. MEIJER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LIMIT SALES ACCORDING TO SPECIFIED LIMITS. NO SALES TO DEALERS, INSTITUTIONS OR DISTRIBUTORS. E ~ .t .' ._ _ A WITNESS allegedly saw the victim grow to 71/2 feet tall, turn white, and then shrink in size and return to nor- mal. Confirmed UFOs baffle observers' and cannot be explained by experts, ac- cording to Allan Hendry, the Center's chief investigator and editor of the In-4 ternational UFO Reporter. Hendry, a 1972 University graduate with a B.A. in Astronomy, said he in- vestigates UFOs through comprehen- sive interviews with witnesses. WOMEN'S NYLON HE FIRST CHECKS with advertising WARM-UP JACKETS agencies, and ,military bases to deter- Snap-front jackets in navy, min ifn j ct is n TIF When all blue, and red. Sizes S-M-L. ROYA PORT Lightwi tabs, t cover. PAtmer wAMMANTy This paint is fully warranted to cover any color with one coat when applied according to . label instructions over a properly prepared surface at a spread rate not to exceed 400 sq. ft. per gallon on sealed suir- Sfaces. If the first gallon tails to cover in one coat return the unused -portion and any Sunopened cans to the store of purchase. At your option, you will receive either a full refund or enough additional paint to provide adequate coverage. Application of additional paint is customer responsibility. SAVE 50%-MAGICOLOR SATIN PLUS PAINT SWarranted one-coat coverage, fade E tstain resistance. REG. 10.97- " 47 MU gal. 1 ~Point Dee? SAVE 58 3-PC. BRUSH KIT 3 fine-point sa ble artists' brushes. No. 1135-C. REG. 2.45 A ft p mine !lall ~e' l al Ir. Y ei possible explanations are exhausted, a UFO title is awarded. Hendry said a major problem in UFO research are people who let their imaginations run rampant when they see a flashing object. "People read into situations like they do in Rorschach ink blot tests," Hendry stated. "Most misperceptions are totally innocent, but images of UFOs are ingrained by TV and the media. "THERE IS A pre-anticipated effect of UFOs. You can't deny there is a huge sociological effect," the Royal Oak native explained. Six categories have been designed to define particular types of UFOs. Relatively distant sightings include: " Noturnal lights which appear in the night sky and whose appearance and/or motions are not explainable in terms of conventional light sources. They mostly appear as red, orange or white lights and form the largest group of UFO reports ; " Daylight Discs, which are generally oval or disc-shaped metallic- appearing objects. They can appear L SAFARI, ABLE TYPEWRITER eight. With pre-set, :ouch co ntro l, carry 7096 Woum's Dept. MEIJER FINEST U.S.D.A. CHOICE SUMMER STEAKS SIRLOIN 208 AT WINTER PRICES lb t 1 V ! J] j. l fi- K: Mt f , 1[ F' Ir f F Y' ;y 6 f M. xf @ 'k : Ty} y t& .M Aa ,xh -y¢ nA: k 9! fl.: } rE s; r-'R -4 t , §:ES r ¢ . { 6'S I 3._ 'rv B:i 6 A.' P'¢ 'ice k e %4 F + I i t MWN IN VIGOOD .. 49burAh 1 JOAO" ..a Ma, oos ":== .""- - " ., } . j X13 w t X11 Ma fbOtto 3946. 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