Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Argentina: A UFO Close Encounter in San Juan

Source: Diario Popular OnLine
http://www.popularonline.com.ar/nota.php
Date: 09.22.09


** Object Hovered Over a Stand of Pine Trees and Illuminated Them**

UFO "Studies" Two Individuals during a Close Encounter in San Juan
By Sebastián Aranguren and Pachi la Fata

The woman was sharing a moment of rest and conversation with a friend in a stand of pine trees in the province of San Juan. A strong wind had left in its wake a peaceful evening with clear skies. Both protagonists chatted beside a car when suddenly, a light having an estimated 5 meters in diameter lit up over their heads. When they looked up, the saw a floating object that appeared to "study" them for 10 seconds before taking off. Startled, they could not believe the experience they had just undergone, but they weren't alone: witnesses to this phenomenon could be counted in the dozens.

The case was made known by the VISION OVNI research group within the context of a letter submitted by a woman living in San Juan, who provided a detailed version of the episode and even provided exact drawings of the mysterious encoutner. When all pointed to the encounter having been a particular and isolated situation, a local newspaper published an article days later that related the eyewitness accounts of many others who had also seen the UFO.

"All of the accounts agree on a single detail: a very powerful light suddenly lit up the sky. Those who looked up claimed that it was a large ball of fire that moved quickly, followed by a tail," began the article in Diario de Cuyo, which appeared in late August (2009). "We all saw the same thing and were frozen in place," said Martin, one of the witnesses mentioned in the article.

The story made known by one of the persons close to the object, made known by researchers Silvia and Andrea Perez Simondini, begins by saying: "During the afternoon of August 14, the Zonda Winds occured with their greatest intensity. That afternoon I arranged to meet a person with whom I have close ties. Around 20:30 we decided to take a trip to an area west of the city, as the strong winds had vanished, seeking the complicity of the evening. The skies were clear and the site was peaceful. We got out of the vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder of a road inside the wilderness, an open area, and remained beside the car at all times. Around 21:15, we were still at the site when we were startled by a powerful light, with a radius of 5 meters. We exchanged glances and looked upward toward the light. It turned itself off after a while," explained the woman.

She added: "We were able to see an object, calculated as being little over a meter long, and was at very low altitude. This object placed itself above us and lit us profusely. When its light went off, it accelerated hurriedly, leaving a luminous wake behind it whose colors were between orange and red.

According to the experiencer, "the object's speed was such that it vanished into the darkness in an instant," adding that "this event left us immobilized for a few seconds, after which we boarded the car anew and left the area, asking each other what had happened and what had we seen. A few minutes later we decided to stop and analyze our experience. My companion and I have a good knowledge of the area, and with the certainty of being alone there at the time, we dismissed the possibility of any natural phenomenon or caused by something like a flare," said the witness.

She further added: "Given our relationship, we decided to remain silent about our experience. At midnight, my companion heard a local radio program (Telesol's BNBD) that someone had seen something like a comet and wondered if it had to do with some pheomenon involving the two moons (sic). The journalist replied that it could be a flare. I know something about flares and what we saw was not a flare. What we saw stopped over us and illuminated us directly for about 10 seconds. My hypothesis is that it was a UFO exploring us."

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Guillermo Giménez)