Extraterrestrial

We have all seen the alien related movies such as Independence Day and Alien. We have all seen the TV shows about unexplained lights in the sky and crop circles that have appeared over night.  We have even heard stories of those who claim they have been brought on board spacecraft by these aliens. Though there are many skeptics, there are also equally as many who believe that extraterrestrial life has come to earth and dedicate their lives to exploring this possibility. But could this idea that there is other life that has come to earth be completely ridiculous?  With how large our universe is, it is quite possible that there is other life out there, that could be much more advanced than our society. Scientists are constantly studying other planets in galaxies far way, as well as looking for places in our own solar system. For example, scientists are intrigued by Europa, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, due to its ability to have some kind of life on it. Of course, we are not talking about life that exists as humans do, but tiny organisms that can survive in the icy waters that cover this moon.

Some accounts of run-ins with UFOs actually come from credible sources. In 1976, in Tehran, Iran, due to reports from citizens of a strange flying object in the sky, Iran sent out a jet to investigate this strange craft closer. Upon nearing the ship, the jet lost communications with the ground and was forced to retreat, upon which communications was re established. A second jet was soon sent out, and was able to come much closer the craft than the first and the pilot recounted that as he neared it, the craft shot off at an impossible speed into the night. “The incident is considered to be one of the most well-documented cases in UFO history, with senior Iranian military officers going on the record to state their beliefs that that the object was not of this earth. The incident report was distributed to top officials from the White House to the CIA,” (Strong)

I want my images to have an air of mystery to them, but also a haunting quality to them. Therefore I am interested in studying different areas of the out of norm in order to find some inspiration for how to go about presenting my images. In researching some accounts from those who claim to have been abducted, I found a variety of descriptions for how their abductors looked. While some describe orb-like beings, others describe them as crab-like. Many though always describe a glowing coming from outside the window before their abduction takes place.

Quotes From Abductees:

“The orbs had direction, one of the orbs moved slowly to the left of the window then along the south wall of the room just below the ceiling. Thomas felt as if they could see, and were watching him, he closed his eyes hoping when he opened them they would be gone, he did this several times,” (UFO Casebook).

“'It's always the light that comes first,' he confessed to his mother; Ann. 'Then I see the tall one rise up at the foot of the bed. 'Suddenly there's lots of little ones everywhere. They're fuzzy and indistinct, and they move very fast. I can't move or speak, but I'm awake and I can see and hear and feel,” (UFO Casebook).

Quotes from and Expert:

“To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational,” he said. “The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like,” (Stephen Hawking).

“We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach,” (Stephen Hawking).

Bibliography:

Booth, Billy. "1976-Jet Chases UFO Over Tehran, Ira." About.com. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://ufos.about.com/od/bestufocasefiles/p/iran1976.htm>.

Strong, Cherlyn G. "Three Famous UFO Sightings on Today’s Date in 1952, 1961 and 197." Tuscancitizens.com. 19 Sept. 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://tucsoncitizen.com/paranormal/2010/09/19/three-famous-ufo-sightings-on-todays-date-in-1952-1961-and-1976/>.

"Alien Abduction Case Files." UFO Casebook. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://www.ufocasebook.com/alienabductions.html>.

Leake, Johnathan. "Don't Talk to Aliens, Warns Stephen Hawking." The Sunday Times. 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article710720

 This article is a quick summary on Stephen Hawking’s view of whether or not aliens exist. He comes from an extremely rational place when stating that he does believe they exist. He thinks about the numbers of planets we have discovered recently and says there is a very good chance some form of life could even exist on a planet or moon in our own solar system. He warns us though, that trying to communicate with intelligent life, could end badly for human life. He argues that these aliens’ discovery of our planet could end much like Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas.