The Kaikoura Lights: Let’s Hope They’re Friendly

[Sideroxylon]

I see we have a number of New Zealanders here so I thought there might be some opinions on the lights seen over Kaikoura 30 years ago. It seems an unusual sighting in that it was made by a TV crew as well as ground observers, including radar. I really don’t know what to make of the shaky video evidence but it holds interest to me as my uncle was one of the Wellington air traffic controllers who witnessed the radar objects.

Here is some of the footage from an old documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLXJj9jSAE

And here a more recent interview with reporter Quentin Fogarty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL9c-F_vW48

The following link is a detailed report:
http://brumac.8k.com/NEW_ZEALAND/NZFlashingLight/NZFlashingLight.html

[Burning Beard]

I just googled Kaikoura lights and found this.

I was there just last week, the night sky was absolutely mind-blowing!

Back in the 1990's when I was at high school, we had a science teacher, Peter Coleman, who had an article published about this, however I can't recall where - I was reading both Fortean Times and Skeptical Enquirer around that time so it might have been one of those two publications.

I did find this though: http://home.dmv.com/~tbastian/balite.htm

The last place most people would try to start a fire is inside a tornado. But two researchers who have pulled off a similar trick in a lab in New Zealand say their experiment may explain enigmatic weather phenomena such as ball lightning.

At first glance, tornadoes don't appear fire-friendly. Even at the calm centre of the whirlwind, there is enough of an updraft to make any flame tenuous, and the fast winds at its edge would blow out any blaze.

Yet fireballs have been reported in some tornadoes, such as the twister that struck Dorset in Britain in 1989. Vortices have also been associated with floating spheres of ball lightning, which sometimes disappear with a loud explosion, suggesting they, too, contain combustible material.

So John Abrahamson, a chemical engineer at Canterbury University in Christ- church, was intrigued when his former student Peter Coleman proposed trying to create a fireball in a mini tornado. They reckoned one might form in the vortex breakdown region, where air moves relatively slowly. "If it was coloured, you'd see this doughnut of air," says Abrahamson.

Intriguingly, the vortex breakdown region is used in "vortex burners", in which a flame burns in a closed, horizontal cylinder. A horizontal vortex mixes and contains hot gases so that the fuel burns efficiently. But it was unclear if the combustion would be stable in a free-standing, vertical vortex.

To find out, Abrahamson and Coleman built a circular chamber about a metre wide. Slats at the base allowed air to enter at various angles and an extraction fan pulled air upwards from above. This created a vortex 10 centimetres wide. Liquefied petroleum gas was introduced into the breakdown region through a pipe and was ignited with a spark plug.

The vortex produced a stable fireball if the air entered at an angle of 66 degrees. Whether the fuel pipe was above, below or to the side of the vortex breakdown region, the fuel was drawn into the doughnut of air and burnt as a sphere.


Incidentally, the science teacher was a devout Catholic and seemed to have it in for my brother once he saw him with a Morbid Angel cassette. He actually confiscated the tape because it was "offensive", never mind that the tape was just sitting in his open school bag!

[Marduk]

squid boats
:D

[Gord_in_Toronto]

squid boats
:D

are a coming.

Are a coming tonight.

With bright lights and all.

With bright lights and all.

[dudalb]

WETA testing some new SFX equpiment.

[Burning Beard]

WETA testing some new SFX equpiment.

Heh... in 1978? ;)

I have a good friend who is in his late 30's who remembers it. He vaguely recalls seeing something from Sumner, in Christchurch. I was only 6 months old at the time.

[EHocking]

I see we have a number of New Zealanders here so I thought there might be some opinions on the lights seen over Kaikoura 30 years ago. It seems an unusual sighting in that it was made by a TV crew as well as ground observers, including radar. I really don’t know what to make of the shaky video evidence but it holds interest to me as my uncle was one of the Wellington air traffic controllers who witnessed the radar objects.

Here is some of the footage from an old documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLXJj9jSAE

And here a more recent interview with reporter Quentin Fogarty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL9c-F_vW48

The following link is a detailed report:
http://brumac.8k.com/NEW_ZEALAND/NZFlashingLight/NZFlashingLight.htmlDiscussion already taking place at this thread, "UFOs: The Research, the Evidence", starting at this post (http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=5585453&postcount=5463).

Don't let the thread title fool you, there is no research being done or evidence being presented by the OP...

[Belgian thought]

Discussion already taking place at this thread, "UFOs: The Research, the Evidence", starting at this post (http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=5585453&postcount=5463).

Don't let the thread title fool you, there is no research being done or evidence being presented by the OP...

Don't spoil the invite :)

[Stray Cat]

Should I risk re-posting 'Squid Fishing Monthly' in this thread too?

[Belgian thought]

:D We should just set up a site and point everyone to it....

[Stray Cat]

I just noticed this is a Zombie Thread... Back from the dead today after over a year.

[Sideroxylon]

Discussion already taking place at this thread, "UFOs: The Research, the Evidence", starting at this post (http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=5585453&postcount=5463).

Don't let the thread title fool you, there is no research being done or evidence being presented by the OP...

LOL Thanks :D

[jakesteele]

Well, is somebody going to address the squid controversy instead of just smart ass remarks and smiley faces?

[EHocking]

Well, is somebody going to address the squid controversy instead of just smart ass remarks and smiley faces?Been done at the thread mentioned above (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?p=5585453#post5585453).

It only got silly when Rramjet refused to discuss the evidence.

[mikeyx]

I see we have a number of New Zealanders here so I thought there might be some opinions on the lights seen over Kaikoura 30 years ago. It seems an unusual sighting in that it was made by a TV crew as well as ground observers, including radar. I really don’t know what to make of the shaky video evidence but it holds interest to me as my uncle was one of the Wellington air traffic controllers who witnessed the radar objects.

Here is some of the footage from an old documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLXJj9jSAE

And here a more recent interview with reporter Quentin Fogarty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL9c-F_vW48

The following link is a detailed report:
http://brumac.8k.com/NEW_ZEALAND/NZFlashingLight/NZFlashingLight.html

Man one burrito, the after effect and a lighter.... The kiwis may want to seek cover.