"Solid Light" review

Here is an extract from my lengthy “Solid Light Cases” entry in the mammoth 2 volume 4th edition of “The UFO Encyclopedia – The Phenomenon from the beginning” by Jerome Clarke with Brad Sparks, with further contributions by Thomas Bullard, Douglas Dean Johnson, Theo Pajimans, Thiago Luiz Ticchetti, Thomas Tulien, and myself.

I strongly recommend this major work to all who are interested in the UFO/UAP subject.  It is a rich and vast resource of information coming in at near 1700 pages.

“Solid light” cases describe a significant range of UFO/UAP events that have worldwide occurrence, across the full history of the phenomenon. They involve events in which UFOs appear to manipulate light beams or possible exotic analogues of what we understand as light beams, but do so so in ways that appear to be beyond our current capabilities and understanding.   These “light beams” have some intriguing characteristics.  Unlike light beams as we know them many of these UFO light beams are seemingly truncated, having a “sawed-off” appearance or a finite end. They often seemed to be projected in unusual ways, particularly demonstrating “slow progression”. Instead of immediate projection these beams often slowly project.  They are often non-divergent, with many reports of what appear to be solid light tubes.  They seem to be used in a variety of ways as transport or for picking up things like people or UFO entities – an alien variant of the tractor beam – a staple of science fiction - but they seem light years beyond the limited achievements we have made in this area. They are often involved in vehicle immobilisation events, which in UFO parlance have been referred to as EM car stop events, the EM referring to the proposition of a possible electromagnetic mechanism.  These cases represent a fascinating, but somewhat neglected body of remarkable international case data, which may provide some fascinating breakthroughs in how we can ultimately manipulate and utilise light in ways that seem like science fiction. 

The term solid light is possibly inappropriate as many cases implied that the strange light beams may not be solid in the way we judge phases of matter.  Indeed, it also seems in some cases what appears to be phase change occurs, seemingly like from possible analogues of what we view as solid, liquid and gas. The close study of these sorts of cases could add to science and maybe lead to breakthrough advances in technology. Maybe mainstream science is slowly catching up.  Bosen Einstein condensates and other newly developed states of matter, along with experimentation in a wide range of areas, have been helping us to manipulate light as we know it, in diverse ways, such as slowing light. These are like baby steps compared to what is reported in the range of UFO/UAP light beam reports that come under the tentative nomenclature of solid light. (for example see Clegg, 2001; Perkowitz, 2011)

The SOBEPS solid light catalogue

A preliminary catalogue of solid light cases by Claude Bourtembourg and Alice Ashton of the Belgium group SOBEPS, dated May 1976, listed 128 reports, but it was best viewed as a starting point, as its focus was broad (“straight beams (not dispersive)”, “beams described as if issuing from a powerful projector”, “a pennant hills historygroup of simple beams”, “docked” or “solid light” beams, “probing” beams, “beams assisting in certain humanoid activities”, “luminous projections of diverse forms” and “special cases” (in which UFOs seemed to affect our own light technology) and the listing contained errors.  The latter category of special cases, for example, had 3 different listings of the same Australian event – the famous bent headlight beam case from Victoria (Burkes Flat), which, while a striking event, was not an explicit example of UFO solid light, but it may still provide some data for assisting interpreting such cases. (Bourtembourg & Ashton, 1976) 

THE BUCHER SOLID LIGHT STUDY

Dr. Walter Bucher, went significantly beyond the SOBEPS listing, producing a German language 225 paged survey, publishing in a European MUFON-CES conference volume in 1978, but still included a rather broad range of case references, with the apparent intention of more accurately calibrating the solid light experience, and attempting some explanations involving such things as particle beams, and/or microwave and ultrasound beams. However, Bucher concluded, “It seems very probable that the solid light phenomena are based on physical principles still completely unknown to us.” He described the core phenomenon, “A solid light looks like a compact cylinder or cone radiating much more light to the slides than an ordinary light beam.  Frequently a solid light has an abrupt end and the length of the beam can be varied.” (Bucher, in Brand, 1978)

THE HEERING SOLID LIGHT STUDIES

Considerable debate and controversy, particularly among European researchers, of case data associated with the loose term of solid light, was focused on surveys undertaken by Dutch researcher Jan Heering, who undertook “a comparative analysis of 62 “solid light” beam cases” published in 1978. Heering’s abstract noted, “witnesses of UFO related events have repeatedly mentioned the fact that the anomalous objects observed by them emitted one or several solid looking, slowly propagating light beams (‘solid light’ beams). (The analysis showed) the characteristics of ‘solid light’ beams are remarkably constant: uniform luminosity; sharply defined edges; low propagation velocity; conical or cylindrical shape; and (sometimes) propagation along a curved path.”  

Heering concluded, “there is no lack of unsolved problems in connection with ‘solid light’ beams and it is no exaggeration to say that, except for certain phenomenological aspects, nothing definitive is known about them.”

However, doubts about some cases started to undermine Heering’s confidence and he started to carefully re-examine his solid light case collection.  He had already highlighted 4 cases (La-Roche-en-Brenil, France, 1954; Mendoza, Argentina, 1968; Olavarria, Argentina, 1969; and Tandil, Argentina, 1974) as unreliable. Despite some interesting theoretical exchanges in 1979 with SOBEP’s Auguste Meesen, a professor of physics, on the possible utility of proton beams to facilitate some of the characteristics of reported solid light cases, it seemed Heering was more concerned that more cases were unreliable, such as a dubious colour photo on the cover of LDLN No.138 – allegedly taken in France on March 23, 1974.  The dubious nature of the photo’s discovery should have already been concerning enough.  

NON-EVENTS?

In September 1980 Heering met with Ernest Berger (real name Alexander G. Keul), a Vienna based researcher, who had published on solid light cases in the Traunstein Austria area (featuring reports of objects emitting straight and curved “feelers of light”).  Despite being somewhat tangential or atypical of many solid light cases, Heering had considered them to be of significance.  Berger (Keul) was now informing him they were the result of “a naïve and unexperienced amateur” and that they were of little value, and that generally “UFO sightings had a psychopathological background.” This led Heering to deleting all cases from Berger. Heering felt uncertain about the remaining. 

HEERING’S EXIT

Writing in a letter in February 1985 to the editor of SVLT newsletter Wim van Utrecht, Jan Heering recollected his 1980 thinking, “How many of these hundred cases are reliable? Ten? Twenty? So many that the conclusions I have based on them are incorrect? Is there anything such as “solid light”? I think so. That’s about all I venture to say about it.” Over a period of 5 years Heering had focused on the physical aspects of the UFO phenomenon, concentrating on solid light reports, but would eventually destroy his UFO archives and end his UFO research.  (Heering, 1985)

CHALKER’S SOLID LIGHT REVIEW

Despite this somewhat mixed and bleak overview of some of the earlier research into so-called solid light, Australian researcher Bill Chalker began to try to systematically review the literature on such cases and to apply his scientific and vocational quality control background to carefully reassessing the available solid light case data. Through the assistance of many researchers around the world he concluded after extensive review, study and research, that there still was a significant body of well documented case material that supported his long held hypothesis that they represent a body of potentially remarkable data. It is an ongoing (perhaps unending) review with many issues and difficulties that are being addressed as best as resources allow. Chalker suspected they could provide some fascinating breakthroughs in how we can ultimately manipulate and utilise light in ways that seem like science fiction. The solid light UFO cases appear to suggest that the UFO/UAP reality is demonstrating that, whatever is behind them, UFOs have been doing many extraordinary things with light or its exotic analogues.

The possibility of breakthrough technologies, or perhaps more accurately, in terms of national security perspectives, disruptive breakthrough technologies are a critical pivot point in the long and circuitous pathway that the “national security” narrative has taken over more than 50 years of often myopic and toxic embraces from mainstream media, politics, the military, the intelligence world, and science. 

The 2012 book “UFOs and Government – A Historical Inquiry” by the UFO History Group, with primary authors Dr. Michael Swords and Robert Powell, provides detailed information on the long historical perspectives and the litany of lost opportunities of identifying and launching deep scientific investigations of potential breakthrough technologies, or indeed ones of the disruptive kind.

THE RED BLUFF USA CASE

In “UFOs and Government” Dr. Swords, a retired science professor of 30 years standing at Western Michigan University, highlighted a striking example of an impressive police witnessed encounter on the night of August 13 and 14, 1960 at Red Bluff, in California, which also featured possible solid light, but that detail was missing in its official investigation.

THE RED BLUFF SOLID LIGHT REVEALED

Michael Swords described “one very strange feature of the case” – the hidden aspect of solid light. “The light beam projected by the object seemed like what would be described today, as a big, fat laser beam. That is, it did not spread out or diffuse “properly.” But worse than that, the beam seemed to have an “end” to it. Even Carson, who was much the more verbal of the two officers, did not talk about this in the earlier reports. However, in a 1966 interview with McDonald, he had become comfortable enough that he said: “Its beam seemed to extend out a distance in the air, and then to end in some curious manner that [I] did not understand then or now.” McDonald, though a sympathetic interviewer, thought that this was probably impossible and tried to rationalize it on the basis of a limited area of dust in the air. But today 

there are dozens of other sightings mentioning this peculiar sawed-off light.”

The US Air Force investigators with Project Bluebook did not put in a serious, objective attempt at a focused scientific investigation.  Instead the police witnesses had to endure a myopic debunking exercise. Official attitudes caused the main witness, a highway patrol officer, to not describe the “light beam” to the USAF.  James McDonald, a noted atmospheric physicist, managed to draw out this remarkable detail, because he was actually interested in what the witnesses reported. But, unfortunately at the time he did not pursue this aspect.

However, genuine scientific skepticism, driven by a desire to question and carefully investigate an experience, at least captured this detail.  Michael Swords indicated in an end note in the book “UFOs and Government” that “sawed-off light” cases are “a peculiar feature of a smallish set of “high strangeness” UFO encounters.  As these encounters are widely spread across the world, this feature is surprising and difficult to explain on sociological grounds.” He indicated he had some 44 cases in his own files. (Swords, in Swords & Powell, 2012)

Bill Chalker, the author of the Australian chapter in “UFOs and Government” contacted Dr. Swords, highlighting he had already been conducting a detailed study of a larger collection of such cases, and requested a copy of his listing and any further solid light accounts he may have.  Swords subsequently expanded on his initial review arguing that “slow light” might be a better term for much as this case material. (Swords, 2012)

THE KIAMA AUSTRALIA SOLID LIGHT AFFAIR

A significant impetus for Chalker’s re-focusing on solid light claims developed from his ongoing investigations of a particular case.  In both of his books “The OZ Files” (1996) and “Hair of the Alien” (2005) Chalker refer to solid light cases (including a dubious case – the Gundiah, Queensland case of 4 October 2001, where he showed that “a forensic approach can draw some metaphorical blood” (Chalker, 2005)) and described an Australian case from Kiama, southern New South Wales from the early 1970s.  He had been looking into the case since learning of it in the 1990s and conducted a very detailed site investigation (mainly in 2012 & 2013) to determine if the observations reported by the primary witness were possible and to see if further information could be found.  Graham, the primary witness, has closely guarded his privacy and Chalker only had one face to face meeting with him, as well as many phone conversations, written statements and emails.  

Chalker’s investigations indicated the most likely date of the Kiama beach “solid light” case was 22 November 1970. He and his family were staying with his parents in law at a house on a headland that overlooks a prominent beach in the Kiama area. During the night his sleep was disturbed by light coming into the room. On the second occasion he saw a flying craft which projected at an angle “a light beam (“like a perfect cylinder of solid light”, about 30 feet long and about 2 and a half feet diameter) white in colour with a blue fluorescent tinge evaporating from it” and detached moving in a downward axis impacting with a caravan. “Upon impact the light behaved like water, pouring over the caravan, … and like fluorescent paint from an electro, airless spray gun… the caravan illuminated completely for about three seconds then the light faded away.” The craft now slightly to the left of its original position projects another “beam of light” which moves again in an axis at a very slow pace (3 feet per second), this time impacting on an amenities block at the beach camping site, in the same way as the caravan impact. A third light beam much longer in length detaches from the unidentified flying craft and is projected at about a 45-degree axis towards the beach briefly illuminating an area of sand 40 feet at its widest.  

Bill Chalker & the Kiama area beach event

Four people are present on the beach in this area – 2 men standing motionless looking up at the craft, a young woman who jumps up from a small beach fire and joins the 2 men, and another young woman running backwards “trying to brush the light off her arms and body.” She then stood separately from the other 3 people staring up at the craft. The light goes out and the beach is then in darkness. 

The witness apparently falls asleep standing, then awakens again, this time seeing the unidentified craft now above the headland street very near to the house, overlooking the beach. The witness blacks out. When he comes to, the witness sees that the craft is still in close proximity to the house. The witness sees through a window shape on the side of the craft and also sees a man enter the room in view via the “window.” He is joined by another man. The witness is then suddenly frightened when he sees the 2 men inside the craft are looking directly at him and smiling. He drops to the floor calling out to the others in the house, saying: "Everybody keep down. Stay out of the light." 

Pandemonium sets in with great noise and severe vibration of the fridge and washing machine.  He calls out, "Quickly get under the doorways, the house is going to fall." For the witness it seems like “the craft overhead sucked the electricity out of the house, then took off.”

This strange affair has several defined stages, but the evident discontinuities in awareness, argue both for a surreal, dream like quality and also reflect the paradoxical reality of some of the stranger elements of the UFO phenomenon.  The extraordinary behaviour of the "light beams" behaving as both solid and liquid has been reported elsewhere in Australia and overseas.  The apparent surreal display quality to parts of this experience (such as the UFO and its occupants displaying themselves up close to the reporting witness in the house on the beach headland) is reflected in many cases.  There seems to have been a number of gaps in the time sequence.   

FOLLOW UP ON THE KIAMA CASE

The main witness recontacted Chalker in 2012. He confirmed an aspect Chalker had long suspected as part of the experience, which he only originally hinted at in the vaguest possible way - an abduction recollection that was consciously recollected at the time, but he was extremely reluctant to share these details during the original discussions years before.   He recollects sitting in a curved hallway in a strange environment.  He heard a voice and turned to fine a woman.  She asked him, “Do you remember what happened in there?”  “No,” he replied. “Do you?” he asked. “Put it this way, I won’t be telling my husband.”  He doesn’t recollect much more, or he volunteered little further detail about this aspect of the Kiama encounter.  However, he did say he started to attend some UFO group meetings with the express purpose of seeing if he could find the woman he had encountered in the Kiama experience.  At one meeting he saw a woman who looked like the woman encountered in the strange environment, presumably on board the UFO.  When he started to talk to her he felt she was not the right person and did not persist with the conversation. (Chalker, 1996, 2005, 2019 & 2022)

RE-EXAMING CLASSIC CASES

The lessons of earlier investigations and research into these intriguing but controversial cases emphasise the need for careful reassessment and where possible re-investigations, with quality control of the data being a primary objective.  Sometimes such cases are difficult to identify and fully document, depending on the milieu they emerge from. 

Two cases, deemed classics of the solid light case type, required detailed reviews, as the data on each is rich, diverse, and sometimes conflicting – Trancas, Argentina (1963) and Taize, France (1972). Both cases are seen as either strong evidence for UFO solid light type events, or as explained in prosaic terms.  Chalker has examined data from both sides, in each case, and feels that each side of the debate deserves careful airing, which is beyond the scope of this limited review of solid light cases.  Each case has intriguing data that might suggest they are legitimate cases, but the explanatory models in each case inject a need for cautious evaluation. 

Some possible "solid light" events

TRANCAS ARGENTINA (1963)

The Trancas case, which is described as featuring objects (or a single object) near, or on, a rail line deploying solid light beams at the occupants of a farm house, and the appearance of an object in much closer proximity to the farm house. Some people from the house investigate and report encountering strange beams of light.  The case is best known through the work of Oscar Galindez (Galindez, 1971), but Roberto Banchs conducted a detailed retrospective investigation in the 1980s. Chalker examined the original investigations, the Galindez investigation in the 1970s and other data, as well as the Banchs investigation, which put forward an explanation involving military deployment of arc searchlights. Others argue that such military involvement has not been verified, and that many other elements of the claimed event are not explained. 

TAIZE FRANCE (1972)

The Taize case apparently involved people attending a religious retreat, who describe a large object with pillars of solid light projected downward, as well as encountering a mass that seemed to bend a torch light beam.  A weakness of the case, maybe, is that most of this information came from one witness. (Tyrode, J., 1973) Others present have not come forward.  The main reporting witness reports that the main object moved away and travelled some distance, seemingly landing at a more remote location, in which possible related ground traces were found. The explanation put forward revolved around a distant house, which had an outdoor home movie projection setup.  Data provided to Chalker by Gildas Bourdais from France seems to cast some doubt on this explanation, but as the case is largely based on only one of member of the group that was present, it remains inconclusive, despite its compelling content. (Chalker, 2013)

LIMA PERU (1958)

US researcher Tom Tulien drew to Chalker’s attention to a 1958 case, with some of the apparent known characteristics of solid light events from Lima, Peru, investigated in 1967-68 by Richard Greenwell for the APRO (Aerial Phenomena Research Organization), and provided him a copy of the investigation file from which the details are quoted:

“Witnesses to this observation are Eduardo Moll … and Juana Moll, his wife …. (Moll)

“Observation took place on February 1st, 1958.  Witness A (Eduardo) and Witness B (Juana) were still engaged.  Witness A was driving a 1953 Ford along a highway known as the Avenida Costanera, which runs north of the sea-front in the city of Lima … towards area known as La Perla, where witness B lived.  Time was approximately 9.20 p.m., and it was totally dark.  The area through which this highway passed was totally deserted.  At a certain point, witness A and witness B observed a red-orange light at low level at some distance ahead of them (… maybe 200 to 300 metres)

“Before long, the witnesses found themselves about 100 metres from the light source.  They realized that it was not any commercial advertisement.  It appeared to be a ball of fire, of red-orange colour, underneath of which was a bright white light.  Witness A continued driving at a slower rate until they came abreast of the light source and then turned off the ignition of the car and the headlights. Object was now being observed to their extreme right while it hovered at a distance and at an altitude of about 10 metres.  The object appeared to be also about 10 metres long (or circular?) and about 1.5 metres thick.  To their left, to the west, lay a cliff and the Pacific Ocean. To their right, to the east, over which the object hovered was an abandoned brick factory.  Several small adobe walls lay about…

Underneath the object, around its central area, a beam of light fell to earth.  

“This beam of light helped in determining the altitude of the object. The beam (totally white) was narrow at the top and widened out at the bottom.  Its edge was sharply defined and fell strictly on the area where it fell without illuminating the surrounding area.  … (no) perceivable noise coming from this object.

“After observing the object for a few minutes (perhaps 10 minutes), Witness A decided to get closer.  He stepped out of the car and walked towards the object.  To do this he had to step over the first small adobe wall on the edge of the highway.  When he was approximately 8 metres from the area where the beam of light fell, same “went out.”  Witness B says that the beam was “sucked up” into the object.  Witness A says this was not so, that the light simply “went out” and it would anyway be impossible for light to be “sucked up” in that manner.  This is the only point in which the witnesses do not entirely agree.”

  

Eduardo began to move closer, but the object began moving slowly east, away from the witness, and silently and vertically, and faster than the witness’ walking pace. It rose at about the speed of a slow moving car, at about a 15-degree elevation.  Eduardo return to the car, but as he was trying to drive into the area, “the object disappeared on the horizon.” (Chalker, from Tulien, 2013)

BOYUP BROOK AUSTRALIA (1967)

Here is a remarkable case that comes from official Australian government files. It took place near Boyup Brook in Western Australia on 30 October 1967. A Western Australian Police Department report on the incident, describes what took place:

“Report of: Leonard Johnson, Constable 2514

I have to report that at approximately 9.35pm on Monday the 30th October, 1967, Alexander Roy SPARGO, 37 years, shearing contractor of Great Southern Co….  called at this station and reported having sighted an unidentified flying object on the Kojonup-Mayanup Road, Kulikup approximately 10 miles from Mayanup at about 9.20pm 30th October 1967.

Spargo stated he was driving his 1967 Valiant Utility… , towards Boyup Brook from Kojonup at approximately 60-65 mph with headlights on high beam.

“When approximately 10 miles from Mayanup the car suddenly stopped - motor stopped - headlights went out - and became stationary without any sensation of braking or deceleration.

A tube of light descended close to the windscreen. The tube was about 2 feet in diameter. He looked up the tube and could not see anything but felt he was being observed.

The tube of light had descended from object shaped like a football, iridescent blue colour (lightning colour but stationary), with a pulsating glow appearance, and approximately 30 feet in diameter.

“Spargo stated he just sat looking at the tube of light and object for approximately 5 minutes. He felt no personal effect other than surprise and not being able to believe his eyes. He heard no noise.

“The object then moved off very quickly and disappeared in a 'flash.' When it had gone Spargo found his motor running, lights on, and again travelling at 60 to 65 mph (previous speed). He felt no sensation of acceleration.

“He stopped the vehicle and got out and inspected same but could find nothing unusual. He then continued on to Boyup Brook and called at the Police Station and made his report.

He stated he employed 60 men shearers and if they learned of his report he would be ridiculed.

“Prior to this sighting he had read of other people's sightings and he had regarded those people as 'cranks.'

“He travelled to Boyup Brook and stayed overnight at Bill Inglis' farm where he had a team of shearers working and returned to Kojonup on the 31st October. There had been a fairly severe electrical storm on Sunday evening the 29th with a great deal of lightning and thunder but little rain. On Monday evening the 30th the sky had become overcast and some lighting seen around 7pm.” (Basterfield, 2017)

A STRIKING CONFIRMATION OF THE BOYUP BROOK CASE

This primary source account of a credible example of a UFO deploying solid light and seemingly controlling a car, has a very striking confirmation that emerged from a book that was written focusing on bizarre events that mainly played out 10 years earlier. In 1957 the area experienced a sensational milieu of alleged poltergeist events in the form of falling stones, accompanied by reports of strange Min Min like lights (the generic term given to floating mystery lights around Australia) and other curious phenomena.  The events were described in Helen Hack’s book “The Mystery of the Mayanup Poltergeist.” As she had close family members involved in the affair, she also became aware of an event that would have otherwise might have never been shared. 

On the same night as the 1967 Boyup Brook event, on a property in nearby Mayanup, Grayden Pascoe, a local farmer, experienced a bizarre encounter with what may have been another example of solid light.  At his property on Whistler Road, Mr. Pascoe had been disturbed by terrible noise from farm animals. His enormous kangaroo dog cowered on the verandah. When Pascoe stepped onto the verandah he was blinded by an intense light. Instinctively putting up his hands to shield his shut eyes, Pascoe observed that the strange light was so intense it seemed to shine right through his hands and closed eyelids. Opening his eyes, Pascoe saw that his hand seemed to be transparent, with the veins showing up “in a blue network beneath the skin.” He stood for 5 or 6 minutes, trying unsuccessfully to determine where the light was coming from. During this period of time Pascoe indicated he was unable to move because of the blinding light. Then suddenly without any sound the light disappeared. (Hack, 2000)

DR. HYNEK’S BLUEBOOK CASE – NEWTON USA (1967)

Allen Hynek described investigating a case of this type in the dying days of the USAF study programme, in his 1977 book “The Hynek UFO Report” – his review of Project Bluebook. Just as the University of Colorado’s USAF commissioned Condon Committee study was being released, concluding there was nothing of scientific merit in studying UFO reports, Dr. Hynek was concluding otherwise. Bluebook case 12567 dated 23 November, 1968 and located at Newton, Georgia, had the following features: “Witness saw a brilliant light directly above the road about 200 feet ahead of him and 50 to 75 feet off the ground, as he rounded a bend in the road in his 1967 Ford. The area was sparsely settled.  There was no definite object, just light.  The car radio faded into static.  The light itself emitted a beam downward that illuminated the nearby trees.  Light was then retracted as if the beam were a ladder; it was five to six feet wide and well defined.  The main light was fuzzy on the edges.   Now the engine cut out as did the radio … Light then disappeared after a few seconds, going straight up.  Engine started by itself and the car had been left in drive gear.  Conclusion: Unidentified.” (Hynek, 1977)

THE IMPOSSIBLE PEARL – GAOYAU CHINA (SONG DYNASTY – 11th CENTURY)

The long history of Chinese UFO/UAP events provides a striking juxtaposition of possible ancient and modern solid light reports. One of Joseph Needham’s key historical sources for his monumental multi-volume series “Science and Civilisation in China” was Shen Kua, a Song (Sung) Dynasty scholar. In his fascinating example of the pi-chi form of Chinese literature – “Brush talks from Dream Brook” Shen Kua records “inside information” about a “strange occurrence” involving an extraordinary “pearl” that frequented the air above a number of lakes around Yangzhou in Jiangsu province in China, which at least on one occasion projected a strange form of fantastic light. 

Accurate translations of the story of the flying pearl of Gaoyau suggests it may describe an 11th century account of a UFO projecting solid light.  

Gaoyau or “West Lake” of Shen Kua’s account is more accurately referred to as “Slender West Lake” (aka Fanliang Lake) just north of Yangzhou. It should not be confused with the much better known tourist location to the south at Hangzhou, also known as West Lake, which I have also established has its own more mythic sky dragon/elusive pearl folktale.  

Two translations by esteemed US Chinese scholars describe “light shot out from the crack like a golden ray,” (Richard Bodman) and “a bright light emerged from its “shell”, like a single ray of golden thread” (James Hargett, who even suggested there may be many more UFOs to be found particularly in “pi-chi” (informative reporting style) essays that include anomalies). (Chalker, 2019)

Quoting Richard Bodman’s translation, which he titled “On a UFO”, in Victor Mair’s “The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature”:

“In the Chia-yu period, a pearl appeared in Yang-chou. It was very large and frequently appeared at night.  At first it emerged from the swamps of T’ien-ch’ang county. Later it moved to Pi-she Lake; and finally it was at Hsin-k’ai Lake.  For more than ten years, residents and travellers would constantly see it.

“My friend had a study by the lakeside and one night saw that the “pearl” was very near. At first it opened its door very slowly and light shot out from the crack, like a golden ray.  After a moment, it opened wider to the space of half a mat; within there was a white light like silver. The “pearl” was as big as a fist and so bright you couldn’t look at it directly. For over ten tricents, the trees cast shadows, exactly as when the sun has just come up. In the distance you saw only a sky reddened as if by a forest fire. All of a sudden it went far off, moving as if in flight, floating over the waves, shining like the sun.

“In recent years, it hasn’t appeared again; no one knows where it has gone. Fan-liang-chen is where the “pearl” used to appear, and when travellers reach there, they usually tie up their boats for a few nights to watch for its appearance. The pavilion there is called “The Playful Pearl.” (Mair, 1996)

CANGZHOU CHINA (1998)

On October 19, 1998, scientists and military personnel were gathered at a Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) missile base in Cangzhou, in Hebei province, testing China’s first “supersonic” drone, based on a modified J-711 fighter. A famous Chinese Defence scientist, Major General Zhao Xu, the “father” of China’s UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), was also present.  He and other scientists and military personnel witnessed a striking UFO encounter. The incident was verified by radar and PLAAF F-6 pursuit aircraft pilots. The base commander General Li, focusing on the testimony of his own pilots (Captains Liu Ming and Wu Shao Hun), and addressing their observation of the projection of two beams of strange light from the UFO, stated, “Surprisingly these two light beams of light were not as we normally see light beams, as has been according to the distance and spread, but as two light-emitting entities, sticking out from the bottom of the UFO ending on a certain length. At least today we have not got control of this sort of light technology.” (Chalker, 2019 & 2022)

Shen Kua, can be viewed as a proto-scientist and even an early Fortean researcher (a collector and chronicler of strange anomalies like Charles Fort), provided some “brush strokes” or “brush talk” that Chalker and other solid light researchers have built on into the modern age of flying saucers, UFOs, and UAPs.  

- Bill Chalker

Basterfield, Keith, Police report on the Boyup Brook encounter, uncovered, https://ufos-scientificresearch.blogspot.com 29 August, 2017

Bourtembourg, Claude & Ashton, Alice, SOBEPS – Research and Analysis – UFO Phenomenon – Solid Light Cases, Brussels, Belgium: SOBEPS, 1976

Bucher, Walter, Solid light, in edited conference volume by I. Brand, MUFON-CES Tagungsband (Conference Volume), Feldkirchen-Westerham, Germany: MUFON-CES, 1978

Chalker, Bill, The OZ Files – the Australian UFO story, Sydney: Duffy & Snellgrove, 1996.

Chalker, Bill, Hair of the Alien, New York: Paraview/Pocket Books, 2005

Chalker, Bill, personal communications from Gildas Bourdias, 2013

Chalker, Bill, from Tulien, Tom, Special report on the Eduardo Moll case – Lima – Peru, 2013

Chalker, Bill, UFOs & the Solid Light Enigma, Melbourne: New Dawn Special Issue, Vol.13 No.1, pp.17-2, 2019

Chalker, Bill, Solid Light & the UFO/UAP mystery, Cottenham, UK: Out There – Newsletter of the International Mensa UFO SIG (Special Interest Group) No.5, 12-26, June, 2022   

Clegg, Brian, “Light Years – an exploration of mankind’s enduring fascination with light, London,: Piatkus, 2001)

Hack, Helen, The Mystery of the Mayanup Poltergeist, Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian Press, 2000

Heering, Jan, A Comparative Analysis of 62 “Solid Light” beam cases, UFO Phenomena, Vol. II, No.1, Editics, Bologna, Italy, pp. 11-50, 1978

Heering, Jan, Letter to the editor (Wim van Utrecht), SVLT, 3, 12, III-IV, 1985

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Mair, Victor, The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature, New York: Columbia University Press, 1996

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