No, it wasn't a sale at K-Mart trying to stampede shoppers, but a strange phenomenon appeared over the skies of Norway last night, seen and photographed by thousands all across the region. World News reported: "The mystery began when a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain in the north of the country. It stopped mid-air, then began to move in circles. Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its center - lasting for ten to 12 minutes before disappearing completely." Astrologers, scientists, government authorities and military were baffled. Speculation ranged from a strange effect of the northern lights to a mini-black hole cause by the particle collider at Cern.
The suggestion that it was a Russian missile gone awry was quickly quashed by Russian military, though that has to be taken with a grain of salt. SpaceWeather.com, reported the “evidence is mounting” that the sky show was the product of a Russian missile launch. UPDATE: I exchanged a few emails last night with a close friend speculating that this was a failed missile off a Russian sub in the White Sea. This morning the mystery was solved when the Times online reported: "The Bulava missile was test-fired from the Dmitry Donskoi, a submarine, in the White Sea before dawn yesterday but failed at the third stage, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement."
Low light photos taken of the event show the dramatic spiral, which was actually rotating, and the eerie blue light emanating from the center.
The suggestion that it was a Russian missile gone awry was quickly quashed by Russian military, though that has to be taken with a grain of salt. SpaceWeather.com, reported the “evidence is mounting” that the sky show was the product of a Russian missile launch. UPDATE: I exchanged a few emails last night with a close friend speculating that this was a failed missile off a Russian sub in the White Sea. This morning the mystery was solved when the Times online reported: "The Bulava missile was test-fired from the Dmitry Donskoi, a submarine, in the White Sea before dawn yesterday but failed at the third stage, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement."
Low light photos taken of the event show the dramatic spiral, which was actually rotating, and the eerie blue light emanating from the center.
More dramatic when it first appeared, the later stages of the event did appear to be a failed missile launch. So tuck this one away in your X-Files, somewhere after crop circles and before worm holes. Mulder will be up all night, but it was much ado about nothing.
