Lanarkshire has double UK rate of UFO sightings

Photograph is ‘Way’up there with the best

Lanarkshire is a hotspot for UFO sightings according to a group of researchers who recorded nine within the last year, including one in both Airdrie and Coatbridge.

The county had almost double the average extraterrestrial sighting per population in the UK in 2020.

One of the more recent sightings of a UFO was in Airdrie on December 7. This report states:“witness saw a cloud with‘sparkling lights’, so he went to take a photo and as he did he caught this white object shooting out of the cloud at an angle.”

A sighting in Coatbridge on May 5 last year was reported as:“object was witnessed travelling on a curved path, then made an‘s’shape before hovering in place and then ascending out of view to the east.”

A total of 34 UFO reports were collated in Scotland by the North West UFO Research and Investigation Group.

The group gathered information that was reported to specialist alien investigation organisations in the UK.

Reports made throughout the year ranged from people spotting“triangle shaped objects”in the air, to unusual objects“punching a hole in the sky”.

They say April was a particularly busy time for reports, which they attribute to the launch of new Spacex Star Link satellites which were very visible last spring, leading to numerous reports across the UK.

The UFO group reported Lanarkshire as the most popular area for sightings, with nine reports in areas such as Airdrie, Coatbridge, Hamilton and Cumbernauld.

In Lanarkshire, there were 3.4 UFO sightings for every 250,000 people, compared to the UK average of 1.8 sightings per 250,000 and an average of 1.5 in Scotland.

Other popular areas included Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, both with five reports.

In Hamilton, on March 13, a local reported numerous bright objects following each other.

And a report in Cumbernauld on April 4 last year said:“witness was driving from Annathill to Cumbernauld when he noticed a very bright white light in the sky off to the side of the road.

“He watched it for over five minutes as the object changed from orb-shaped to cylindrical with moving lights.

“It made no noise and disappeared, leaving a circle of red and white.”

Ash Ellis of The North West UFO Research and Investigation Group said: “Lanarkshire and the surrounding area has always been known as a UFO hot spot, and this has continued as it topped the table for reported sightings in Scotland during 2020.

“The area had a rate of 3.4 sightings per 250,000 population, nearly double that of the UK average of 1.8 sightings”.

You can find out more about The North West UFO Research and Investigation Group at www. northwestufogroup.com or www.ufoidentified.co.uk

A stunning view of the Milky Way was taken by a local photographer who hopes to get more people interested in fascinating astro-shots.

Talented Stewart Gray took a trip up to Rannoch Moor in the Highlands, before Covid restrictions were tightened, to capture the galaxy.

The beautiful photo even shows the planet Mars, which is the bright dot pictured on the righthand side of the photo.

Stewart, 26, says the process of capturing such an elaborate picture is complex but he is loving learning new things and bringing joy to people through his work.

He told the Reformer: “I’ve caught a few Milky Way shots before so I have an idea of what I’m going for. You need to have specific conditions so through experience I know what I’m looking for.

“So for the Milky Way shot, you need a clear night and I always choose to shoot on the night of a full moon because there’s less light pollution from the moon.

“It’s quite hard to get the shot, there’s a certain technical aspect that you do in the editing process and the shooting process.

“Rather than just plotting one picture, you’re maybe taking between 25 and 35 individual pictures. And because of the earth’s rotation, the Milky Way and everything is moving all about, so you’re getting things like star trails and need to track the shot using specialist equipment like a star tracker. It fits onto your tripod and ties in with the earth’s rotation.”

Now working on an astronomy project with his photography, Stewart plans on taking more pictures of the wonders of space in the night sky which many of his followers have already enjoyed.

He added: “I had been up there helping some mates out with photoshoots and things like that and set it up then.

“I’ve actually got a wee project going just now, trying to catch a lot of the astro stuff locally. I’ve been investing in some equipment and different things to help with the astro photos.

“I don’t see an awful lot of astro photos taken locally, so I do reckon I could get some good ones.

“I see a lot of people taking joy from sitting at home looking at photos and seeing nice pictures of Scotland online so it’s nice to have that as my own niche.

“The more I’m doing it I’m learning more technical aspects and different techniques so all knowledge is good knowledge I believe.”

You can see more of Stewart’s work at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ stewartgrayphotography