UFO FYI: "ANGEL HAIR"

Mary Evans Picture Library
UFOs over Oloron, France, dropped a cottony substance likened to "angel hair."

From HOW STUFF WORKS
http://science.howstuffworks.com/angel-hair-ufo.htm

It was the strangest sight to ever grace the sky over Oloron, France. In the early afternoon of October 17, 1952, according to one of the many witnesses, high school superintendent Jean-Yves Prigent, there appeared a "cottony cloud of strange shape. . . . Above it, a narrow cylinder, apparently inclined at a 45-degree angle, was slowly moving in a straight line toward the southwest. . . . A sort of plume of white smoke was escaping from its upper end." In front of this "cylinder" were 30 smaller objects that, when viewed through opera glasses, proved to be red spheres, each surrounded by a yellow ring. "These 'saucers' moved in pairs," Prigent said, "following a broken path characterized in general by rapid and short zigzags. When two saucers drew away from one another, a whitish streak, like an electric arc, was produced between them."

But this was only the beginning of the strangeness. A white, hairlike substance rained down from all of the objects, wrapping itself around telephone wires, tree branches, and the roofs of houses. When observers picked up the material and rolled it into a ball, it turned into a gelatinlike substance and vanished. One man, who had observed the episode from a bridge, claimed the material fell on him, and he was able to extract himself from it only by cutting his way clear-at which point the material collected itself and ascended.

A nearly identical series of events occurred in Gaillac, France, ten days later.
Such "angel hair" is reported from time to time. Laboratory analysis of authentic material (airborne cobwebs are sometimes mistaken for angel hair) is impossible because the material always vanishes. In the summer of 1957, when Craig Phillips (director of the National Aquarium from 1976 to 1981) witnessed a fall off the Florida coast, he collected samples and placed them in sealed jars. But by the time he got to his laboratory, they were gone.

FROM INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/ny-spi/sightings/sightings-10.html

The town of Oloron, France, is famous for its chocolates, jaunty berets and a special type of unidentified flying object known as an "angel hair UFO." One afternoon, in October 1952, dozens of witnesses reported seeing a very unusual sight in the sky — a cylinder surrounded by a group of discs, each of which had ribbons of white smoke emanating down from it. The discs appeared as reddish spheres circled by a gold ring, and the emanations were described as having the appearance of angel hair. Even more strange were reports that as townspeople tried to collect the angel hair substance — which had begun to cover homes, trees and the ground — it simply vanished into thin air. Several similar incidents have been recorded in nearby Gaillac, France, as well as other parts of the world, but no explanation has been offered to explain the angel hair UFOs.

From crystalinks.com
http://www.crystalinks.com/angelhair.html

Angel Hair

Angel hair is an alleged substance of unknown origin, said to be dispersed from UFOs as they fly overhead. It is so named for its similarity to fine hair, or spider's webs, and is comparable to ectoplasm and pixie dust. Reports of Angel hair say that it disintegrates within a short time of forming. There have been many reports of falls of angel hair around the world. The greatest number of reports have come from the U.S.A., western Europe, eastern Australia, and New Zealand.

Alternative explanations: One of the possible explanations offered relates to the web making activities of spiders. Some types of spiders are known to migrate through the air, sometimes in large numbers, on cobweb gliders. The threads created by these airborne arachnids are delicate enough to dissolve upon handling. As string-like lines that appear out of nowhere and form unique patterns.

They are also known as Spider Strings and are linked to String Theory in Physics. Metaphysically they are said to weave all of matter together to form the basic geometric patterns - the Spider Web Effect with all things emerge from once source - move out in geometric progressions yet all remains linked to the source through the web. Angel hair is sometimes connected to UFO sightings or the presence of angels.

I am not aware of any scientific data that can define the exact cause or composition of angel hair. Non-the-less it does manifest into the physical realms.

Ellie's Personal Experiences

In 1989 I awoke one morning to find odd patterns made out of some sort of fiber-like material on my blanket and the navy carpet in my bedroom.

The patterns looked like they were made out of some sort of clear glitter.

I soon learned that they are allegedly called 'Angel Hair' and are left as a message by Spirit.

The 'Angel Hair' varied in width from a half inch to one inch.

There was no measurement for the length as it was one never-ending pattern.

The 'Angel Hair' remained as it was until it was touched in some way. Then would simply disappear in to that part of the carpet or bedding.

At first I looked for some sort of insect that might have been my home - but my home was insect-free - and it was December - Christmas time to be exact.

Many people came to look at the patterns as they kept reappearing between 1989 -1991.

The patterns were very specific in design--though at the time I didn't realize I should draw them or what they meant.

Photographs did not produce images.

The first pattern followed a zig-zag pattern from my bathroom door across the bedroom, about 12 feet, to my bed.

Then the pattern followed straight up and onto my navy blanket.

At the time I was told by one psychic that they were left by a child in spirit.

This was the month a started to write my book, Sarah and Alexander about an boy from another realm named Alexander who comes to Earth to meet someone with The Key . In my heart I feel that there was a link to Alexander and that Spirit did come to tell me of my future destiny. But that's another story....

UFOs Drop 'Angel Hair' in New South Wales

August 19, 1998 - AP

Twenty UFOs, described as "shiny silver spheres," flew over a number of farms near Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia last weekend, littering the ground with cobweb-like filaments called "angel hair." According to USA Today, "Residents of a small Australian community swear that they saw cobwebs fall from the sky after UFOs passed overhead. Dozens of residents of Quirindi called Australia's National UFO Hotline after the incident." According to the Tamworth, N.S.W. North Daily Leader, "Mrs. E. Stansfield, 61 years (old), said that she saw cobwebs falling from the sky. She saw twenty silver balls which passed overhead.

When she went out to her daughter, she too was covered in fine strands of cobweb. When she tried to pick it up, it disintegrated in her hand. The family car had cobwebs all over it." The incident took place at 5:04 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, 1998. Quirindi is just north of the Liverpool mountain range, about 70 kilometers (42 miles) southwest of Tamworth, N.S.W. and 300 kilometers (180 miles) northwest of Sydney. Australian researcher Raymond Brooks reported that the "various craft" performed aerobatic maneuvers over the farms "for 1.5 hours, including the release of 'angel hair.'

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Angel hair or siliceous cotton is a substance said to be dispersed from UFOs as they fly overhead. It has been described as being like a cobweb or a jelly. It has also been reported at sightings of the Virgin Mary. It is named for its similarity to fine hair, or spider webs. Reports of angel hair say that it disintegrates or evaporates within a short time of forming.One theory is that it is "ionized air sleeting off an electromagnetic field" that surrounds a UFO. It is an important aspect of Raëlism.

There have been many reports of falls of angel hair around the world. Angel hair was reported at the Miracle of Fatima on the 13th of September and October 1917. this has been used to support The Fatima UFO Hypothesis. The most reported incidence occurred in Oloron, France in 1952. On October 27, 1954, Gennaro Lucetti and Pietro Lastrucci stood on the balcony of a hotel in St. Mark's Square in Venice and saw two "shining spindles" flying across the sky leaving a trail of the angel hair.

In the Portuguese city of Évora in November 2, 1959, angel hair was collected and analyzed at the microscope by local school director and later by armed forces technicians and scientists of the University of Lisbon. Conclusions were not possible although it was formed, apparently, by a small organism featuring 10 'arms' stretching from a central core. It was advanced that it could be a single-celled organism of some kind. This event followed the sighting, by the population of the city, of several UFOs. Angel hair was also spotted in the same day, at the Air Force Base of Sintra, several kilometers to the north. On February 10, 1978, a large number of fibers fell from the sky for a period of two hours near Samaru, New Zealand.

Explanations based on known phenomena include:

Some types of spiders are known to migrate through the air, sometimes in large numbers, on cobweb gliders.

Many cases of angel hair were nothing other than these spider threads and, at least in one occasion, small spiders have been found on the material.

Atmospheric electricity may cause floating dust particles to become polarized, and attraction between these polarized dust particles may cause them to join together, to form long filaments.

On two occasions a sample was sent for testing once on the 13 of October in 1917 a sample found at Cova da Iria was sent to Lisbon and on October 17 1957 another sample found at Cova da Iria and examined. The analysis of this proved to be natural consisting of white flakes. When put under a microscope it was found to be a vegetable product not animal.

Explanations related to Unidentified Flying Objects include:

Ionized air may be sleeting off the electromagnetic field that surrounds a UFO.

Excess energy converted into matter.

The usage by UFOs of a G-field would cause heavy atoms in ordinary air to react among themselves and produce a kind of precipitate that falls to the ground and disappears as the ionization decreases.

FROM PRAVDA (ENGLISH)
http://english.pravda.ru/science/mysteries/30-05-2007/92473-angel_hair-0
Mysterious angel hair phenomenon often reported after UFO sightings

A cobweb-like and jellylike substance which is also slightly radioactive often falls to the ground shortly after UFO sightings. The substance dubbed “angel’s hair” evaporates without a trace several hours after the sighting. The “hair” was reported to either disintegrate or turn into cottony tufts with an offensive smell when held in the hand. American ufologists refer to the material as “angel’s hair”; Italians call it “siliceous cotton”; and the French use the term “the Madonna’s present” to describe semitransparent threads that fall from heavens.

Ufologists first began discussing the phenomenon in 1954. Two men, namely Gennaro Lucetti and Pietro Lastrucci stood on the balcony of a hotel located in St. Mark’s Square of Venice, on October 27, 1954. The men suddenly saw two “shining spindles” flying across the sky. The objects left a fiery white trail as they zipped along. Both objects flew at high speed, one of them at some distance away from the other. Then the objects took a U-turn and flew away in the direction of Florence.

There were reports on an unexpected break in a soccer game played in one of the Florence stadiums on that afternoon. The players, referees and about 10 thousand spectators just stood there gazing at two objects which flew over the stadium. A couple of unidentified objects flew over the city thrice from 14.20 to 1429. A number of strange cobweb-like threads started to drop to the arena once the objects disappeared.

The substance was quick to disintegrate if held in the hand. Alfrede Jacopozzi, a student, was the only one who managed to pick up a few threads of it and sealed them in a hermetic test tube. Jacopozzi then handed the tube to Professor Giovanni Canneri, a director of the Chemical Analysis Institute under the University of Florence. Professor Danilo Cozzi, a colleague of Prof. Canneri’s, carried out a series of tests of the mysteries find. “It’s a fibrous material, which is highly resistant to tension and torsion. Once subjected to heat action, the material grows dark and evaporates, leaving transparent sediment that melts away. The sediment was found to contain boron, silicon, and magnesium. Hypothetically speaking, the substance may be some kind of boron-silicon glass,” said Prof. Cozzi.

American ufologist Charles Maney suggested that the material was “the UFO excess energy which materialized.” According to him, “the treads return to their dimension or some other space-time continuum while fading away.” A British ufologist suggested that “angel’s hair” was a variety of ectoplasm emanated during a spiritualistic session.

B. V. Lyapunov, a Soviet-era researcher who did a lot to popularize science, received a sample of “angel’s hair” from New Zealand in 1967. A tightly sealed tube contained some unknown stuff measuring less than one-tenth of a cubic centimeter. A comprehensive analysis of the substance was conducted by a team of scientists. Physicist L. V. Kirichenko, a specialist in radiometry, concluded that the substance “is a fine-fibered material; some of its fibers are less than 0.1 micron in diameter. Most fibers are tangled in the bundles or separate “threads” measuring 20 microns in diameter. The threads look somewhat whitish and semitransparent. There aren’t any known analogues to the analyzed substance.” Summing up the study of the material, Academician I. V. Petryanov-Sokolov said that “the sample is of considerable interest as a material with extremely fine fibers. It is unlikely that the material was formed by nature.”

Unfortunately, the entire amount of the substance was used up during the research. No new samples of “angel’s hair” have ever been obtained though the phenomenon was repeatedly reported in this country.

According to reports spread by the British Society for UFO Studies in August 1998, mysterious cobwebs fell to the ground shortly after an UFO sighting in North Wales. The 60-year-old Mrs. Stanfield and her daughter-in-law saw “about 20 silver balls in the sky” prior to taking note of cobweb-like material which descended to the ground.

There are times when “angel’s hair” falls out from a clear blue sky. Residents of the city of Montgomery in the United States reported the fall of “flying web type substance” in 1898. According to the description provided by eyewitnesses, the threads of the material resembled somewhat fluorescent asbestos fibers. On February 10, 1978, a large number of sticky fibers were falling from the sky for two hours in the vicinity of the coastal city of Samaru, New Zealand. The fibers appeared to be “considerably finer than cobwebs” yet clearly visible against a clear blue sky.

Some of the fibers looked like knots the size of a tennis ball; they were slowly unwinding across the air. Others were floating in a cluster which resembled a jet plane’s heat wake. “I’ve never heard about anything like that,” said a spokesman for the Department of Science and Industry Research of New Zealand.

Translated by Guerman Grachev
Pravda.ru

Angel Hair
Definition From Answers Dot Com:

A fine, filmy substance observed falling from the sky, sometimes extensively. It has been explained as cobwebs from airborne spiders, but the strands of angel's hair may vary in length from a few inches to over a hundred feet, and often dissolve in contact with the ground. Possibly the earliest account of angel hair occurred in 1741 when it was reported that "flakes or rags about one inch broad and five or six inches long" fell on the towns of Bradly, Selborne, and Alresford in England. In 1881 Scientific American carried an account of huge falling spider webs (one as large as 60 feet, over Lake Michigan). Other falls have been reported over the years, and accounts were collected by Charles Fort, famous for his assemblage of accounts of anomalous natural events.

In the 1950s angel hair became associated with UFOs. A famous case occurred in France in 1952 during which a local high school principal reported seeing a cylindrical-shaped UFO and a circular one. The flying objects left a film behind them, which floated to the earth and fell to the ground covering trees, telephone wires, and roofs of houses. When the material was picked up and rolled into a ball, it turned gelatinous and vanished. Occasional additional accounts have appeared in the literature over the years, though angel hair is by no means a common element of UFO reports. Analysis of angel hair has proved elusive as the material seems to dissolve very quickly.

Sources:
Clark, Jerome. The Emergence of a Phenomenon: UFOs from the Beginning through 1959. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1992.
Corliss, William R., ed. Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena. Glen Arm, Md.: Sourcebook Project, 1977.

Flying Saucers and Angel Hair
Monday March 5, 2007
By B.J. Booth
for About Dot Com

Every now and then I get a little extra time to surf the Web, and yes, I always look for more on UFOs. I actually like to see old reports, and find something of interest to think about, and search out more evidence on. Recently, I came across a site that I had book marked about six months ago, and just never had a chance to get back to. It was from Australia, and its subject was "angel hair." This may seem bizarre, but back when I was a young lad in the 1950's, angel hair was often in the news, and the subject of television series, like "One Step Beyond," Science Fiction Theater," and others.

I was surprised to find that "Science Fiction Theater" was supposedly based on real life events. Had I known that when I was young, it would have scared me even more than it did. Now today, things are always falling out of the sky, because of all the objects in orbit around the Earth, and you don't hear much about angel hair any more. Angel hair was this spider web type of substance that was often associated with flying saucer reports. Usually, it dissipated very quickly, and had some magic properties to it. Sound strange... well it is true. Here is a list of Angel hair cases from the Project 1947 website. Check it out. You might find it interesting:

http://www.project1947.com/kbangel.htm

1975, May 26: Nancy, France Photo case

FROM UFO PHENOMENON AT CLOSE SIGHT
http://www.ufologie.net/indexe.htm

The witness' Father sent the following letter to Albert Ducrocq (1921 - 2001), which was then an extremely popular French scientific journalist, thanks to his qualities as science popularizer at radioEurope 1, and author of books such as "Man in space (spacecraft of second generation)", 1961, "Man on the Moon", 1969, "The search for life on Mars", 1976.

Mr. Jean-Marie Burr, 54000 Nancy, to Mr. Albert Ducrocq, Europe n° 1, rue Francois-1er, 75008 Paris Nancy, August 29, 1975 Sir, On May 26, 1975, at approximately 07:45 p.m., my son Didier, who has just been seventeen years old, called me, claiming that he had just seen a UFO and that he had photographed it. His claim was received by much skepticism on my part, my wife's and my daughter's. before closing his shutters, he saw this "thing" and, after a few seconds, he had the reflex to jump on his camera and to take a photograph. We did not speak again any more of the incident; having finished the roll and not having money to have it developped, my son put it aside... and forgot about it until last week. It was an amazement at the sight of the pictire which I join to this letter. Here are some more detailed information: 1) Date: May 26, 1975. 2) Local Time: approximately 07:45 p.m. 3) Location: 54000 Nancy. 4) Taken photograph a) at the second storey of my appartment. b) orientation: east. c) camera: Royer with bellows, with Royer bellows, with Berthiot objective of F 105. It is a thirty years old apparatus that I had just given to my son. It was, besides, the first photograph that he took with it. d) film: Agfacolor, ASA 80. e) diaphragm and shutter speed: 8 and 1/50. 5) Duration of observation: 10 to 15 seconds. 6) Apparent motion: vertical descending, then oblique ascencion towards the south. 7) The "thing" seemed dark, it did noe emit any colored radiation, nor any perceivable noise. 8) Dimensions, distance, altitude: no clue, dur to the lack of reference points, except the cloudy background, and in the forefront, the windows of the opposite house. I add that: 1) My son does absolutely not have the necessary knowledge to have make a fake. He was very excited and even acknowledged to have been a little afraid. 2) In my recollection, the local press (Est Répblicain [regional newspaper]) did not mention testimonies of people who might have seen this UFO. But I could have mised it. 3) Of course, I hold the negative one at your disposal should you consider it useful to examine it. As for myself, I am convinced that my son indeed saw and photographed a UFO. As a faithful reader of your works and often listening to you on the radio, I appreciate your scientific mind highly (I am a bachelor of science myself) and your enthusiasm. This is why sent this long letter to you. My son and myself are already facing mockeries and the sarcastic comments of so-called "strong minds". It is obviously much easier to deny the existence of a problem - when it is not understood -, rather than to try to make some light on it and to study it, if not to solve it. Please accept Mr. Ducrocq, by very best regards.

Albert Ducroq however apparently did not acted on this, and it is by mre chance that the case became known: journalist Robert Roussel, author of books on the UFO phenomenon and meticulous investigator of the official studies of the phenomenon in France, met the witness at a UFO conference at which he was present. The witness did not seek to draw any attention, but one of the lecturers asked who, in the assistance, had seen an UFO. The young had a printout of the photograph with him and presented it.

He was then interviewed by journalist Francine Buchy from the FR3 TV channel:

Francine Buchy: when did you see this object? Didier Burr: It was on may 26, 1975 at 07:45 p.m. at the time when I closed the shutters of my bedroom. I saw it by chance, at the moment of the twilight. Francine Buchy: How did you have the reflex to photograph the object which you suddenly had glimpsed? Didier Burr: My father had just recently offered an old camera with bellows to me, which formerly belonged to him. There was a film loaded and the apparatus, which was on my desk, was engaged, ready to be used. Whereas I closed my shutters, I saw something which went down and, immediately, I leapt at y camera which was very close to me. Without knowing if the object was in the collimator, I shot while aiming approximately, without taking time to set up anything. Francine Buchy: How long did you see this object? Didier Burr: Approximately 10 to 15 seconds. It went down vertically. Then, it disappeared towards the south. It resembled an opaque black disc without any reflection nor relief, and it evolved without noise, at least, I did not hear any noise. It should be said that there was trafic in the street lower and this might have covered a possible noise. Francine Buchy: What did you do after having taken your photograph? Didier Burr: As I was not sure at all that the photography was sucessful, I completely forgot it and, actually, I had it developped only three months afterwards. The result left me perplexed, but actually it was essentially the reactions of my entourage whch disappointed me the most. Everyone laughed at me when I told my story. Only in my family was the story believed, but, my friends in high-school made openly fun of me.

The witness' father:

Francine Buchy: On May 26, 1975, at the time of the appearance recorded by your son, you were outside, on the pavement? Jean-Marie Burr: Oui, c'est ça, je me trouvais à l'extérieur de la maison, sur le trottoir, quand mon fils m'a appelé par la fenêtre, tout excité, en me disant qu'il venait de voir et de photographier un OVNI. Bien sûr, sur le moment, je n'y ai pas cru du tout. Yes, that's it, I was outside of the house, on the pavement, when my son called me by the window, excited, while saying to me that it had just seen and to photograph an UFO. Of course, at the time, I did not believe there of the whole. Francine Buchy: You didn't see it? Jean-Marie Burr: Oh, no, unfortunately, I did not see anything. I regret that a lot, by the way. Francine Buchy: So you did not believe your son? Jean-Marie Burr: No, on the moment, absolutely not. We spoke about it, then, later, it completely slipped out of my mind. Francine Buchy: And when, three months later, you saw the photograph, what was your reaction? Jean-Marie Burr: Well! I was stunned, totally stunned. Francine Buchy: Didier's entourage didn't believe it either? Jean-Marie Burr: Didier's entourage started to believe. My wife and myself and my parents also believed him. But I noted, if only at the photographers or among people with whom I spoke about it, huge incredulity, that's the least to say. Francine Buchy: Now, you are certain of the authenticity of the photograph taken by Didier? Jean-Marie Burr: Ah! that, absolutely. I stand for his sincerity and I can add, moreover, that Didier does not have nor the necessary material and even less the knowledge to have made a fake on the film or the negative one which you have examined.

As for Robert Roussel, he very lengthily examined the color negative, made several printouts of its in black and white with different enlargement. He concluded: Information that the enlargements provide us makes it possible for us to visualize an opaque object in the shape of disc, as described it Didier Burr, with, in the center, a less dense contour or lighter. On the colorprint, you can clearly distinguish a purplish belt which surrounds the whole craft. The rather slow shutter speed enhanced a slightly fuzzy image of the UFO whereas the totality of photography remains perfectly clear. It is difficult to imagine a hoax by the high-school pupil, and time that he took before seeking to know the results of his shot is indicative, I think, of the sincerity of his testimony. This photography is certainly one of the rare authentic French documents, with those of police officer Flouret at Révigny-sur-Omain in the Meuse. It never had the honors of specialized publications, which makes it, in my eyes, even more valuable.

Varese, Italy, 1950-- Bruno Facchini's Wild Night

April 24th, 1950
Varese, Italy

On the 24th day of April 1950, 42 year old factory worker Bruno Facchini (left) was working the late shift, and stepped outside to get some fresh air on his break. His home city of Varese in Italy had just had a severe thunderstorm. The last distant streaks of lightning were still visible as Bruno decided to see if the electrical system had popped a circuit breaker. He was taken completely aback at what he saw not far from the factory doors. Investigating a bright glowing light which he thought was part of a factory transformer problem, he was shocked to see a circular shaped, glowing object with a ladder descended from its bottom. At the top of the UFO was a greenish glow which partially obscured a light-skinned being. The unusual being appeared to be welding something on the craft. Bruno's first impression of the craft was that it was a type of experimental craft from a nearby air base. His impression was quickly altered by the sight of several other small alien creatures which emerged from the craft. In a moment or two, the ladder began to be drawn up into the mysterious craft, and the beings began to reenter the craft through an invisible door of some kind.

The full realization of what he was witnessing sent Bruno into a full run away from the frightening encounter. As he fled, he heard a sound like that of a large beehive. One of the remaining creatures pointed a type of weapon at the scared worker, and a beam of force knocked him to the ground. Although in pain, he was able to watch the last activities of the strange aliens as they prepared the craft to take off. The beehive like sound increased as the object made its way into the skies and vanished from view. The next day, Bruno made a full report of his encounter to the police force. There were signs still visible of the activities of the night before.

Police found burned patches on the ground, and indentation marks of an extremely heavy object. Also found were some odd, green pieces of a metal-like substance. Bruno recounted the welding operation, and suggested that the green pieces of debris were refuse of the process. The fragments were analyzed. The results of this test concluded that the fragments were an "anti-friction" material, containing several types of metal along with a lubricant. In September 1953, UFO investigators had their own tests conducted on the green substance. A scientific institute specializing in metallurgy assessed that the fragments were 74% copper, 19% tin, and other trace elements. The substance, under heavy magnification was a yellow-white color, but did not contain any metals which could not be found on Earth. These conclusions did not entirely rule out the possibility of an extraterrestrial connection in the case of Bruno Facchini. There is no way to conclude that the metal composition could not be made on another planet. Facchini's accept was taken very seriously by all who knew him. He was a respectable man, well liked, and considered to be reliable and trustworthy. He gained nothing from his tale of the strange object and occupants he described on the night of April 24, 1950.
source: Eye witness statements, UFO Italy.
http://www.ufocasebook.com/vareseitaly1950.html

Varese (pronounced [vaˈreze] in Italian; Baretium in Latin) is a city in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.

The province of Varese already had its share of UFO sightings, yet this case is in fact one of the most well known "early" close encounters of the third kind in Italy. Here is the full and correct story:

Bruno Facchini, 40, is a mechanic, married, father of a young boy, lives in a colonial house in Abbiate Guazzone, Varese, Italy, a few miles from the motorway to Milan.

On 24th April 1950, at 10:00pm, the rain had just stopped after a violent thunderstorm, and he went outside his home to go to the toilet seat in a shack, and when he was about to return home after smoking a cigarette, he saw several strange flashing lights which at the time he thought were being generated by the storm, in a field adjacent to his home.

He decided to investigate anyway, because the lights were in the direction of a power line pole. The high voltage power line goes right over the village, and another of its poles is right in front of his home. He thought that a power cable may have fallen to the ground, which may explain the flashes, and he became afraid that his kid might get hurt if he grabbed it when playing outside the next day. He took a pathway that delimited the ground of a furnace and walked toward the place where he saw the flashing light, but saw nothing anymore. As he was about to go back to his home, he saw the lights again, and went in their direction again.

He told Antonio Giudicci:

"It was still a little farther. I decided to go there. Then I saw there a huge dark shape, like a ball, with a flattened top."

He saw that the dark object some 200 yards away, next to the power line pole. He estimated it to be 10 meters large and 7 meters high.

He told Antonio Giudicci:

"In the middle [of the shape] there was a small ladder, lightened by a green light. Almost immediately, I understood that the light came from some sort of lamp handled by a standing man who seemed to be engaged in welding. He wore something like a diving suit and a mask."

Later he summarized for the press:

"Next to a power line pole and to a [gelso, ?] I saw a huge, round shape. From the illuminated disc, a ladder came down. A door opened. I could see inside the UFO, because a light diffused inside, there was another ladder leading to a higher level of the craft; on the walls, there were bottles connected together in rows and between them I could notice that there were gauges and tubes."

He told Antonio Giudicci:

"Driven by curiosity, at went closer, and I saw two other people, with the same clothing, moving slowly around the craft - I guessed that their diving suit was heavy and slowed down their movements. The craft, lighted by the welding tool, cast metallic reflections back."

The sparks Facchini had seen were pouring out of pipes; which one of the figure was working on with some type of device. The inside of the craft could be partially seen through an open vent. Inside were lots of dials and cylinders. The air around the craft was unusually warm and a buzzing sound like a giant beehive was heard constantly.

All the figures were similarly dressed in grayish one-piece tight fitting clothes and were wearing helmets but their faces were concealed behind masks from the front of which emerged one flexible pipe which reminded him of a breathing tube. Facchini later said he found them to be of the same size than human beings, about 1 meter 70.

At that time he thought that an aircraft in trouble because of the storm had landed and that the people were trying to do some repair, or maybe be some American pilots, repairing some new aircraft that failed and he did not know of. After watching for a while, he approached within four to five meters of the craft and offered his help:

He then started to realize they might not be American pilots, as the beings started to converse with each other and call him in "a guttural language," and also because they moved with difficulties and made "strange gestures" at him, which he felt may be an offer to come aboard. The invitation and the realization that they were not human threw him in a state of panic.

He told Antonio Giudicci:

"I offered to help, but the only answer I received were some guttural sounds that were not understandable. I wondered what their intentions were. I had the feeling they were inviting me aboard. Suddenly I heard an uproar, like the amplified buzz of a bee, or a huge power generator. I saw another ladder in the interior of the craft, and all around, tubes, cylinders, and gauges. I understood that this was not a plane, and I was seized by panic, I started to run away."

"I was not so close anymore when I turned my head back. I saw one of the men raise some sort of apparatus he carried at his side and beam a ray of light in my direction. I started to run again, but immediately, I felt as if I was cut in two parts by some cutting tool or by a jet of compressed air and I fell flat."

Later he told to the press:

"After a while I saw four beings around the disc. Two were beside the ladder. A third one seemed to attempt to weld together a group of tubes. Exactly this operation produced the strange flashing that had attracted my attention. Thinking that this was some test of a secret prototype, I approached them asking if they had need for help. The beings started to make strange gestures and emitted guttural sounds, something like "gurr... gurr..." At that moment the craft was started and it was only then that I understood that they were not human beings. Seized by panic, I started to run away. While I ran, I has a glimpse at them and I saw that one of those individuals was directing something at me."

He felt pushed to the ground for several yards and knocked down. Later he said it was like feeling a strong discharge and a burning sensation on the skin of his abdomen. He stayed on the ground but looked what was going on.

Shortly afterwards, when the repairs has apparently been completed, the "American pilots" then returned to their craft, a trap through which light had been shining was closed and the craft took off sideways, making a heavy buzzing sound.

He told Antonio Giudicci:

"They seemed not to be interested in my anymore. I am convinced they only wanted to scare me and had no intention to do anything wrong to me." "They were busy in removing the scaffold and withdrawing the ladder. Then the door closed. All the lights went out. And the buzzing sound continued. Suddenly the sound became louder. The craft took off, gained speed and disappeared."

Later he told to the press:

"I was hit at the back by a light beam, and it had such a force that I felt pushed. I lost my equilibrium and I hit the ground, knocking my the head against a stone. Hurt, scared and [intontito. ?], I stayed on the ground without moving. In the meantime those beings were finishing their welding job. Then they all entered in the disc, it closed and went away."

He stayed on the ground for a while, looking at the sky. Everything was silent again. Finally he went back home, and unsurprisingly he could not sleep very well that night.

The following day Facchini returned to the site, because he had lost his cigarette box there when he fell. He noticed that there were some traces and four circular depressions of one-meter diameter each, arranged in a square pattern of 6 meters side length. The grass around it is burnt and lots of pieces of melted metal are on the ground.

"The next morning, after a sleepless night, I went back to the location and I found four wide circular traces, a meter wide each. The grass in it was burnt. on various places on the ground, there were pieces of metal."

Facchini then went to the police headquarters of Varese and an investigation was carried out by unmotivated policemen there and also allegedly by military technicians (the presence of military technician may well be an exaggeration of the Press.)

The police went on location and saw the ground traces, and Facchini or the police handled the debris who were sent to the research institute for the studies of metals in Novara. The institute examined the samples and merely said they were heat-resistant, antifriction metal, which were commented as "would be ideal in space flight to face the burn-up as the craft entered the Earth's atmosphere," although it is not clear who made that comment.

Several days after the encounter, Facchini estimated he was hurt enough to justify a visit to an MD. The MD found that Facchini had a blackened mark where the beam hit him, and this mark grew until it covered his entire back, causing him pains for a whole month. Because he was thrown to the ground when hit by the beam, he also had several normal wounds.

The next year, some of the debris are examined again by Renato Vesco, from Genova, one of the very first Italian private UFO investigator, and Vesco concluded the samples are essentially bronze with an elevated percentage of pond and some traces of lead.

Facchini said he never really recovered psychologically. Many ufologists visited him time and time again, to check if he really told the story they read in ufological publications, and he always did, with no changes in the account.

In 1981, Italian ufologist Ezio Bernardini met him, and re-interviewed him. Nothing in the story had changed. Facchini told him that when he saw the moon landings on TV, he was stunned that the astronauts' suits reminded him to the suits of his visitors. He described their clothing as "diving suits" in 1950, but now he understood that they were "space suits" or earth-landing suits if you will.

A Navy officer reported a conversation with Facchini:

"You are really a luck one! I would have given a lot to be able to admire shat you saw, this technological marvel!"

Facchini's answer was bitter.

"Lucky, Me? If I had known how much trouble I would get from this experience, I would not have said one word about it, guaranteed!"

http://www.ufologie.net/htm/abbiateguazzone.htm

BRUNO FACCHINI: A FAMOUS ITALIAN CE-III WITNESS RE-VISITED

Ezio Bernardini, excerpt from FSR 1987 No. 4

(C.U.N., Italian National Ufological Centre) (Translation from Italian)

Premise

On April 24, 1950, at a place called Abbiate Guaz-zone (Varese region — 45D 49 N., 8° 50 E.), which lies slightly to the east of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, the 42-year-old worker Bruno Facchini was the protagonist of a truly mind-boggling experience which, at the time, received widespread treatment both in the Italian regular press and in the "Rivista Aeronautica " (Aeronautical Review).

Facchini, a capable and highly esteemed worker, employed at the time in a local firm, was living in a little house on the outskirts of the village. He had stepped outside from the house [and noticed a flash.] [When he went to investigate], he perceived an enormous black shadow, almost round, "like a ball flattened from above". In the middle of it there was a small ladder, from the top of which was coming a faint greenish light, and he was now able to see at close hand the source of the flashing. An individual wearing a "diver's suit" and a mask, on top of a sort of pneumatic lift, seemed to be welding something. The hull of the craft, lit by the glow from the welding, gave off metallic reflections. Two other individuals, about 1 m 70 in height, also in "divers' suits", were moving very slowly around the craft, as though hampered by the suits they were wearing. Over their faces they wore masks of the same dark colour as the "divers' suits", terminating at the level of the mouth in a tube with a little opening at the end.

Facchini's first thought was that it was a military aircraft in difficulty (the military airfields of Vergiate and Venegono were only a few kilometres distant), and he went up and asked if he could be of any help. The response was some incomprehensible guttural sounds. Meanwhile, in the interior of the object, he had caught sight of a second ladder, and all around on the walls, tubes, cylinders, and gauges. At the same time, he noticed a noise "like the sound of a gigantic beehive".

At that point it was that Bruno Facchini grasped that he was in the presence of no aeroplane. Seized with panic, he took to his heels.

Turning back as he ran, he saw one of the crew point at him a sort of "photographic apparatus" that he was wearing round his neck, and shoot a beam of light at him. He felt immediately as though he had been struck by a powerful jet of compressed air and it sent him rolling on the ground. Bruised and aching, but perfectly conscious, Facchini then saw the lift descend, bringing down with it the individual with the welding equipment, and then reduce in size until it (the lift) was a sort of small box. Then the crew put it into the craft. The ladder was now drawn in and the door closed. Then the hum that Facchini had heard right at the start became louder and, a few instants later, the craft rose and vanished at a fantastic speed into the darkness of the night.

Next day, Facchini reported the matter to the Police Station in Varese, and the Authorities started their investigations at the spot. On the ground, which was quite hard, were visible four round impressions about one metre in diameter and distant about six metres from each other and set in a square. The grass was scorched or withered, and some small fragments of metal were found at the site; probably the remains from the welding. They were of a shiny metal with a granulous surface which, when analyzed, was defined as "an anti-friction metal", very resistant to heat.

Source: Ezio Bernardini, excerpt from FSR 1987 No. 4