Italian Committee for Project Hessdalen Comitato Italiano per il Progetto Hessdalen A rebuttal of the EMBLA 2002 report on the optical survey in Hessdalen MATTEO LEONE Italian Committee for Project Hessdalen (CIPH) scientific advisor e-mail:
[email protected] Abstract – On August 2002, a scientific expedition to the Hessdalen valley (Norway) – code-named EMBLA – aimed at investigating on an unidentified atmospheric light-phenomenon, was carried out by the physics section of an Italian team of scientists. According to the EMBLA 2002 physics report, the evidence collected point at an unknown atmospheric light phenomenon “able to produce a luminous power of up to 100 kW”. The photometrical and spectroscopical data collected by the team of scientists on August 2002 are analysed and reasons for rejecting the suggested conclusions are presented in this paper. Furthermore, it is proposed an explanation that satisfactorily explains the evidence in terms of a known phenomenon. In spite of this negative findings, the anecdotal evidence collected by this author at Hessdalen suggests that clearly-defined, specific studies into the field of anomalous aerial phenomena should be supported. 1. Introduction Hessdalen is a valley stretching over 12 km of a thinly populated area (Bygdekatalog, 2000) of central Norway, south-east of Trondheim and near the Swedish border (Dalsbygda, 1992; Haltdalen, 1995). As from November 1981 a series of unidentified lights had been reported by the residents of the valley. According to the sighting reports the lights were seen hovering or moving around at various speed. These lights could be anywhere. Sometimes they were reported to be just above the roof of the houses, or just above the ground.