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SYDENHAM: Mum and daughter's alien fear over UFO sighting
8:10am Monday 16th November 2009
A mother and daughter had the fright of their lives when they saw two strange orange lights in the sky.
Nurse Sue Hentschel was driving her teenage daughter Jessica to a dance class when they witnessed a terrifying vision in the sky.
Their car was stuck in heavy Sydenham traffic on November 2 at around 6.10pm when they saw two mysterious lights.
Mrs Hentschel, of Stembridge Road, Anerley, said: “We saw these two lights which were orange coming towards us.
“My daughter looked up and said ‘Mum, what’s that?’
“I didn’t know. I just said ‘What the hell is that? What is it?’”
She says they stared dumbfounded for several minutes as the lights hovered over Hazeldene School.
Mrs Hentschel stuck her head out the window to make sure it was not a reflection she was witnessing.
Jessica took photographs of the objects using her mobile phone.
Mrs Hentschel said: “I was looking over at other people’s cars to see if they noticed but everyone was just trying to get home, travelling along in a daze.
“One light moved in front as if they were coming nearer to each other.
“Then one just shot up into the sky at a million miles an hour. It shot into the atmosphere and disappeared.
“The other one just turned into an orange dot in the sky.”
She said: “If it was 1am on a Saturday and I’d had a few glasses of wine I’d understand.
“I thought crikey, this is really amazing. I’m a total believer now.
“I think it was some sort of UFO activity, I really do. It really did look like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
She added: “I don’t know if they were aliens or not. I guess they must have been aliens if something was inside.”
Mrs Hentschel admits the alien encounter has badly affected her 15-year-old daughter.
She said: “My daughter’s terrified. It really scares her.
“I keep saying to her we’ve been chosen, we’re going to be abducted.
“I think I’ve frightened the life out of her.”
OTHER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
In February, Jack Regan filmed incredible footage of two orange lights in the sky over Mottingham.
Bexley police were inundated with calls in April 2007 reporting a potential alien invasion after similar lights were seen in the night sky. They turned out to be Chinese lanterns launched by college students.
In October 1993, PC Tony Francis was called to an address in Gravesend after reports of a UFO from a mother and her son. The craft was described as changing its shape from that of a bell to an oval with protruding spikes.
In 1955, more than 30 people reportedly claimed seeing a circular craft hovering above the ground in King Harold's Way, Bexleyheath.
Aviation enthusiast Douglas Wragg witnessed a cylinder-shaped flying object over Petts Wood in January 2000 which was "nothing to do with aviation". Describing it as like "two rolls of carpet covered in black plastic", one on top of the other, it climbed to about 20,000ft.
Stephany Cohen told News Shopper in 2003 how aliens called Grays were giving her orgasms. Miss Cohen expected the aliens from the planet Sirrus D to use her body to communicate with humanity. Miss Cohen believes the Grays have been her spiritual guides for many lifetimes, including when she was Joan of Arc in the 1400s.
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Your Say YourLondon
bob grimes, south says...
9:54am Mon 16 Nov 09
phil the fish, london says...
10:50am Mon 16 Nov 09
I don’t think they can be lanterns as one of the orange lights was described as moving very, very fast into the atmosphere and the other just become a dot. Lanterns just float in the air until the soft glow burns or is blown out by the wind but these were described as travelling at a ‘million miles an hour’.
The down playing of the UFO phenomena over the decades has left people open to a reality that few are prepared for and so gives rise to fear and shock.
This is now becoming main stream news and so it should be. When you get the Pope calling to ‘study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and it’s implication for the Catholic Church’, you know there is some pretty convincing evidence out there.
The five day conference at the Vatican Observatory included thirty scientists from Britain, France, Switzerland, US and Chile, Catholic and non Catholic.
jca111, Bromley says...
12:26pm Mon 16 Nov 09
phil the fish wrote:My I suggest that the moving at "Millions of Miles per hour" pay have just been the lantern flickering out and appering to dissappear, thus providing the illusion that it shot up into the air.
It’s great to see that this subject is now talked about openly and reported. It’s because that it has been below the radar for so long that you get reactions that you do, like that of the daughter.
I don’t think they can be lanterns as one of the orange lights was described as moving very, very fast into the atmosphere and the other just become a dot. Lanterns just float in the air until the soft glow burns or is blown out by the wind but these were described as travelling at a ‘million miles an hour’.
The down playing of the UFO phenomena over the decades has left people open to a reality that few are prepared for and so gives rise to fear and shock.
This is now becoming main stream news and so it should be. When you get the Pope calling to ‘study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and it’s implication for the Catholic Church’, you know there is some pretty convincing evidence out there.
The five day conference at the Vatican Observatory included thirty scientists from Britain, France, Switzerland, US and Chile, Catholic and non Catholic.
Sounds like it. They are defo lanterns. I have launched a few, and the look exactly like these photos.
Also - Nov 2 - very close to Bonfire night!
thescientist, Sidcup says...
5:35pm Mon 16 Nov 09
phil the fish, london says...
9:28pm Mon 16 Nov 09
jca111, Bromley says...
11:18am Tue 17 Nov 09
phil the fish wrote:You are looking at the bottom of the lantern. The dark area of the ring is the tray which the wick/candle sits in.
No one can say that they are defiantly anything as yet, terrestrial, extraterrestrial or a natural phenomenon. But from the photo I find the explanation of lanterns the least plausible. The main heat source, the lightest parts of the objects are at the top when it should be at the bottom, also the general overall shape is not as I can see, lantern shaped.
Just above each tray, you can see the brighter area of the flames from the candle/wick.
The camera (a mobile phone camera) did not have enough sensitivity to capture the relitively low light glow from the canopy above, but the human eye could well have done.
If you look hard, you can even make out the small wires that hold the teray in place in the middle of the lantern.
phil the fish, london says...
4:27pm Tue 17 Nov 09
jaynie, welling says...
5:00pm Tue 17 Nov 09
jca111, Bromley says...
5:06pm Tue 17 Nov 09
phil the fish wrote:At least if you are going to diss the lantern theory - have a look at one!
How is the Tea Light able to shine a light down and illuminate the ring outside of the tray so brightly and yet no able to light up the balloon above? For the luminosity to act in the way that you are suggesting just doesn’t work. What ever the size of the light source (let alone a tiny tea light) it could not creep over the sides of the metal tea light case and then creep over the edge of any tray and light up the outside edge and/or bottom. This explanation doesn’t work with the laws of physics. Light travels in straight lines and you wouldn’t be able to see such a bright circle when viewed from below.
The "candle" usually is about the size of a doughnut. Its a paper wodge soacked in wax and parafin.
The flames ride up about 12-18 inches from one. The lanterns are usually 2-3 foot high. They are quite large.
They are not powered by a tea-light!
The light travels in straght lines. Its is reflected off the paper sides (usually white, so a good reflection).
Open up your eyes - stop looking for wacky & crazy answers, when the most obvious one (albeit boring one) is staring you in the face
Thorgils, London says...
5:40pm Tue 17 Nov 09
jackiee, Surrey says...
8:13pm Tue 17 Nov 09
!!!!!! (in the best Scottish accent I can muster aka Dad's Army).
potsonna, USA says...
12:19am Thu 19 Nov 09
reptiles, bexley says...
11:44am Thu 19 Nov 09
typecastboy, Orpington says...
12:24pm Fri 20 Nov 09
kevint1972, Beckenham says...
6:06pm Fri 20 Nov 09
madras, petts wood says...
11:51am Sun 22 Nov 09
“I think I’ve frightened the life out of her. "
In which case, might I respectfully suggest you don't keep saying that to her. D'oh...
DavidK, Beckenham says...
5:17pm Wed 25 Nov 09
The next night I saw them again. However, on the 2nd night I saw them a lot sooner. They were indeed Chinese Lanterns. When the lanterns eventually burn out they do appear to make a "darting" action. These lanterns can be seen here:
http://www.nightskyl
anterns.co.uk/chines
e-lanterns/white-tra
ditional-sky-lantern
s/prod_8.html
Since this date I have seen a few more lanterns being released.
No aliens this time I'm afraid!!
Sue Hentschel's daughter Jessica took snaps of the strange lights
The Hentschels were terrified by the sight
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jca111, Bromley says...
9:37am Mon 16 Nov 09
They are Chinese Lanterns! you can even see the candle holder at the bottom! You can pick them up from ebay for a few quid.
They have become very popular over the last decade or so as an alternative to fireworks, so are used at partys, weddings etc.