The Science Quiz | Unidentified flying objects

Questions:

1. Fifty-five years ago on this day, the US Air Force concluded its 17-year investigation into unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and the threat they posed to national security. What was the codename of this exercise?

2. On December 13, Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland state in the USA, posted a video on a social media platform which he claimed was evidence of three drones flying in a straight line. But astronomers quickly pointed out the lights were stars in which famous constellation?

3. During World War II, Allied and Axis pilots of fighter jets reported orbs of bright light in the sky that seemed to fly quickly and often disappear without a trace. Scientists later attributed the phenomenon to unusual electrical discharges between the jets’ wings and the air. What did the pilots call these orbs? Hint: It’s also the name of a popular rock band.

4. When air flows around an object containing a high voltage, a light-emitting plasma surrounds the object, sometimes with a buzzing sound. What’s the colloquial name for this phenomenon? Sailors of the pre-modern era have reported sensing these lights and sounds above their ships’ masts.

5. Name the controversial Harvard University scientist who launched Project Galileo in 2021 to investigate UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena on or around the earth. He had first sought NASA’s involvement in the project but the agency didn’t respond.

Visual:

This photo taken in North Dakota in 2009 shows a sun pillar in the centre flanked by two ___ ____, an atmospheric phenomenon sometimes confused with UFOs. Fill in the blanks. Credit: Public domain

Answers:

1. Project Blue Book

2. Orion

3. Foo fighters

4. St. Elmo’s fire

5. Avi Loeb

Visual: Sun dogs