Cosmic Scouts: Michio Kaku on UFOs as Probes from Type III Civilizations

Physicist Michio Kaku has publicly discussed the theoretical capabilities of extraterrestrial civilizations, particularly in the context of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs or UFOs). He argues that if such objects are indeed spacecraft from non-human intelligences capable of interstellar or intergalactic travel, they would likely originate from a highly advanced civilization, potentially a Type III on the Kardashev scale, possessing the ability to manipulate space and time.

The Challenge of Cosmic Distances

Kaku emphasizes the immense distances separating stars and galaxies, which render travel by conventional means (like current human rocket technology) impractical for interstellar voyages, requiring tens of thousands of years to reach even the nearest stars. For intergalactic travel, the distances are millions of times greater.

Could UAPs be the scout spacecraft of a galactic civilization?

Kardashev Type III
UAPs: are they from Kardashev Type III civilizations?

To answer that, we must journey into the realm of theoretical physics and cosmic evolution.
Imagine beings who have mastered energies on a scale that dwarfs our planetary concerns. That is the domain of a Kardashev Type III civilization.

The Kardashev Scale (after Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev) classifies civilizations by their energy consumption:

  • A Type 0 civilization, like our own, derives its energy from dead plants and animals (oil, coal) and is still subject to the whims of nature. We are, in cosmic terms, infants.
  • Type I civilization has mastered planetary energy. They can control the weather, harness the power of their entire planet, and utilize all the sunlight that strikes its surface. Think of Buck Rogers.
  • Type II civilization has graduated to stellar power. They can consume the entire energy output of their parent star. Dyson spheres, theoretical megastructures that could encompass a star, are a hallmark of such a civilization. Star Trek’s Federation is beginning to approach this level.
  • Then, there’s Type III: a galactic civilization. They command the power of an entire galaxy, perhaps harnessing the energy of billions of stars, maybe even manipulating black holes. Think of “Star Wars” or the ancient builders in many science fiction sagas.

Intergalactic travel isn’t a matter of building a bigger rocket. To traverse millions of light-years in any reasonable timeframe, you must manipulate space-time itself—harnessing Planck-scale energies to open wormholes or drive a warp bubble.

Who could wield such power?

Type I powers a planet.
Type II powers a solar system.
Only a Type III civilization can treat a galaxy as its playground—warping, folding, or tunneling through space-time at will.

So, if these UFOs are indeed piloted by beings from another world, and if they demonstrate capabilities like instantaneous acceleration, right-angle turns at hypersonic speeds, and, crucially, the ability to traverse interstellar or even intergalactic distances, then we are not dealing with a civilization just a few centuries ahead of us. The sheer energy requirements and the physics involved point to something far grander.

Such beings would likely be the product of a Type III civilization. They would have long ago mastered the fundamental forces, unlocked secrets of space-time that we are only just beginning to ponder, and command energies that could light up (or extinguish) stars.

While we must always approach these UAP reports with scientific rigor and skepticism, it’s an intriguing thought experiment. If they are real, and not of this Earth, then the beings behind them are not just visitors from another star; they are potentially emissaries from a civilization so advanced, they are practically gods in their ability to manipulate the cosmos.

It opens up the tantalizing, and perhaps humbling, possibility that we are but a tiny part of a much larger, far more advanced, cosmic neighborhood. The universe, it seems, is far more fascinating than we ever imagined.


FACT CHECK

The above text aligns with Dr. Michio Kaku’s public statements on:

  1. The Kardashev Scale and Civilizational Classification
  2. Type III civilizations’ capacity for intergalactic travel
  3. The physics of space-time manipulation (Planck energy, wormholes, warp drives)
  4. Recent UAP commentary (extreme maneuvers in Navy pilot footage, implied G-forces, trans-medium capabilities)

1. On the Kardashev Scale and Classification of Civilizations

Dr. Kaku frequently uses the Kardashev Scale as a framework to discuss the potential advancement of civilizations based on their energy consumption. He describes:

• Type 0 (like ours, reliant on fossil fuels)
• Type I (planetary; controlling weather and planetary energy)
• Type II (stellar; harnessing the entire output of their star, e.g. via a Dyson sphere)
• Type III (galactic; commanding the energy of an entire galaxy)

2. On Type III Civilizations and Intergalactic Travel

The article posits that intergalactic travel requires mastering energies on a galactic scale—a feat of a Type III civilization. Dr. Kaku agrees, suggesting such a civilization would have colonized its galaxy and harnessed the energy of billions of stars. He explicitly links Type III civilizations with space-time manipulation technologies (wormholes, warp drives).

3. On Advanced Technology and Manipulating Space-Time

The article notes that traversing intergalactic distances necessitates manipulating the fabric of space and time, including harnessing Planck energy. Dr. Kaku explains that while Special Relativity forbids FTL locally, General Relativity allows global warping of space-time. He emphasizes that only the colossal energies of a Type III civilization could achieve such feats.

4. On UFOs/UAPs and Highly Advanced Civilizations

The article speculates that if UAPs are extraterrestrial and exhibit capabilities beyond our physics, they might originate from Type III civilizations. Dr. Kaku has spoken increasingly about UAPs, noting new Navy pilot footage and other evidence. He points out that UAP characteristics (Mach 5–20 speeds, rapid accel­eration, hundreds of Gs, transmedium travel) imply technologies far beyond ours. He cautions that these beings could be thousands or millions of years more advanced, placing them in the realm of Type III.


References:

The Signal

A Science Fiction Short Story: In a universe filled with mysteries, the discovery of an extraterrestrial signal could change everything.

Chapter 1: The Question

Ray Faser leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, staring at the projection of Earth’s nuclear test history—a timeline of detonations stretching from 1945 to 1996. The data pulsed like a slow, irregular heartbeat.

Two thousand nuclear blasts. Each one had sent an electromagnetic scream (EMP) into the void.

On the other side of the screen, Dr. Elias Varen, a senior astrophysicist with the SETI Institute, adjusted his glasses.
“You’re suggesting we’ve already announced ourselves.”

Ray consulted a printout and smirked.

A thermonuclear bomb blast in 1961 emitted 10 billion times more radio waves than the Arecibo message. Click to view the calculations (PDF).

“I’m saying we lit a bonfire in the ‘Dark Forest‘. And now we’re whispering ‘Hello?’ like we’re afraid of being rude.”

Varen exhaled. “The difference is intent. A nuclear EMP is noise. A structured message is a handshake.”

Ray leaned forward. “You think an advanced civilization hears a thousand atomic explosions and thinks, ‘Hmm, must be background radiation’? They’ll know what it is. And they’ll know it’s dangerous.”

Chapter 2: The UAP Variable

The Pentagon’s recent disclosures hung between them like an unspoken specter. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena—craft defying known physics, lingering in Earth’s skies for decades.

Ray tapped the table. “If they’re already here, silence isn’t caution. It’s stupidity. We should be sending ‘We come in peace’ in every frequency we’ve got.”

Varen’s jaw tightened. “Or we’re confirming we’re a threat. Nuclear weapons, uncontrolled emissions—what if they’re waiting to see if we grow up?”

“Or waiting to see if we shoot first,” Ray countered. “The Dark Forest isn’t just a theory. It’s a mirror. We’re the ones who nuked ourselves two thousand times. We’re the predators.”

Chapter 3: The Silence Gambit

A new voice cut in—Dr. Elena Papadakis, a xenopsychologist. “Assume they have detected us. Silence could be read as hostility. A predator hiding.”

Varen shook his head. “Or prudence.”

Ray laughed bitterly. “Prudence? We’re ostriches. Heads in the sand, asses in the air.”

He pulled up the latest UAP footage—a tic-tac object maneuvering at Mach 10. “They aren’t hiding. Why are we?”

Chapter 4: The Decision

The room fell quiet. The screen flickered, overlaying Earth’s radio bubble—expanding at light speed for a century, a glowing sphere of TV broadcasts, radar pings, and nuclear EMPs that might just serve as an unintended extraterrestrial signal.

Elena broke the silence. “If they’re here, they already know who we are. The question isn’t if we signal. It’s what we say.”

Ray leaned back. “How about ‘We’re not all psychopaths’?”

Varen didn’t smile. “Or we prove it.”

Outside, the stars burned cold and distant. Waiting.

Epilogue: The First Message

Three months later, the Arecibo successor array sent a single, repeating sequence toward a UAP hotspot.

Not mathematics. Not science.

Music.
Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

A handshake—or a plea.

The Dark Forest listened.

——————-

Author’s note
The character of Ray Faser (and his author) have been waiting for reactivation ever since their first and last appearance in a short science-fiction story in a school newspaper in 1979.

Reference:
The history of nuclear testing began early on the morning of 16 July 1945 at a desert test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico when the United States exploded its first atomic bomb. In the five decades between that fateful day in 1945 and the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, over 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out all over the world.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-nuclear-tests-day/history

Arecibo message power vs Tsar Bomba Calculation
(Nuclear bomb sent 10 billion times more radio waves into space than Arecibo.) (PDF) Arecibo message power vs Tsar Bomba Calculation

—————————-
#fypシ゚

The Sagan Paradox, Chapter 6: Explaining Away Alien Sightings

“Alien lifeforms would visit Earth only if life in the universe is rare,
but then there wouldn’t be enough alien visitors to explain the countless UFO reports.”

Did Carl Sagan privately believe in UFOs, despite his public skepticism? 🤔 Dive into ‘The Sagan Paradox, Chapter 6,’ which explores Sagan’s famous argument against extraterrestrial visits and fascinating claims about his alleged private views. Investigative journalist Paola Harris shares an account from Dr. J. Allen Hynek, suggesting Sagan might have admitted to believing UFOs were real, but couldn’t risk his research funding by speaking openly. Discover the tension between Sagan’s public stance and these intriguing allegations.

Sagan’s Defining Argument

The “Sagan Paradox” was first formulated in 1969 at an American symposium on the UFO phenomenon in Boston. Carl Sagan and Thornton Page served as co-chairs of this event. It was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The title of the symposium was: UFOs – The Scientific Debate

It was here that the renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan advanced an argument. The argument was meant to explain why there could be no extraterrestrially crewed “flying saucers.”

The Boston War Memorial Auditorium, site of the AAAS symposium in December 26.-28. Dec. 1969

The Rare Earth Hypothesis: Sagan’s Core Premise for
“THE SAGAN PARADOX”

Carl Sagan argued that the Earth had to be somehow special in the cosmos to attract the attention of aliens. The special position of the Earth is its life on it, which Sagan said is very rare in the cosmos.

Because life in the cosmos is so rare, according to Carl Sagan, there are not enough extraterrestrial civilizations in the vicinity of the Earth. Therefore, they cannot visit us in the huge numbers that the thousands of UFO sightings every year since 1947 suggest (~2312 yearly).

On the other hand, if there were actually as many alien civilizations as the number of sightings suggests, then life on Earth would not be special. Consequently, our planet would not be worth visiting with a spaceship.

As a result, UFOs controlled by aliens could not exist but are exclusively false alerts, implied Sagan.


Mock-up and additional enhancement of the famous British Calvine UFO photo, after Nick Pope. The original six photos are in color. The MOD has blocked their release until 2072. Wikipedia

The core of this paradox, as presented by Sagan, lies in the tension between the potential number of advanced technical civilizations in the galaxy and the lack of convincing evidence for frequent visits to Earth.

Sagan’s Skepticism: Witness Testimony

Carl Sagan regarded witness evidence for UFOs as insufficient to constitute robust scientific proof. He attributed accounts to human fallibilities, including emotional desire, boredom, paranoia, and a low tolerance for ambiguity. Consequently, these factors often result in self-deception and the misinterpretation of ordinary phenomena.

Photographic Evidence

Sagan also found UFO photographs unconvincing, due to their poor quality and ease of manipulation. Moreover, the lack of physical evidence and the influence of psychological and cultural factors were concerning. They all failed to meet the high standards required for extraordinary claims under the scientific method.

Would Sagan Have Accepted the Pentagon’s UAP Videos?

What would Carl Sagan have thought of the Pentagon videos, confirming sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena:?

“Gimbal” is one of three US military videos with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that have gone through the official US government review process and have been cleared for release.

The Legacy of Sagan’s Public Stance

Regardless of Carl Sagan’s private views, his public stance on UFOs was unequivocal. He dismissed them as either misidentifications or deliberate hoaxes. This position dominated UFO discourse for decades. Moreover, it continues to influence the field, where the default approach among many researchers remains the systematic debunking of sightings—often without thorough evaluation.

This mindset, reinforced by ‘Sagan’s Paradox’ and his famous dictum ‘extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,’ gave rise to a peculiar scientific orthodoxy. While the existence of extraterrestrial life is deemed plausible, any connection between UFOs and alien intelligence is treated as inherently implausible. This conclusion is enforced rather than investigated.

Sagan was convinced that given the number of stars in the universe—”billions and billions” as he used to say—the chances are very high that highly developed civilizations must exist. He simply doubted that emissaries from these civilizations had a habit of appearing at distant farms. He also doubted their emergence above Uncle Fritz’s garden, as popular reports often claimed.

Speaking of the back garden

UFO sighting by Dennis & Mandy. The object was seen within just a few meters from the backyard of the authors house. The author didn’t see this UFO himself. What he and his wife did notice at night was a strange “hum”, that persisted for long periods of time.

Sound of the “hum”.

The sound and, for instance, the UFO pictured here, remained in place for over 20 minutes. Planes don’t remain stationary for such extended periods of time.

“Erich” marks the location of the author’s house. “Dennis and Mandy” witnessed the UAP sighting—initially unknown to the author. He later interviewed them in person because he suspected he was being pranked.

Carl Sagan’s Alleged Private Beliefs on UFOs: An Examination

Renowned astronomer and astrophysicist Dr. Carl Sagan revealed to Dr. J. Allen Hynek that he believed UFOs were real. However, he avoided any public statements to prevent the loss of academic research funding.

This allegation suggests a divergence between Sagan’s public skepticism and his private views.

Paola Harris’s Account: Sagan’s Alleged Admission

Investigative journalist Paola Leopizzi-Harris met astronomer, professor, and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek in 1978 at CUFOS, the Center for UFO Studies. Upon learning Harris was Italian-American, Dr. Allen Hynek enlisted her for translation work. Moreover, she was his assistant in UFO investigations. Their collaboration occurred mainly from 1980 to 1986. This association provided her with significant exposure to UFO research and key individuals involved in the subject.

According to Paola Harris :

“My recollection is that Hynek said it was backstage at one of the many Johnny Carson Tonight shows Sagan did. He basically said (to Hynek) in 1984, ‘I know UFOs are real, but I would not risk my research funding, as you do, to talk openly about them in public.’ ”
Paola Leopizzi-Harris

This quote has been verified by Paola Leopizzi-Harris.

Another correspondent, Bryce Zabel, said Sagan had to downplay his passionate belief in extraterrestrials. This was in order to avoid being written off as a crank—a cool crank but a crank nonetheless: “The truth of the matter, to me, is that he felt giving any quarter on the UFO issue could kill his career.”


DEEP DIVE

The following is a fact check of this anecdote:
Dr. J. Allen Hynek once remarked about Carl Sagan: “I knew Carl Sagan. We had lunch one day and he said that UFOs were bunk. I asked him his thoughts on a multitude of cases and he said, ‘don’t know anything about it”. Then I said, ‘Carl, you know we scientists are not supposed to comment on anything we haven’t sufficiently studied and he said, ‘yes, I know, but I don’t have the time’.
True or false?

Hynek vs. Sagan: UFOs, Science, and the Battle for Belief

Reference:
UFO’s: A Scientific Debate, Papers presented at a symposium sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Boston on Dec. 26-27, 1969, Pages 265 – 275, https://archive.org/details/ufosscientificde0000unse

UFO Truth: Witnesses, Speak Out!

I’m skeptical of UFO claims made by researchers based solely on secondhand anecdotes. It’s more valuable to hear direct testimony from a UFO witness themselves, rather than relying on third-party accounts. I personally reported UFO sightings to official channels, and as a UFO witness, they quoted my testimony anonymously:

Why? Witnesses should be allowed to stay anonymous, but non-anonymous testimony should be prioritized. To be able to report a sighting only in anonymous mode takes away the credibility of the witness account. Anyone can fabricate a tale, overflow databases with false information, and overwhelm legitimate reporting.

The issue with relying solely on secondhand and anecdotal accounts of UFO sightings is a significant one. Retelling anecdotes can lead to the distortion of facts, the embellishment of stories, and the loss of crucial details. By hearing eyewitness accounts firsthand from a UFO witness, we can gain a more accurate understanding of the events in question.

Asking a UFO witness about their desire for anonymity and giving them the option to disclose their identities would enhance transparency and trustworthiness. Such an arrangement would allow for a more nuanced understanding of the evidence and potentially lead to more credible investigations.

NUFORC witness report form

In fact, some UFO research organizations, such as the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), do offer a UFO witness the option to remain anonymous or to provide their contact information. However, this is not always the case, and we need more transparency in this area.

The National UFO Reporting Center
Dedicated to the collection and
dissemination of objective UFO/UAP data
https://nuforc.org

The Sagan Paradox, Chapter 4: Stoned Genius

In 1971 Dr. Sagan, writing under the pseudonym “Mr. X” described his history of marijuana use.

As the paragon of reasoned, evidence-based science, what could have possibly prompted Carl Sagan to light up a joint? He argued that marijuana can be a powerful tool for facilitating mind expansion. When he was high, he had breakthroughs in knowledge and moments of true insight, according to his experience.

He vigorously defended the validity of these pot-fueled realizations:

“There is a myth about such highs: the user has an illusion of great insight, but it does not survive scrutiny in the morning. I am convinced that this is an error and that the devastating insights achieved when high are real insights; the main problem is putting these insights in a form acceptable to the quite different self that we are when we’re down the next day. Some of the hardest work I’ve ever done has been to put such insights down on tape or in writing. The problem is that ten even more interesting ideas or images have to be lost in the effort of recording one.”

Carl Sagan as Mr. X in “Marijuana Reconsidered”, 1971, pg 113-114

Three years after Sagan’s death, Dr. Grinspoon decided to posthumously reveal Mr. X’s identity. His choice honored the world-famous scientist’s often-expressed wish to help end marijuana prohibition.


The Wow! Signal: A Cosmic Riddle Solved by Mathematics?

Can a mathematical equation be considered evidence that the source of the Wow! signal approached Earth (and was of extraterrestrial origin)?

This discussion is about the paper “The Wow! Signal Doppler Shift Equations“:


Mathematical equations can be considered evidence, but the context in which they are used is crucial. This is particularly evident when we examine events like the Wow! Signal, where data interpretation plays a significant role.

In the case of the Wow! signal, which was a strong narrowband radio signal detected by the Big Ear radio telescope in 1977, considering a mathematical equation as evidence requires careful consideration. It is important to consider the context and underlying assumptions.

Context of the Wow! Signal

Observational Nature: The Wow! signal was a one-time event that has not been observed again since its detection. This raises questions about reproducibility and the reliability of the interpretation of the signal.

Doppler Effect: The Doppler equation suggests blueshift (indicating that the signal source was approaching Earth). This is based on the principles of the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect describes how the frequency of emitted waves changes depending on the relative motion of the source and the observer. If a source is moving toward the observer, the waves are compressed, leading to a higher frequency (blueshift).

Mathematical Equation as Evidence

(Daguerreotype of Christian Andreas Doppler, 1803-1853)

In this instance, the mathematical equations associated with the Doppler effect can serve as supportive evidence.

This is possible if the following conditions are met:

Interpretation of the Signal: The mathematical model using the Doppler effect must be appropriately applied to the observed frequency of the Wow! signal. If the frequency of the signal is higher than what would be expected if the source were stationary, this shift can indeed be calculated. Then, using the Doppler equation, it provides a logical framework supporting the hypothesis that the source is moving towards Earth.

Consistency with Observations: For the equation to be considered evidence, it must be consistent with other data. We need to consider the characteristics of the signal (frequency, duration, etc.) and any additional analysis. For example, the lack of nearby astronomical sources that could explain the signal.

Limitations and Alternatives: While the Doppler equation suggests that the source was approaching, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations of this interpretation. The single observation leaves room for alternative explanations. For example, it could have been interference or another cosmic phenomenon.

But we need to acknowledge that terrestrial interference or cosmic phenomena have long ago been ruled out by Dick Arnold, Bob Dixon, Jerry Ehman Ed Teiga and John Kraus.

Conclusion

The application of the Doppler equation supports the idea that the Wow! signal source was approaching Earth.

The Wow! Signal equation serves as evidence for a hypothesis, rather than serving as conclusive proof. The scientific method requires ruling out other explanations. Obtaining corroborating evidence through multiple observations or analyses is necessary before drawing definitive conclusions.


“There is no evidence that can’t be contradicted either by fact or lies.”

Erich Habich-Traut

In human discourse, where perception and persuasion play roles, that statement reflects a pragmatic reality: evidence is often subject to challenge, whether valid or not.

What type of evidence is logically or empirically unassailable?

Call for Action

Okay, we are looking for corroborating evidence for the hypothesis that Earth is being visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft, and has been for some time. We are looking for multiple observations as corroborating evidence. Does anyone have “corroborating evidence”?

(There are literally hundreds of thousands of reported unexplained sightings. Here is just a small number, two of which are mine. This explains my interest in this subject.)


Exhibit A: the Calvine UFO

Exhibit B: the Puerto Rico UFO

Exhibit C: the Salthill Sighting, my own sighting, 1986, Mufon #11680

Exhibit D: the M6 sighting, my own sighting, 1995, Mufon #82139

Exhibit E: the Pentagon UFO (UAP) videos

From Hydrogen Fusion to Alien Signals: A 1977 UFO Enigma Unravels

I have been contemplating the implications of the blue shift observed in the Wow! signal equations, as well as the nature of its source.

Background: this article explains the Wow! signal equations:

So, why would the Wow! signal have been blue-shifted?

Hydrogen-Fusion Drive

1: The signal source is the emission of a hydrogen fusion drive for object deceleration. Hydrogen fusion drives currently exceed human technology. The signal source “object” had a speed similar to that of Apollo capsules during their entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

I am not categorically suggesting that this “object” entered the atmosphere; rather, I am stating that the speed of the signal source was comparable to that of the Apollo capsules. However, it cannot be excluded that the Wow! signal source (the object the hypothetical fusion drive was attached to) entered the Earth’s atmosphere and landed.

An artist’s rendering of the Apollo command module’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Image by NASA

Hydrogen Maser

2: The signal source was a hydrogen maser that was approaching the Earth and emitted a signal. The reason for this is unknown. Was extraterrestrial intelligence attempting to attract attention? If so, then why was the signal not repeated?

Image: Space hydrogen maser, ESA


3: As a consequence, were there unusual UFO sightings on or after August 18, 1977? Or did other extraordinary events occur after 18. August 1977?

Image: The Petrozavodsk phenomenon, aka the Jellyfish UFO, September 1977.


A. Two days later, on August 20, 1977, NASA successfully launched the first Voyager spacecraft. It carried a golden record with sounds and images of Earth, intended as a message to any intelligent life form that might encounter it.

Voyager Golden Record

B. On October 6, 1977, the United Nations Assembly debated the existence of UFOs. The researchers presented a proposal to investigate the phenomenon.


C. On November 26, 1977, a strange transmission interrupted a news program on ITN, a British television channel. A distorted voice claiming to be Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, replaced the sound.


A, B and C are just some examples that immediately come to mind, when thinking about 1977—they are not inclusive.

On the existence of “Aldebaranians”

Aldebaranian Extraterrestrials and Telepathic Contact?

Upon reviewing the “Vril Project” material, it becomes clear that the details provided regarding the drawings and symbols—which supposedly form the basis for telepathic contact—are incorrect. On these grounds, I conclude that the proposed contact with an Aldebaranian species is entirely fictitious.

Aldebaranian interstellar space battlecruisers, AI extrapolation of images based on telepathic contact claims

Aldebaran is known as the bull’s eye ◎ in the constellation Taurus (The Bull), and is 65 light-years distant from us. It’s right next to the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) star cluster. Aldebaran has been described as a follower of the Pleiades.

Fun Fact:
The Pioneer 10 probe, launched in 1972, is on its way to Aldebaran. Although it no longer communicates with the Earth, it will reach Aldebaran in about 2 million years. 

Professor Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (author of “The Occult Roots of Nazism”) states that “In the early 1990s, the Austrians Norbert Jürgen Ratthofer and Ralf Ettl developed new Nazi UFO myths involving ancient Babylon, Vril energy, and extraterrestrial civilization in the solar system of Aldebaran.”

According to myth, the Aldebaranians made contact with the Third Reich and helped in the development of German UFOs.

According to Ella LeBain, author of “Who’s who in the Cosmic Zoo?“,

an emerging fringe narrative claims Nazi Germany accessed a “stargate” to the star Aldebaran, using trance mediums and telepathic “light‐code” secrets in ancient Hebrew to justify genocide and develop advanced UFO and atomic‑implosion technology—dubbed the “Black Sun.” Drawing on works by Zechariah Sitchin and Phyllis Schlemmer, the theory links Sumerian and Babylonian empires to Nazi occultism and portrays extraterrestrial “Elohim” as the architects of Phoenician and Israelite origins.

According to the same account, post‑1945 American agencies seized Nazi UFO blueprints and recruited German scientists for both NASA and a covert “underground” space program. Proponents warn that Aldebarans—alongside reptilian “Draconians” and Grey aliens—now lurk within global elites, aiming to forge a Fourth Reich and a New World Order. Mainstream historians and scientists reject these claims as baseless, citing a complete lack of verifiable evidence for any terrestrial stargate or telepathic warfare


Origin of the Aldebaran Contact Claim

The initial reference to telepathic contact with Aldebaranian beings, through mediums such as Maria Orsic and “Sigrun,” originates from a single source: Ralf Ettl (d. 2006). According to David Childress, oftentimes a guest on “Ancient Aliens,” Ettl was residing in London in 1989. At that time, he received a parcel containing documents describing this alleged contact. Childress was the first to recount this origin story.


The “Vril Society” in Historical Context

The parcel purportedly contained information about telepathic mediums associated with the “Vril Society,” who contacted Aldebaran beings around 1919. However, an examination of historical references to the “Vril Society” reveals significant inconsistencies in the narrative:

• 1947: The first mention of a “Vril Society” appears in an article by defected German Third Reich rocket engineer Dr. Willy Ley, titled “Pseudoscience in Naziland.” Although Ley mentions the Vril Society, he makes no reference to telepathic mediums or extraterrestrial contacts. Instead, meditating upon an apple core reveals the nature of “Vril.”

• 1960: A subsequent reference to the “Vril Society” occurs in the book “The Morning of the Magicians,” which cites Ley’s article and introduces a link to the Theosophical Society and the Rosicrucians with the Vril Society.

• 1990: It is not until the release of Ralf Ettl and Norbert Ratthofer’s narrative, “The Vril Project,” that any claim of telepathic contact, extraterrestrial communication with Aldebaran, or connections to the Thule society or UFOs is introduced.


The Narrative of “The Vril Project”

Ralf Ettl and Jürgen Ratthofer describe a secret meeting held in December 1919. At this meeting, the innermost circles of the Thule and Vril societies gathered. The medium Maria Orsic allegedly presented two stacks of papers. One stack featured a bizarre-looking German Templar secret script, while the other contained what appeared to be a normal, legible text.

According to the narrative, these texts were received via mediumistic channeling—dictated both in a mysterious “temple script” and in a language completely unknown to the medium. Orsic herself believed that the unknown language must have been ancient and Near Eastern in nature. Later, it was asserted that this mysterious language was Sumerian—i.e., the language of the ancient precursors of Babylonian culture. The Aldebaranian language is identical to Sumerian! That’s because the Aldebaranians came to visit Earth 500,000 years ago. And then again later.

(The author Zecharia Sitchin told a similar story in 1976 in his book “The Twelfth Planet.” Only his extraterrestrial Anunnaki came from “Nibiru,” a planet in our solar system beyond Neptune.)


Critical Analysis of the Claims

A closer look at the claims and evidence presented in “The Vril Project” reveals several inconsistencies:

• Sumerian Writing and Language:
Although the Sumerians invented writing, the script they developed—cuneiform—is markedly different from the so-called 13th-century “temple script” described in the narrative. Sumerian cuneiform is recorded on clay tablets that are over 5000 years old and bear no resemblance to any secret “Temple” script.

Moreover, the Sumerian language does not sound like German (click here for a sound sample). This contradicts the report of a language that “almost sounded like German” yet remained incomprehensible.

• The Nature of the Message:

The messages received by Maria Orsic were in German and encoded with a simple substitution cipher. The availability of a cipher key would have allowed for the deciphering of the texts. This undermines the claim of an entirely unknown language.

• The Black Sun Symbol:

A central symbol in esoteric Nazism is the Black Sun, which appears in two distinctly different versions:

Wewelsburg Black Sun Version:
This version is found at Wewelsburg in Germany, which served during the Third Reich as the spiritual center of an emerging Nazi ideology. It’s only a fairly recent claim that the design resembles a Black Sun.

What is not known:

The spoked mosaic of the ‘Black Sun’ at Wewelsburg (designed after 1934) is derived from the decorative rim of the Samarra Bowl. This bowl was discovered by Ernst Herzfelder around 1914 and later exhibited in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The bowl’s center features one of the oldest known swastika depictions. Samarra is located in the region historically known as Sumeria.

You can stretch the Samarra bowl’s meandering pattern to match the Wewelsburg mosaic’s pattern. It is strange that the authors of “Esoteric Nazism” didn’t pick up on this Sumerian connection.

New Black Sun Version from “The Vril Project”:

Another Black Sun version was first presented in Ettl’s 1990 pamphlet “The Vril Project” and later featured in the pseudo-documentary “UFO: Secrets of the Third Reich” (1995). Peter Moon’s “The Black Sun: Montauk’s Nazi-Tibetan Connection” (1997) also presents this design. It is similar to the old flag of the Japanese empire. Additionally, this eye-catching design closely resembles the 16-spoke strobe disk of mechanical, low-bandwidth television. This type of TV was first pioneered in 1925.

In 1985, Carl Sagan posed a hypothetical question in his novel “Contact.” He asked, “What if the Nazis didn’t have television in 1936? Then what would have happened?”

What indeed? The video snippet below is from Ralf Ettl’s UFO film,
which kickstarted the popularization of the “Reichsflugscheibe” theory:

Was Ettl inspired by Carl Sagan’s novel, to design his “Black Sun” based on a TV strobe disk? Could the “Aldebaranian” writing on it serve as evidence of “extraterrestrial influence?”

The Ettl Black Sun version
Around the perimeter of the graphic is a slogan of the Thule Society. This slogan is encrypted using the “Templar Script” substitution cipher in German. By no means is it extraterrestrial. Spoiler: Here is the translation (click).

At the center of the disk, two runes are identified by Ettl and Ratthofer as a double “EH” rune (ᚾᚾ). In reality, the correct reading of the double Naudiz rune is “NN.” We can interpret this as an abbreviation for “Neo-Nazi.” This detail further suggests that the story is a post-war fabrication, as there was no such group before or during World War II.


Conclusion

An analysis of the available evidence exposes a series of anachronisms and inconsistencies within the “Vril Project” narrative. Erroneous claims regarding ancient language, misidentification of historical scripts, and contradictory symbolism all undermine the credibility of the telepathic Aldebaran contact story. In light of these discrepancies, the proposed contact with an Aldebaranian species must be regarded as entirely fictitious.

There are several false claims within the literature; this analysis restricted itself to the claim of telepathic contact by mediums of the Vril society. Almost all other claims are also false. Despite this, Revell created a UFO model based on the claims made in the Vril project about German flying saucers.

Verdict: FAKE


References

  1. “The Sound of the Ancient Sumerian Language (Entemena of Lagash).” YouTube, https://youtu.be/3QticJ8mww4.
  2. Ley, Willy. Pseudoscience in Naziland.
  3. Barkun, Michael. A Culture of Conspiracy.
  4. Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. Black Sun.
  5. Pauwels, Louis, and Jacques Bergier. The Morning of the Magicians.
  6. “The Vril Project.” 1990.
  7. Farrell, Joseph P. Nazi International.
  8. Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. The Occult Roots of Nazism.
  9. Zündel, Ernst. UFOs: Nazi Secret Weapon.
  10. de Lafayette, Maximillien. UFOs, Maria Orsic.
  11. Wissensbuch der ILU-Lehre.
  12. Ettl, Ralf. Das Babylonier Buch.
  13. Fort, Charles. The Book of the Damned.
  14. Strube, Julian. Die Erfindung des esoterischen Nationalsozialismus im Zeichen der Schwarzen Sonne.
  15. UFO: Secrets of the Third Reich. 1995.
  16. Moon, Peter. The Black Sun: Montauk’s Nazi-Tibetan Connection. 1997.
  17. van Helsing, Jan. Geheimgesellschaften und ihre Macht im 20. Jahrhundert.
  18. Ratthofer, N.J. Galaxisimperium Aldebaran.
  19. van Helsing, Jan. Unternehmen Aldebaran.
  20. Childress, David Hatcher. Vril: Secrets of the Black Sun
  21. NAZIS ‘FIRST WITH FLYING SAUCERS’
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139966106
  22. Flying Saucers Do Exist, Says Scientist
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47626536
  23. ENGINEER CLAIMS ‘SAUCER’ PLANS ARE IN SOVIET HANDS;
    https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000015471.pdf
  24. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Goodrick-Clarke

Rediscovering the Unknown: My 25-Year-Old UFO Sighting Comes to Light

My Lost UFO Sighting: Why I’m Coming Forward Now

In April 2020, during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany, I found myself with plenty of time on my hands. I decided to sort through old 35mm negatives that I had stored away in a drawer in our basement. The drawer had acted as a storage box for years.

While scanning the film strips, I stumbled upon negatives from England, where I had lived in 1995. Among those negatives were two frames of particular interest.

Frames 7 and 8 of the Ilford XP2 film revealed an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP). I was unprepared to find these images, having completely forgotten about this UFO sighting for 25 years. The only others who knew about it were my friend and her father, both of whom were with me during the sighting.

I had taken two exposures of the object while driving straight at 70 mph on the motorway.

I recall being quite disappointed when the film was developed in 1995; the images were small and blurry, failing to capture the clarity of what I had seen with my own eyes that night.

After that, I completely forgot about the sighting.

In 2020, I was genuinely excited to rediscover the film. I purchased a digital microscope to examine the negatives in greater detail.

I scanned the negatives and submitted a report to BUFORA, the British UFO Research Organization, given that the sighting occurred in the UK. BUFORA suggested that what I had seen was an advertising blimp parked near the M6 motorway.

An advertising blimp? What I witnessed was a white object with no advertising on it. The whiteness wasn’t due to overexposure, nor did it bear any markings. You would need to have been sitting with me in the Land Rover back in 1995 to understand that.

Additionally, the object appeared to decrease in size by 25% as we approached it—an unusual characteristic for a stationary advertising blimp. For the blimp to appear smaller, it would have had to travel faster than 70 mph, yet a blimp’s top speed is only 55 mph.

I took out a ruler and measured angles and distances from the two photos. The straight lane divider on the motorway made it possible for me to actually triangulate distance, speed and size of the object.

The triangulation gave me an even higher speed for the object:

MUFON case number 82139

But who knows? Maybe I made a calculation error and someone can give me a better speed, distance and size estimate.

UFO Alert!
That leaves me with the question: what did I see?

This is the reason I am stepping forward now. I would like to propose an idea for definitively answering the question, “Are we alone?”:

The Contact Project
The goal of the ‘Contact Project’ is to discover whether or not humanity is equipped to respond to extraterrestrial contact.

The project can grow by discussion and criticism and is adaptable. It would be nice to engage radio amateurs to try and make contact. But it’s not a requirement. A search partner can be anyone who cares.

DIY Amateur Passive Radar for UFO detection

Prepare to be amazed!

The pilots of the USS Nimitz officially tracked the TicToc UFO (or UAP) using the state-of-the-art Spy One Aegis System. Specifically, the phased array (SPY-1(V) [AEGIS]). The radar operator Kevin Day aboard the Nimitz’s consort, USS Princeton, played a pivotal role in this encounter.

This advanced military-grade passive radar system comes at a staggering cost of approximately $20 million! (For more info, check out: SPY-1 Wikipedia.)

But what if I told you that you could build your very own passive radar system at a fraction of that price? Imagine tracking not only commercial aircraft and meteorites entering Earth’s atmosphere. You could potentially track UFOs themselves—if luck is on your side!

A bit of SETI Passive Radar history

A temporarily unverified anecdote: In 2018, Peter Davenport, the Director of the National UFO Reporting Center, revealed to a friend that he had contacted Dr. Jill Tarter on February 3, 2014, about his paper advocating the use of “passive” radar to detect UFOs near Earth.

He emphasized that his goal was to propose a collaborative effort for a thorough investigation. However, Dr. Tarter’s reply was brief and somewhat dismissive; she mentioned that she had retired from SETI and would forward his message to Gerry Harp, the new Director.

ET to SETI: can you hear us now?

Despite Davenport’s follow-up attempts, he received no response from Harp, suggesting a reluctance within SETI to engage with UFO research initiatives. My friend described this reaction as surprising, given SETI’s public perception as pioneers in the search for extraterrestrial life.

SETI’s reaction, however (or lack thereof), is not surprising to me.


What is SDR-based Passive Radar?

Firstly, SDR stands for “Software Defined Radio.” This incredible technology emulates everything you would expect to find in a conventional radio receiver through software. This makes SDR radios much more affordable and loaded with features that traditional counterparts can only dream of!

A depiction of a passive radar experiment from 1935 with two “antennas.” The antennas consist of lengths of cable suspended above the ground. One of the antennas picked up a signal from the BBC directly. Then the second “antenna” picked up the reflection of that same signal from an aircraft, enabling the creation of a radar image. More directional antennas produce better results.

To construct this phenomenal passive radar station, all you need are two SDR radio dongles for your computer. In 2025 these are priced at $35 each (Amazon.com). Yes, you read that right! You will also need two antennas. (A link to the instructions you find at the end of this page.)

The Magic of Passive Radar

Here’s the best part: you don’t need a license to build and operate a passive radar station! As the name suggests, it operates entirely passively, meaning that your setup does not emit any radar beams.

Instead, you harness radio signals from local radio stations as your signal source. These signals naturally bounce off objects like meteorites, aircraft, or even those elusive UFOs!

Building Your Own SDR-based Passive Radar on a Budget!

Let’s kick things off with proof! Below you’ll find an animation showcasing measurements of airplanes and meteors captured by a radar system created with a few easily accessible components. Get ready to be thrilled!

What can you expect from this DIY Passive Radar? Check out this recording:

Of course, you’ll be much more likely to see plane traffic, meteorites, and low-flying objects like the International Space Station. This is more probable than any more exotic objects passing through your field of view.


The worlds first UFO case confirmed by amateur passive radar!

A round of applause to Josef Garcia and GEP for achieving the first amateur verification of a UFO via passive radar! Link (German):


Take a look at these remarkable amateur passive radar images contributed by Josef Garcia:

This radar track shows an object doing rapid 80° degree turns. Image courtesy of Josef Garcia, 2021
In comparison the smooth flight path of the ISS. Image courtesy of Josef Garcia, 2021

AI-driven filtering and detection of UFO radar tracks

Unlocking the Skies: How AI Is Revolutionizing UFO Detection

Picture this: a radar blip streaks across the screen at 74,000 km/h (46,000 mph), halts mid-air, then pivots instantly—defying gravity, physics, and every known aircraft on Earth. This isn’t science fiction. These are the jaw-dropping maneuvers that set UFOs apart from conventional planes, drones, or even meteorites. But how do we spot these anomalies in a sea of ordinary radar data? The answer lies in the flight patterns no human pilot or machine could survive—and the AI that’s learning to track them.

UFOs don’t follow the rules.

They hover silently, sometimes for hours, accelerate faster than a hypersonic missile, or execute 90-degree turns at speeds that would shred any human-made craft. While not all UFOs pull off these physics-defying stunts, those that do leave a glaring signature: a trail of radar data that screams “this isn’t from our world.”

But here’s the catch: manually scouring radar feeds for these rare, split-second events is like finding a needle in a cosmic haystack. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and prone to human error. Enter AI-powered pattern recognition—a game-changer in the hunt for the unexplained. Imagine training algorithms to flag the impossible.

Machine learning models can digest decades of radar data, learning the difference between a commercial jet, a weather balloon, and an object that stops dead in the sky before vanishing at Mach 60. These systems never sleep, never blink, and process millions of data points in real time, alerting scientists only when they detect the extraordinary: sudden accelerations, inhuman G-force maneuvers, or objects that defy aerodynamic logic.

(Image: Amateur passive radar setup)
Machine learning isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking mysteries. By automating the detection of UFO signatures, AI turns a once-impossible task into a scalable mission.

Researchers can focus on analysis instead of endless screen-watching, accelerating our understanding of these enigmatic phenomena.

The skies are stranger than we think. And with AI as our co-pilot, we’re finally building the tools to decode their secrets—one anomalous blip at a time. 🛸✨

Ready to rethink what’s possible? The truth isn’t just out there… it’s in the data.


Curious about passive radar technology? (the AI part comes later)

Click below to find out how to built your own Passive-Radar-Station.