Taking the “U” out of “UFO”?
by A.J. Kleber
There’s a new star coming to your screen in just a few days: Professor Joshua Semeter will appear on a new one-hour special from the classic PBS series, NOVA, to share his scientific perspective on an astronomically popular topic.
What are UFOs?
Unidentified Flying Objects, officially re-dubbed UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena), have long excited the public’s imagination; however, scientific study has always been hampered by a muddle of insufficient data, unsubstantiated claims, and government obfuscation, resulting in its relegation to the category of conspiracy theory and crackpot pseudo-science. In recent years, various U.S. government agencies have taken steps to declassify data and dedicate rigorous scientific examination to better understand these well-publicized but much-misunderstood incidents. The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) was established in 2022 to investigate sightings and claims; in the same year, NASA assembled a panel of experts to assess the best available tools and techniques for future research.
The upcoming NOVA special, “What Are UFOs?” attempts to address the eponymous question comprehensively and scientifically, featuring a host of experts from diverse fields who will share their findings, technological developments, and opinions on research directions. The episode will incorporate interviews with government officials and journalists, and firsthand accounts from eyewitnesses. As producer, director and writer Terri Randall asserts, “we are living in an age of conspiracy, and we need facts more than ever.” NOVA accordingly attempts to draw back the curtain and provide us with the facts.
A recognized expert
Professor Joshua Semeter’s bona fides certainly earn him his position among the experts consulted for the episode. The longtime Director of BU’s interdisciplinary Center for Space Physics–he has extensive experience with radar, optical remote sensing, studying space plasma phenomena, and interactions between space and Earth’s ionosphere. In fact, he was tapped as a contributor to NASA’s 2022 Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team (UAPIST).
When asked about his experience with UAPIST, Semeter shared that his immediate priority at the start of the project was to answer a key question: “what’s the state of the data?” He championed a deep dive into the existing archive, assessing the information at hand before formulating recommendations for best research practice going forward. As for what he found in that trove of material?
“I really wanted it to be real,” he confessed somewhat ruefully, alluding to some of the more extraterrestrial theories behind famous sightings of UAPs. Ultimately, according to him, there was surprisingly little mystery to be found. “We still do not know what many of these objects are, but it is unlikely to be alien or advanced terrestrial technology.”
Science on camera
Semeter’s contribution to the NOVA special involved two practical demonstrations, providing insight on how infrared technology can be used to assess aerial phenomena. Filming from the roof of the CDS building, he used a binocular-like instrument with one optical lens and one infrared lens to compare and contrast the visual information from each when used to watch airplanes land at Logan Airport. The second, near-field, demonstration used a high-end Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) device to illustrate the way infrared “sees” and differentiates objects–and when it might fail to do so. For example, if you’re “looking” at a cup that is the same temperature as the table on which it sits, the cup is indistinguishable in infrared.
The results of these demonstrations, Semeter explains, offers insight into the explanation he encountered repeatedly in his survey of the historical UAP data: optical illusions caused by parallax (the effect behind human depth perception, which is also why your thumb appears to move when you hold it in front of your face and alternate closing each eye) and forced perspective (which allows tourists to take photos in which they appear to be taller than the Eiffel Tower). In his segment, he was accompanied by his fellow UAPIST panelist, former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick. The AARO has released a simple guide to these optical effects in UAP sightings.
The truth is out there–or is it?
While there may be some sense of disappointment in unraveling decades-old mysteries which have grown so entrenched in popular culture, trading myth for solid scientific exploration offers its own satisfaction, and helps to illuminate events and phenomena that remain unexplained. NOVA Co-Executive Producer promises that, in “applying the rigor of scientific investigation and critical thinking,” experts certainly aren’t “taking the fun out of” these fascinating incidents.
“What Are UFOs” is set to premiere next Wednesday, January 22nd at 9PM ET on PBS. It will also be available for streaming on the PBS website, NOVA’s Youtube channel, and the PBS app.
Professor Joshua Semeter has been the Director of BU’s Center for Space Physics, and a member of the ECE faculty, for over twenty years. His research is focused on the physics and societal consequences of space weather, with emphasis on interactions between the Earth’s outer atmosphere and near-space environment.