Kristina Bergen - Special to the 51暗网
Since Jasper became a dark sky preserve in 2011, people have spent a lot of time looking up. And sometimes, folks see unusual things.
At the Jasper Planetarium we鈥檝e seen bright lights, strings of lights, weird glows, and fast-moving lights of various colours, but there's almost always a rational explanation.
So before you reach for your tinfoil hat, we present the Jasper Sky Viewer鈥檚 Guide to UFOs:
Venus
One of the brightest objects in the night sky, Venus is often mistaken for a UFO.
The planet lies within Earth鈥檚 orbit and as the skies grow dark, appears to dart out from either side of the sun, which people mistake for the movements of a UFO in our atmosphere.
But to date, no Jasper residents have self-identified as Venutians...yet...
SpaceX Satellites
At the end of December, Elon Musk launched a series of mini high-speed internet satellites that
appeared as dozens of fast-moving lights in a near-perfect linear formation.
Neither an alien invasion or mass missile launch, they were Starlink satellites travelling in low orbit, which made them visible to the naked eye.
Musk plans to eventually launch thousands of such trains, though their ultimate altitude at much higher orbits mean they will only appear in the sky for the very first part of their time in space. (So hold off on the angry emails to SpaceX.)
Drones
Recreational use of unmanned air vehicles or drones is prohibited in Jasper National Park, but
commercial drone use is allowed through a restricted activity permit available through the
superintendent鈥檚 office.
All of which is to say that from time to time, you might see a drone flying through the Park.
While they鈥檙e not supposed to be flown at night, illegally-flown drones have been glimpsed on rare occasions.
Don鈥檛 try this yourself 鈥� the fine is up to $25,000 for operating a drone without a permit.
Marmot Basin
Those bright lights visible on Marmot Basin just after it gets dark are neither the SkyTram, which is closed for the season, or aliens studying snowflake design.
What you鈥檙e seeing is light from the ski hill.
Although it closes at 5pm, at the right angle you can still see the lights of Marmot Basin (including grooming vehicles which operate at night) from several spots around town.
Weird cloud formations
There is a particular cloud formation known as a lenticular cloud that has a smooth saucer shape with an iridescent edge.
These clouds form in hilly or mountainous regions when air flow is disrupted into eddies and the temperature drops.聽
When moist air hits a large eddy, it can produce a number of wave clouds or 鈥榮aucers鈥� in the sky. But it's not the beginning of an alien invasion.
Or visual cover for alien reconnaissance.
Or is it?
Kristina Bergen is manager of strategic initiatives with the Jasper Planetarium.
She once made a tinfoil hat for her miniature schnauzer Winston. He didn鈥檛 like it.
If you do see something you can't explain, here鈥檚 what you can do:
There鈥檚 also an actual UFO reporting service in Canada and a UFO study group in Alberta:
