Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.1119/5.0168103

Publication Title

The Physics Teacher

Volume

62

Issue

5

Pages

A403

Abstract

This article, titled "Refracting UFOs: Solutions for Fermi Questions, May 2024," recounts the author's personal experience as a teenager observing a UFO sighting near their home in England. The author used their telescope to observe the object, which turned out to be lights from a distant airplane flying in a circular holding pattern. The article then presents two questions related to the observed phenomenon, including estimating the diameter of the aircraft's path and the banking angle of the aircraft at its speed. The article concludes with a solution to estimating the distance to the aircraft. The information is presented objectively and does not make any judgments about UFOs or extraterrestrial life.

Rights

© Copyright 2024 AIP Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in:

Adam, J. (2024). Refracting UFOs: Solutions for Fermi questions, May 2024. The Physics Teacher, 62(5), A403.

and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0168103.

Original Publication Citation

Adam, J. (2024). Refracting UFOs: Solutions for Fermi questions, May 2024. The Physics Teacher, 62(5), A403. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0168103

ORCID

0000-0001-5537-2889 (Adam)

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