Weeks after a story shot across the Web claiming that the imminent explosion of a nearby star would result in the appearance of a second sun in the sky — a story that was later debunked — two suns were caught on camera yesterday in China. The suns — one fuzzy and orange, the other a crisp yellow orb — appeared side-by-side, one slightly higher than the other.

What’s going on? Life’s Little Mysteries, a sister site to Space.com, asked Jim Kaler, the University of Illinois astronomer who squelched the excitement over the aforementioned exploding Betelgeuse and who has written books on the day and night sky. The double sun image is an effect of optical refraction, Kaler said, but it’s a “pretty darn rare” one, and one not fully explained by science.

“I doubt it’s been computer modeled,” he said. “There must have been some blob of atmosphere somewhere that caused this truly spectacular phenomenon, which in a sense is a mirage.”  [Amazing Sun Photos From Space]

…

He goes on to state that the double or multiple image phenomena are produced by abnormal refraction, but that “it remains extraordinary that the images of the sun and moon were sharp and of the same size as the real sun and moon.”

…

“This is not a common optical phenomenon that we’re seeing here,” said Grant Perry, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Institute for Satellite and Meteorological Studies. “I’m asking myself if this is an artifact of the lens, but if that were the case — if it’s reflections of the lens elements — then the images would move in relation to each other as the camera moves,” Perry said. “But that doesn’t happen.”

In terms of an optical explanation, he said, “You would have to assume it is particles of ice or something in the atmosphere aligned in such a way that they would refract the sunlight at that very small angle, but only in one direction. It would require some fairly peculiar characteristics.”

Several related atmospheric optical effects are fully explained by science. Sun dogs, sunset mirages, sun pillars and sun halos are all relatively common and well understood. But not this effect.

“It’s very intriguing,” said Kaler.

This article was provided by Life’s Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com. Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @ nattyover.

Source: ‘Two suns’ spotted in China defy explanation – Technology & science – Space – Space.com | NBC News

Anomaly News Syndicate » ArchivesAnomaly News Syndicate

A strange video has captured the moment a man lay peacefully in a doorway engulfed in roaring flames – in what could be genuine footage of human combustion.

The man was pictured lying “peacefully” in the doorway of a building with a bicycle parked nearby – and with fire emanating from his stomach and chest area.

The strange incident – which apparently ended without serious injury to the victim – happened on the streets of Serbia’s second largest city Novi Sad.

A man can be heard approaching him – perhaps the taker of the video – saying: “Hello, hello, what’s happening?”

But the human torch waves him away as if lying covered in flames is the most natural thing in the world.

The video was first posted on a Facebook page called ‘Live from the streets of Novi Sad’.

According to the information, they received this video at the end of November last year.

In one comment on the video, it says that the man is “known” on the streets of Novi Sad for “problematic behaviour”.

Source: Is this the first ever footage of spontaneous human combustion?

Read more: Man’s body burst into flames on the sofa – but he lived to tell the tale

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It’s too bad that this CBS19 “news report” didn’t note the terrible record of Tom Biscardi as a hoaxer and con-man:

• Coast to Coast AM Keeps Biscardi on Track by Loren Coleman, August 23, 2005
• Cryptomundo » Ultimate GA Bigfoot Hoax Timeline: 2008
• Georgia Bigfoot body in freezer – Tom Biscardi Ric Dyer Matt Whitton

The search for ‘Bigfoot’ comes to East Texas
Posted: Jan 08, 2016 10:47 PM CST
Updated: Jan 08, 2016 10:47 PM CST
By Gerardo Martinez

CHEROKEE COUNTY (KYTX) – It has many different names. Some call it Bigfoot, Sasquatch, even Yeti.

The creature’s existence has never been scientifically established. But still, the sightings of a big hairy creature continue. And that’s what keeps a group of ‘Bigfoot experts’ still searching for it.

Recently captured images taken at a hunting site in Cherokee County brought the Bigfoot experts to East Texas.

Known by many as the ‘Godfather of Bigfoot,’ Tom Biscardi has been on the hunt for the creature for more than 45 years.

“I know that one day or another, someone’s going to come across one and bring it to the front and prove it to the scientific world that it’s here,” he said.

Tom and his group of self- proclaimed ‘Bigfoot experts’ were recently brought to east Texas after a land owner captured some images he can’t explain.

The images were captured by a thermal camera by a deer feeder in December. Tom says, with no doubt in his mind, what was captured in the images was a 7-foot Bigfoot.

So with the help of his crew, including his own son T.J., Tom set up several cameras and ‘Bigfoot bait’ to try to capture the creature on camera – or in person.

Tom and T.J. say they’ve managed to get some Bigfoot imprints over the past several years and even some hair samples, but capturing definite proof of the beast has been tricky.

Either way, they say they’ll continue searching for Bigfoot as long as it takes.

“This is what we do full time,” said T.J. “It’s a job. It’s wonderful.”

When we tagged along with the group, we didn’t capture any definite proof either, but what we did capture was this. When T.J. made a ‘Bigfoot call,’ we heard something howl back.

The crew says they will stay out in the area Friday night to find more evidence of Bigfoot.

For more information on the Bigfoot experts, click here.

Source: The search for ‘Bigfoot’ comes to East Texas

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