It Came From Above (Or Did It?): Solving the “Sky Noise” Mystery

The world is a noisy place these days.

Is it thunder, fireworks, earthquake sounds? Could it be HAARP, the magnetic poles shifting, the earth moaning cause, you know, it’s old and stuff…? Obviously, it may be horns from heaven, heralding the coming Apocalypse… Or alien spacecraft. Or Bigfoot. Or, maybe it’s just the normal noises around here. (OK…Who Forted?)

The paranormal/Fortean media outlets are abuzz about the strange sounds from the sky these past few months. These “sky noises” are anomalous sounds that appear to be emanating from above, and do not sound like your everyday planes, trains or automobiles.

Beginning around August of 2011, videos that depict unidentified audible objects (‘UAO’ – a terrible term because a sound is not a visible, tangible “object”) have appeared on YouTube. The rash of weird noises from all over the world has proliferated at the start of Apocalyptical year 2012.  The list of ways in which the world will end in 2012 have nothing on the huge range of imaginative ideas about the cause of all these atmospheric acoustics. But, let’s examine the incident that set it off and that which flared it back up again and is causing nightmares (and poor judgement) around the world.

The video that started the whole phenomena originated in Kiev, Ukraine last August. This daytime scene appears to be recorded by a women living in a city full of concrete high-rise apartments. The background noise, along with typical city noises of people and birds, includes a booming, eerie, mechanical, almost musical sound. The piece feels genuine; a child in the background asks, in Ukrainian, I guess, what those noises are.

At the time, this video was debunked as nearby industrial noises, perhaps from local construction – a moving crane or underground tunneling equipment. Yet… it sounds astounding like the mysterious loud trumpet noises from the religious fundamentalism-themed movie Red State.

Just about this time, Red State was screening at film festivals in Europe after a March US release. Would a scary video apocalyptic horn sounds that went viral online be good for the movie? Hmm. It didn’t seem to work out too well. No connection was made at that time. Marketing fail? Sure, there may be some other explanation for the Kiev video but I’m just saying…

In the fall 2011, “hums” became the thing to record and get into the media. Windsor, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta in Canada were noted as having mystery hums. Roaring and rumbling events were also noted in various places around the world. At this point, at the end of 2011, we may be seeing a trend begin. The internet audience was now sensitized to the interest in these unusual sounds. As more are reported on Facebook, Twitter and, most importantly, YouTube, their popularity feeds upon itself. People are now actively seeking hums, roars and rumbling to share with the world. Everything goes all skewy.

The sounds most often sound like roaring jets and booms. Groaning noises also appear and it is claimed that the Earth is old so she groans.

Let’s reflect upon the reality of anomalous sky sounds for a moment.

Are weird sounds from the sky real? Yes. Certainly. Unusual and unexpected sky noises/unidentified sounds in nature are referenced in the scientific literature. Several locations around the world have their famous hums, water guns and noises. These are likely natural, related to small seismic events, offshore waves crashing, and particular atmospheric conditions that enhance or distort it. In addition, there are also cases of musical echoes, natural music made from geologic formations or man-made structures. Keep that in mind as we return to the chronology of panic…

Costa Rica, January 2012. Many witnesses report booming noises, but the reports differ significantly. While there was some mention of fireworks that night, a news station ran a video that turns out to have the exact same sound (including crunching footsteps) as a clip recorded in Colorado back in August – booming sounds like distant rifle fire. The Costa Rica story was different from the Kiev or other stories because there were multiple witnesses and the media actually covered it. Yet, it falls apart because of the lack of credible sources. Perhaps there really were some booming sounds that night, but any possible grain of truth was contaminated to the nth degree by people freaking the hell out.

Shortly after the Costa Rica event, pranksters pick up quickly on the idea that you could get a thousand hits by standing on your porch or balcony and playing some weird sound in the background. Several videos were put up that were obviously post production dubbing of the original Kiev sound. Some audio folks piped up to say that these recorded sounds did not fit with the frequency responses on the cameras (typically smartphones) or that they were sped-up or slowed down normal noises, clipped from other sound files or recorded from a background speaker. Cue the spoofs.

So, it’s crystal clear that many of these were hoaxes. Here is the strangest thing of all… the reactions to these stories. Not everyone figured out that the copycat effect going on. Instead, they assumed the sounds were OCCURRING ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!! F**K!!!!!

What did people think the source of these heavenly modulations were? Well, forget natural sounds. That was clearly not exciting and you were pooh-poohed in blog comments if you suggested it. The more sciencey blog commenters proposed that the magnetic poles are shifting (debunked here) that was causing the sky noise and imminent disaster. The conspiratorial-minded said that mad scientists are using HAARP as mind control or the secret government is upping their construction on the underground bunkers for the coming worldwide takeover by aliens, the Illuminati, or the leftover Mayans. Of course it could be from fracking. But my favorite idea is that it is Bigfoot howling.  Gee, if that is Bigfoot, he is really melancholy. (Reality check: The Conklin Alberta video referenced is a rip of the Kiev sounds which is likely a rip from some movie effects, so, it’s a fakety fake.)

The other explanation gaining popularity is that of viral marketing. This guy thinks its Paul Begley, a Pastor at Community Gospel Baptist Church in Knox, Indiana who preaches about End Times. In a bizarre Gather post, the dude running the site Strange Sounds in the Sky was implicated as behind it all (even though is not making money from his site). It’s possible it could be for an upcoming movie, Cloverfield 2 or some such, but Cloverfield 2 is just in beginning stages, not ripe for marketing yet. While there is the possibility that the initial Kiev video could be associated with Red State, it’s unintentional now. If this IS some kind of viral marketing, it’s a bloody awful mess.

Here’s the conclusion: people are utterly gullible and 2012 is going to be a wackaloon year for this sort of End Times zaniness. Many seem to really want to believe the end is coming. Perhaps if I speak the language… GEEZ PEOPLE, CAN’T YOU SEE YOU ARE BEING LIED TO. DECEIVED! YOU FOOLISH, GULLIBLE SHEEP!!! THEY ARE ORCHESTRATING THIS RUSE TO SCARE YOU. WAKE UP!!  OPEN YOUR EYES!!! THE END IS *NOT* NEAR.

There. That should work. Go about your daily lives now.

Sharon Hill

Secret government spy by day, blogger and paranormal news junkie by night. Intent on exposing those who practice sham inquiry all dressed up in scientifical symbols, she visited WAY too many paranormal investigator's web sites. Now, she knows too much. Sharon runs the Doubtful Newsblog, a skeptical listing of the day's fringe stories. You can visit her personal blog at scientifical.info.

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