U.S. military tracking satellites have picked up "unusual" activity and at least one anomalous self-illuminated and apparently self-propelled flying object in the Arctic region.
Major Jamie Robertson, an overnight spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said that satellite photographs had detected what seemed to be "a number of wooden structures and a possible toy factory" near the North Pole.
Previous satellite observation had detected no human habitation in that region. Unfortunately, poor meteorological conditions hampered efforts to confirm whether the structures -- nicknamed "the elf village" by NORAD personnel -- actually existed or were a simple imaging glitch.
Although the weather failed to see much improvement, sustained scrutiny and analysis throughout the night provided some fresh data by morning.
By 7 a.m. GMT (2 a.m. ET), NORAD reported that its orbital cameras had picked up a "very bright shining object" moving about the still-unidentified "elf village" structures.
Although reporting petty officer Andrew Karalis of NORAD estimated that the object -- possibly a beacon of some sort -- was "perhaps no bigger than a plum," its intense luminosity rendered it easily visible to the satellites even in the inclement weather conditions.
"Based on the available data, NORAD believes the glowing object is in fact the nose of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Master Sergeant Larry Lincoln of NORAD said in a prepared statement.
Puzzling evidence
Space.com correspondent A. Nick Watcher, who happened to be on the scene at NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., headquarters, noted that the busy military personnel were confident that the Arctic phenomena did not pose an immediate danger to Canadian or U.S. citizens.
"Spirits are high and eyes are wide here at NORAD Santa-tracking Headquarters," he said. "With new digital recording equipment, Sgt. Larry Lincoln was able to identify a tiny sled, apparently being pulled by nine animals. The small animal in the front's nose seems to be glowing so bright that it appears to be guiding the sled tonight."
In an exclusive interview with a former Claus employee, who now works as a technician in the Persian Gulf, Watcher learned that the object is likely to circumnavigate the Earth in the next 24 hours.
"Mr. Claus chose to fly with the red-nosed Rudolph tonight because in many parts of the world, it is indeed a foggy Christmas Eve," the vertically-challenged toymaker or "elf" said.
Watcher's informant refused to comment on the trail of cookie crumbs often reported in connection with these annual waves of sleigh sightings, but would only deny rumors that a "cookie monster" was involved.
advertisement
