1980-Alien Voices from Space 3

Oxfordshire, 1980-David Packham and his mother Edith were watching TV at their Wolvercote, Oxfordshire home one November night in 1980 when a whining sound came from the set. The noise was like that made by an electric motor and it grew louder and louder until it reached a deafening pitch. Despite the racket, the picture remained clear. Mrs Packham put her hands over her ears as David began to turn the volume control on the TV in an attempt to silence the relentless din.

The noise was so loud that David was convinced the set was going to explode. He turned down the volume, leaving the set on. David drew back the curtains and peered outside to see what might have caused the noise. There was nothing in the street. Then he raised his eyes to the sky-and stared in amazement. "I saw a round, bright-green, light hovering over Port Meadow some 800 yards away and about 400 yards high," he recalled.

"I went outside for a clearer view and watched for about ten minutes. There was no noise, just total silence. "It slowly began to move to my right for some 200 yards, hovered there for a few minutes then returned to its original place. "I went back inside and called my mother at the window and after about five minutes the light began to move directly away from us-gathering speed at an unforgettable rate. It climbed in an arc away from me. In less than a split second it was a mere speck in the stars and was soon lost to view. "We turned the sound on the TV back to its original setting and at first the noise was still there-but it gradually faded away back to normal."