Pros
- Fascinating survey of cases of unexplained aerial phenomena throughout history that supports the idea of alien visits (perhaps even interference) throughout history
- Authors recognize the influence or bias of religion in the records, as well as the possibility of records including phenomena that is known today but unknown in the past
- Sightings are presented without bias
- Sources are included, as well as a sense of skepticism for some records
Cons
- Since some records are from early history, sightings may have been misidentification or phenomena that would be recognized today
- Sometimes frustratingly sparse details or lack of in-depth research, study, or analysis into known records
Wonders in the Sky Review
Wonders in the Sky by Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck provides readers with a fairly expansive set of records related to aerial phenomena that point to the strong possibility of non-human visitors (or perhaps not visitors) throughout human history.
Supporters of the ancient alien theory will find a lot of support in Wonders of the Sky. The evidence, in the form of recorded observations, is abundant enough to suggest that something is going on. Human ancestors were definitely familiar with meteors or falling stars, so at least some fo the descriptions could be written off as astronomical phenomena.
But other descriptions of UFOs, like those shaped like shields or orbs that hover and zip back and forth in the sky cannot be dismissed so easily. These records come from fairly credible ancient sources like Pliny, and the records are especially more credible considering only the more educated were likely to write something down.
Given the abundance of historical records, even skeptics are forced to admit that some of the sightings recorded are unusual enough to warrant more investigation and research. For instance, ancient records of balls of light flying quickly and with intelligent control across the skies are so ubiquitous across the world.
In the past, historians and researchers have likely dismissed such records of sightings as the scribblings of uneducated or ignorant observers even when the records of those observers are taken seriously in other contexts. While some sightings must have been meteorological in nature or have some physical explanation, others are just too strange to dismiss as unexplained weather phenomena.
Much of the language used by the observers are necessarily couched within their worldview. Consequently, many of the observers record their sightings of lights as “angels” or “crosses” in the sky, making the entire observation easy to dismiss because of the religious overtone. But religion would have been the lens through which people understood their world, so researchers necessarily need to read more into the record.
Wonders in the Sky by Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck is an excellent and expansive book for UFO enthusiasts to read. The book itself lends a lot more credence and support to the ancient astronaut theory, and even skeptics must admit that the abundance of records kept by observers of such strange sightings warrants more research.
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