People fantasise about aliens all the time but in this case, there was ‘undeniable proof’ - a clear picture of bright green laser light over the London sky. A concerned local took it to Reddit where his questionwas quickly answered. So, are aliens landing?
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Residents of East London have been left baffled after spotting a bright green beam of light in the sky. In a photo captured by a local, it rose from the ground into the night sky.
Taking to Reddit with the mysterious discovery, the photographer wrote:
Anyone knows what this crazy beam is? I’m in East London.
The view across the River Thames in London. The green beam is the laser that shoots out from Greenwich observatory...
Posted by Joff Summerfield on Thursday, November 14, 2019
The reaction was somewhat mixed.
Hilarious comments
People were quick to speculate in the comments with some hilarious suggestions.
One wrote:
Obviously, The Doctor is saving Christmas from an alien invasion again. This happens every year, come on mate keep up.
Another user joked:
The roadmen are having a meeting, I suggest you don't go to that place tonight.
A third blamed aliens and said:
It’s those dang Martians again, come to finish what they started.
One Londoner wrote:
A crime has occurred. The Dark Knight of London has been summoned.
Someone else commented:
That’s either the Greenwich observatory showing people where the Greenwich meridian is or the people of Lewisham calling on the mothership. Could be either one.
So, were there aliens?
The beam was in fact the Greenwich Observatory laser. Since 1999, it has marked the route of the Prime Meridian going north from Greenwich.
According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the laser can be seen for 36.7 miles if the weather conditions are favourable.
In fact, it's so bright that in 2017, an East London resident lodged a complaint with the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Annoyance and inconvenience but ‘nice to see it back’
According to one annoyed local with a balcony facing Greenwich Observatory, they could see the Greenwich meridian laser pass into their living room every night. As a result, the light shined into their eyes while they were sitting in their living room after sunset, causing inconvenience.
After a complaint had been made, the issue was marked as 'resolved' by the borough.
green laser beam probably emanates from the Greenwich observatory.
Posted by Sarp Akcay on Wednesday, December 2, 2009
But Londoners seemed to have missed their ‘alien light’ and were ecstatic to see it back. One Reddit user fondly remembered that it pointed to their ‘home from Leyton tube station’ and that it was ‘nice to see it back.’
Sources used:
- My London: 'Londoners convinced 'aliens are landing' as 'crazy beam' from green laser lights up East London sky'
