Last month, a British police officer was on night duty, patrolling the streets in Worcestershire, central England, when he came upon something rather peculiar: a “suspicious bright light” emanating from the other side of the Clent Hills.

He immediately called his sergeant. He was going to investigate those hills, he told him, and uncover the source of the mysterious luminescence. He might, he continued, even need backup.

Twenty minutes passed. No sign of the officer. Then, the sergeant received the update he was waiting for: Everything was fine, and the officer had uncovered the source of the strange light.

It was the moon.

It’s Happened Before, And It’ll Happen Again

This reminds me of what happened last year, when a worried citizen dialed up 999 to report an unexplained, silent light hovering above his house. The operator agreed to look into it, but he or she didn’t need to.

“You won’t believe this,” the concerned caller said two minutes later when he called back, “It’s the moon!”

I also wonder how things may go down next year, when superbright comet 2012 S1 is predicted to, possibly, outshine the moon. It won’t appear as large, of course, but scientists speculate it may end up being “one of the brightest [comets] in history.”

I’m sure there will be some UFO sightings on that day.

Image courtesy theodallago.