Ian Ridpath
Ian Ridpath is a British science writer and a well-known figure in astronomy popularization. As one of the representatives of skeptical UFO research, he interprets the Rendlesham Forest incident and other sightings with natural explanations.
Ian Ridpath is a British science writer and astronomy popularizer. He has written numerous books on astronomy and on observing the night sky. He edited the reference dictionary Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy and later editions of Norton’s Star Atlas, and together with Wil Tirion he wrote the widely used astronomical pocket guide Stars and Planets. On the UFO question, he is among the skeptics.
His work in UFO research
Ridpath is best known for his investigation of the Rendlesham Forest incident (December 1980, Suffolk, England). The event was reported by US Air Force personnel near the Woodbridge and Bentwaters bases, and UFO literature regards it as one of the best-known British cases. Ridpath has investigated the case since the early 1980s, after the Halt memorandum was made public, and he also visited the site. According to his analysis, most of the observations can be explained by the light of the nearby Orford Ness lighthouse, a bright fireball (meteor) seen over southern England in the early morning of December 26, and bright stars. A local forester identified the depressions found at the site as rabbit diggings. This interpretation is disputed by some of the witnesses and by many ufologists.
Skeptical approach
Ridpath examines the astronomical and meteorological background of sightings: he looks at whether the phenomena described in the reports can be matched with identifiable celestial or terrestrial light sources. In his view, most UFO reports can be traced back to misidentification and do not require extraordinary explanations.
Reception
Skeptics often cite Ridpath's arguments in the Rendlesham case. Some ufologists, however, hold that based on the witness testimony, the official records and the physical traces, natural explanations are not sufficient. The debate has not been settled since.