Unidentified! Mysterious 'flying object' sparks galaxy of theories

Wednesday 30 August 2023

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? While the answer to both questions is probably no, a strange object's arrival on Jersey's north coast has baffled islanders.

First spotted earlier this morning and looking like something that may have landed from outer space, the large orb appeared to be the ultimate Unidentified Flying Object.

Celine Gimenez was walking her dog near Les Platons at about 07:00 when she had to look twice to check she hadn't walked onto the set of a sci-fi movie.

Sitting on the turf at a jaunty angle was a capsule marked USSR, with hazard tape around it and the remains of a red parachute trailing to one side.

Pictured: The mysterious flying object was marked 'USSR', even though the former Soviet Union officially ceased to exist over 30 years ago. (Celine Gimenez)

Given it was early, Ms Gimenez described her close encounter as 'bonkers' and opted to see what other islanders made of it by sharing pictures on social media.

Facebook quickly moved into overdrive, with a number of observations surfacing, including:

• whether it was "a Russian money vault, hidden in the space since the cold war", and now seized by Jersey authorities

• the chance to snap up a "spacious 1 bed studio apartment, not been on market since 90's. North of the island, with sea views"

• a possible connection with The Beatles, who toured the Channel Islands 60 years ago this month and later released the single 'Back in the USSR'

• a new super-size bin for dog faeces to accommodate Jersey's growing canine population

• the latest SpaceX project by Elon Musk.

The USSR label then took a strange twist, as such conversations on social media tend to, with posters criticising each other for using the term URSS, with others then pointing out that this was merely an abbreviation in languages other than English for the former Soviet Union.

Pictured: 'Caution' warnings and hazard tape were used to warn islanders about the recent arrival. (Celine Gimenez)

The scene was made all the more surreal given that the object was just a few yards from the radio transmitter at Les Platons, a well-known north coast landmark. 

No definitive answer to the mystery has yet been provided, however Express will continue to go where no man (or woman) has gone before in pressing the relevant  authorities for an answer...