Centuries of folklore passed down to us from the “old world” have told us that the moon possesses strange powers and holds sway over all things strange & mystical. Over time, the moon has been thought give aid to dark forces that have crept about in the darkness; witches, werewolves, even fits of madness were blamed on the moon. Lunacy, whose etymological root is found in the Latin word “luna,” literally translates into the English “moon.” Although it is true that the gravitational pull of the moon can influence the tides of the earth, is it possible that the lunar cycles may exhibit the same mythical effect on paranormal phenomenon? Through the vehicle of scientific exploration we can now dispel this myth, and although it is true that the moon does hold a minor degree of influence over paranormal activity there are other factors that weigh in on the subject far more heavily. From 2000 to 2005 a scientific study that I have been personally supervising has been collecting data and compiling evidence which points not to the moon, but to our own sun as the larger of the two culprits that affect paranormal phenomenon.

                Truth, being stranger than fiction, has proven to us that even the celestial bodies deep in the recesses of space can have an effect on the manifestation of paranormal activity. There are many astronomical bodies within the realms of outer space that can have a variety of effects on the electromagnetic environment of the Earth. These celestial bodies radiate electromagnetic fields that can reach the Earth and have an impact on the environment in which we live. Most information on this type of celestial activity and other astronomical phenomenon is readily available on the internet at websites run by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA (National Aeronautic & Space Administration.)

                In the following portion of the article you will find a general description of some the most common factors that can affect the level of paranormal activity on the Earth. The reader should bear in mind however that this list is not all inclusive as there may be other anomalies or discoveries in the future that may have a yet unknown impact on the understanding that we have of outer space phenomenon and its connection to paranormal activity.

Neutron Stars & Pulsars - On the average neutron stars will have the mass of our Sun packed into a 20 meter sphere. Due to the extreme density of this type of star and its gravity it has been found that the electromagnetic field surrounding some of these stars have become so intense that they can actually alter the vacuum of space that is directly around it. These neutron stars emit radio pulses from their poles, both north and south, which sweep through space as the star rotates. Pulsars, like the Sun, also emit winds of charged particles that have low frequency electromagnetic waves. These waves are traceable by their angular momentum which spirals outward from the core of the pulsar. These stars generally do not have a great deal of impact on the Earth, however, on an infrequent basis one of these stars will have an eruption of electromagnetic energy that can reach the Earth and saturate the atmospheric environment with X ray, Gamma Ray, or Radio wave bursts. It could be surmised that this type of activity could, in some way, modify the ability of paranormal events to manifest in one way or another.

Magnetars - Even rarer than the neutron stars are Magnetars, which when simply put, is a super                     dense highly magnetic star. There are twelve known Magnetars that are in close enough proximity to be able to effect the environment on earth. These are SGR 0526 -66, SGR 1900 +14, and SGR 1806 -20 all of which were discovered in 1979. AXP1E 2259 +586 was discovered in 1981, AXP1E 1048 -59 was discovered in 1985, AXP0142 +61 was discovered in 1993. AXP1RXS 1708 -40, AXP1E 1841 -045 and SGR 1801 -23 were all discovered in 1997. AXPAXJ1844 -0258 & SGR 1627 -41 were discovered in 1998, and AXPCXJ 0110 - 7221 which was discovered in 2002.

                Magnetars, like neutron stars and pulsars have occasional eruptions that emit large amounts of X ray, radio, electron, gamma, magnetic, and positron radiation. When this event occurs the AXP anomalies (the radiation which is emitted en masse) has had recordable effects here on Earth. Although this phenomenon has only happened on a handful of occasions in the last three decades the results have been documented in countries from the United States, Russia, China, Australia and more. As with neutron stars and pulsars it could be concluded that this type of electromagnetic and radioactive bombardment could lead to the modification of any paranormal activity that may take place within the time period that the specific area of the Earth was being affected.

Starquakes - Starquakes occur when thermonuclear fusion takes place between a large mass of hydrogen gas and the superheated star core. The resulting violent explosion then causes symmetrical waves to explode into the vacuum of space (this action can be connected to the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics and the Laws of Motion) The anomalous explosion could then bombard the Earth with a variety of electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves, X rays, electron radiation, magnetic radiation, GRBs (gamma ray bursts), positron, and SRBs (Soft Ray Bursts) which could affect the environment in which we conduct investigations during the time that the anomaly occurs. This radiation may potentially modify the way that a paranormal anomaly would manifest.

Moon Phase - A measurable change in geomagnetic activity at the surface of the Earth’s crust can be directly attributed to the influence of the gravitational field of the moon as it approaches its zenith.  As the moon becomes fuller the gravity field of the moon pulls on the gravitational field of the Earth and thusly “stretches” its geomagnetic field into an elliptical orbit. There is a brief detail of each of the Moon phases in the next few paragraphs so that they can be readily identified when any research or investigation is needed in that area. For illustrative detail see figure 1.1.

New Moon - The “new” Moon orbits between the Earth and the Sun in such a manner that the side which

reflects rays of the Sun faces away from the earth, hence producing the optical illusion that the Moon is invisible. This is also called a “Dark Moon.”

Waxing Crescent  - As the Moon moves along in its 28 day orbit into what is known as the first quarter, an illuminated crescent begins to appear on its right side.

Waxing Gibbous - Continuing to progress in its orbital path the crescent begins to grow until the whole of the first half of the Moon is visible.

Full Moon - As the Moon reaches the final portion of its 2^nd quarter orbit it can then be seen it its entirety                  as the whole of the daylight side is visible and appears as a full circle.

Waning Gibbous  - As the sunlit side of the Moon begins to turn away from the Earth it begins to darken again on the right side as it is now beginning to “wane.”

Last Quarter  - As the Moon passes from the waning gibbous phase of its orbit into the fourth quarter, darkness overtakes a larger portion of the surface of the Moon, moving from right to left.

Waning Crescent - This is the final portion of the Moon that is visible from the Earth before the Moon starts the new Moon phase again.

Solar X - Rays - As with the other celestial forces and anomalies some of the best documented modifiers of paranormal activity are solar x rays. As these x rays naturally bombard the Earth they usually go unnoticed by most people. However, when there is a highly charged mass expulsion of these x rays from the surface of the sun the greater portion of the charge has the ability to make its way to the Earth. This type of discharge is known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME.)

Solar Flares - Solar flares are violent explosions on or just below the surface of the sun. These explosions reach deep into space sending streams of highly charged radioactive particles speeding outward in random directions. When these streams of charged particles reach the Earth and bombard the atmosphere it is generally found that there is an increased occurrence of paranormal activity that can be recorded. It has been noted that when solar flares occur in conjunction with other atmospheric or astronomical events the chance of capturing paranormal activity on film as hard data increases proportionately. The sun is approximately 93 million (93,000,000) miles from the earth and has a diameter which is about 864 thousand (864,000) miles across. The mass of the sun is approximately three hundred thirty thousand (330,000) times that of the earth. See figure 1.2 for a rough comparison of size of the Earth to the sun in relation to the various solar flares. I should note here that it is known when a CME occurs it has the equivalent effect on the sun as that of a starquake. The measurement of solar flares is made in angstroms. Angstroms are named after the Swiss physicist who discovered them, A. J. Angstrom. An angstrom is a length of measurement equivalent to one hundred millionth of one centimeter which is used in the measurement of light waves.  It should be remembered that the magnetic field of the sun is four thousand (4000) times greater than that of the Earth. 

              Although sunspots are not directly related to paranormal activity they do play a role in the matter. If the magnetic field around a sunspot is monitored it is easy to observe that the magnetic field at times will split apart in certain areas. When this occurs the magnetic field lines can become crossed and in their attempt to reconnect, they may do so with such violent force that they can create a release of energy so strong they can effect the atmospheric environment here on Earth. For the astronomical event that solar flares are, they are very rapidly occurring events and only last for a few minutes as far as actual time may go, however, their effects can be felt on the Earth for several days afterward. Solar flares are characterized and organized into classes according to their level of brightness and angstrom wavelength hence the B, C, M, and X classes mentioned previously.

Class                             Wavelength in Angstroms

B                                  10 -6 or less

C                                  10 -6  to 10 -5

M                                 10 -5 to 10 -4 

X                                  10 -4 or greater 

                Does any of this information have much relevancy to paranormal research and investigation? Absolutely! Here’s why: Each time the Earth is bombarded by astronomical radiation the atmosphere acts as a natural protective barrier. This protective layer of gasses attempts to buffer the radiation before it gets to the surface of the earth and causes any damage. This diffusing effect in the atmosphere causes the radioactive particulate matter to expand away from other particles of the same type, thusly weakening their concentrated effect. This action of diffusing causes the overall molecular concentration of the radioactive particles to be diluted into far more ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere than the concentrated radiation burst would have had. Most times the impact from this astronomical radiation is negligible at best and we do not even notice that any significant astronomical event has taken place. The story changes however when we research beings that are composed of energy, such as ghosts, rather than applying these events to beings of manifested physical matter. Research over the last five years indicates that, of the above factors, there are two major astronomical influences that can modify our chances of capturing a paranormal manifestation in a photograph. These factors are solar X rays and solar flares. When either of these two events occurs there is a greatly increased chance of photographing a paranormal anomaly. However, when these two events occur simultaneously the chance of capturing an anomaly multiplies exponentially. Even with all of the evidence presented thus far these thoughts are probably best illustrated by the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Compare the following photos which were both taken at an investigation site at about the same time at night. The first photo (figure 1.3) was taken at an investigation site when there was no significant astronomical activity. The second photo (figure 1.4) was taken at the same site one week later during an M 5 class solar flare.

Figure 1.4