20170130




Jan 16, 1998
The original discovery announcement, reprinted with permission from Dr. Johaness Fiebag, ran in the January 16, 1998 edition of CNI News.

Scientist Announces Possible Artifact On Moon

Just as NASA was preparing to launch the Lunar Prospector, which will conduct a detailed scan of the entire surface of the moon, a German geologist and science writer named Dr. Johannes Fiebag posted to the internet an announcement concerning his discovery of an artificial-looking object within the Lobachevsky crater on the moon's dark side.

Fiebag is the author of several books including "Mars -- Planet Des Lebens" (Econ-Publisher, Düsseldorf 1996) and "Mission Pathfinder" (Econ Publisher, Düsseldorf 1997).

His discovery came while analyzing NASA photographs taken during the Apollo 16 lunar mission. The Lobachevsky crater image (incorrectly identified by NASA as Guyot) can be viewed at:http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS16/10075825.jpg

CNI News examined the photo posted at the NASA site and recommends that all interested readers do the same. The object under discussion is highly visible and undeniably strange. An enhancement of the NASA photo can also be viewed at http://www.sightings.com

Dr. Fiebag's English-language text [slightly edited] reads as follows.

Unusual Objects inside Lobachevsky Crater (Moon): A Preliminary Evaluation

by Dr. Johannes Fiebag

Riemenschneiderstr. 36
D-97616 Bad Neustadt
email: jo.fiebag@t-online.de

There are two unusual objects of unknown origin in the Lobachevsky crater on the lunar farside: a giant triangular shape and a smaller cylindrical one. Until now, no hypothesis preferring a natural origin can explain their existence. It cannot be excluded that we really have detected some ETAs (extraterrestrial artifacts) on the Moon.

There have been speculations about past or even current extraterrestrial activity on the Moon for many years. The so-called "moon blinks" or "lunar transient phenomena" mostly will originate in natural volcanic processes or meteorite impacts. However, there seems to be a connection between the frequency of these "blinks" and earthly space missions, namely the Apollo missions of 1968-1972 [1].

Beyond that, various authors have maintained that they recognize monuments or other indications of extraterrestrial activity on images of the lunar probes or the manned missions to the Moon. Most of these structures seem to be truly natural, others are only products of wishful thinking. However, among them are also some examples [2,3] which should be considered more closely during future missions (e.g. the Lunar Prospector).

Recently (on an Apollo 16 image of the Lobachevsky crater), I discovered two mysterious objects which cannot be explained simply as a "trick of light and shadow", natural hills or photo artifacts. The image in question can be found on the official NASA collection web site [see above].

The image covers a part of the Lobachevsky crater. The crater has a diameter of roughly 100 kilometers (~ 60 miles) and is located on the lunar farside (at 12deg n / 117deg e). On the image a fraction of the rim, a fraction of the crater floor and the lunar highlands beyond Lobachevsky can be seen.

Approximately at the center of the image, right in the middle of the crater rim, a prominent and surprisingly clear triangular structure attracts attention. The object is erected high above the surface and throws a shadow to the right side (I do not know if this is east, since there is no orientation given). This excludes a simple "trick of light and shadow" or a photo artifact. The object is real. Since the whole crater is 60 miles in diameter, you can roughly evaluate the size of the structure. It must be erected some hundreds if not nearly one thousand meters above the surface. Additionally, it seems to be flat in shape (unlike a classic pyramid) and very smooth.

Which possibilities of origin can we take into account?

a) It is a giant natural boulder and part of the Lobachevsky crater rim.This is unlikely because all boulders of this dimension would be fractured, shattered and destroyed during the Lobachevsky impact. Nothing like this could have "survived."

b) It is part of the small crater behind it.This is unlikely because this crater is too small to produce such giant impact boulders.

c) It is ejecta of another impact crater far away. This is unlikely because according to its dimension it would have caused a further (secondary) crater, as we know them from many examples on the Moon. Also, it would have been totally destroyed during the impact.

d) It is a volcanic dome-like knoll, already consolidated in the Moon's crust and later pressed up from the underground above the surface (we know some examples from terrestrial volcanology).

This is also unlikely because of the following reasons: We never found something similar on the Moon until now; there are no additional indications of volcanic activity around the Lobachevsky crater area; it would be very unlikely that such activity would appear inside the crater rim, more likely on the crater floor (like in the Maria basins or big craters, e.g. Tsiolkowsky, also on the lunar farside); no volcanic activity would produce a triangular shaped flat object like this.

Other natural explanations do not exist, as far as I know. Admittedly, you can neither exclude an "exotic" natural origin nor that a natural explanation will be found some day. As of now, I cannot imagine it.

So, what can "it" be? I do not maintain that we are looking at a real ETA (extraterrestrial artifact) here, but I cannot dismiss this possibility. Additionally, only some miles to the south-east direction (if north is on top of the image) a further unusual object can be observed. It seems to be cylindrical and is conspicious because of its extraordinary white color and the "sharpness" of its shape. The probability that two unusual but natural objects are positioned so close together seems to be very low.

What we have to do is to analyse this image with all the possibilities we provide. If this shows us that there exists a real chance for ETAs and we still can exclude all "natural hypotheses," then it is very likely that we have the first real evidence for an extraterrestrial artifact on the Moon. Everybody can imagine what this will mean for all of us.

Notes:

[1] Arkhipov, A. (1994): "Invasion effect" on the Moon. Selenology, 13/1, 9-11.
[2] Arkhipov, A. (1997): Search for ruin-like patterns on the Moon. Selenology, 15/4, 18-20.
[3] Carlotto, M. (1997): On-Going investigation of lunar anomalies.
See: http://carlotto.us/newfrontiersinscience/ArchiveIndex/v01n02/stereoGallery/stereoGallery.shtml
 
Original file name: CNI - Artificial.Moon.final

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Jan 27, 2017


                                                              Left.  Ridge Section 104; Right: Cropped 1200 dpi USGS color chart of Section 104   


Fran Ridge:
Lobachevskiy is an 84 km lunar impact crater that is located on the lunar Far Side, beyond the eastern limb. This crater lies to the southeast of the larger crater Fleming. Less than a crater diameter to the east-northeast lies Guyot. This is a well-formed crater with features that have not been significantly eroded since Lobachevskiy was first formed. The rim and inner wall are nearly free of significant overlapping impacts, although the satellite crater Lobachevskiy M is attached to the southern outer rim. The inner walls display terrace features, along with some slumping along the upper edge. Near the midpoint of the interior floor is a pair of central peaks, with one to the southeast and the other to the northwest of the middle. To the east of these peaks is a relatively bright, high-albedo patch that is most likely the result of a recent small impact.  (Credit: Some of the information used in the section feature descriptions was obtained from wikipedia.org. Section 104 and this directory was created by Fran Ridge and Ned Haskin of The Lunascan Project).

========================================
  Note:

Since information on the internet has been lost in the ensuing years, and we had to resport to the Way Back Machine" to get what we did get, we decided also to resurrect the following page which has many interesting blow-ups and comments, however dated. The analysis below is flawed due to the extreme enlargements. Liz Edward's processing creates and enhances image artifacts  This is no "tower". - Fran Ridge.

Below is the original NASA Apollo 16 photograph which we will now examine in extraordinary detail.

 

 

 

 

Upon examination of the photograph, it was apparent that Dr. Fiebag's claims about the Apollo 16 photograph of the Lobachevsky Crater merited immediate closer examination.

 

The picture was sent to graphics analyst Liz Edwards at IWonder Productions for enhancement and further analysis. Her work quickly underscored the fact that there are indeed some bizarre anomalies in the photograph, in fact there are several.

 

Ms. Edwards made it clear that her multi-stage "enhancement process takes the image to its most critical viewing size without distorting the objects in question." Below, is her first enhancement of the NASA Apollo 16 photograph...

 

 

 

 

This first enhancement (above) is remarkable in itself in that there are apparently four clearly strange and unusual 'objects' or anomalies in the Lobachevsky Crater.

• Item "A" demonstrates a strange white rectangular shape along the ridge of the crater rim and includes an unusual shadow below and to its right.

• Item "B" appears to be a spectacular 'spire' soaring perhaps hundreds of meters straight up from the lunar surface and standing next to what appears to be a rectangular shadowed hole or depression running from its base out to the right.

• Item "C" smaller but odd, sits in the bottom of the small valley or ravine below the crater rim.

• Item "D" is set apart from the other objects and projects an extraordinary and bright reflective surface.

 

 

 

Here is Ms. Edwards' close-up enhancement of three of the subject areas.

Item "A", the ridge-top on the left, draws immediate attention because of its stunning line-up of round protuberances. These appear to be an integral part of the white colored area or cap on top of the ridge.

 

These black, holed objects are lined-up in such a way as to provoke images of large 'ventilation' or exhaust stacks as might be seen on an ocean liner or large industrial plant...only much larger. These objects seem anything but a trick of light and shadow. A spectacular formation.

 

Evidence of volcanism? Part of a major project or operation? What is it?

Item "B" presents what appears to be a dazzling image rising straight up from the lunar surface many hundreds of feet into the void of space.

 

Are we witnessing this tower-like object being hit by the sun's rays and appearing to be thereby illuminated....as one would expect a piece of crystal to do if struck by the sun in this fashion? Or, is the entire 'tower' simply some type of photographic anomaly?

 

If real, it is a stunning artifact...a crystal lunar obelisk? A construct of ET technology somehow linked to the bizarre ridge-top 'vent' pipes above on the crater rim? A part of a mining or excavation operation directly related to the dark, shadowed surface depression next to it?

Item "C", at the bottom of the ravine below the ridge, smaller, but seemingly also rising up out of the lunar soil to pose mute questions that we can only ponder.

 

 

 

 

Maximum Object Enhancement

 

 

 

 

Item "A". Again, this is an absolutely stunning display of

• A long series of ridge-top holes or openings or vents?

• What are they?

• Evidence of ancient volcanism?

• The results of some type of post asteroid impact heat release?

• Or....are they intelligently devised and part of an operational base and installation?

• Funnels to carry some gaseous emission out from deep below?

• Almost like Lunar 'coral'. What do you think?

 

 

Item "B" presents itself as major enigma.

 

Think about it...

 

 

 

 

Item "C". Smaller 'spire' like item.

 

By the way Dr. Fiebag has not openly described his discoveries as necessarily representing an extraterrestrial artifact on the lunar surface but makes it clear that he cannot rule that possibility out.

 

 

 

 

Item "D" is very much its own enigma. Sitting well away from the other primary anomalies, this small item puts out a distinct shadow and shape and has further been enhanced by Ms. Edwards as displayed in the small inset in the lower right corner of the picture.

 

Again, what do you think??

 

 

 

 

Lobachevsky 'Excavation' or 'Shadow'
Recently Imaged By Clementine

 

 

Courtesy NASA and Steve Wingate

 

 

 

 

 

• Where is the 'tower' next to the 'excavation' in the recent Clementine photographs of Lobachevsky?

• Was it simply a defect in the original Apollo 16 photograph? Hardly likely.

• Then where did it go?

• Was it removed when it's task was completed?

Analysis of the 'excavation' anomaly area suggests the shape of the crater appears to have changed noticeably from the time of the Apollo picture more than 20 years earlier.

• Could this apparently different lunar terrain texture have resulted from a major excavation and/or mining operation which entered into the side of the crater rim?

• What do you think?

• Or, is this dark area all just a 'lava flow' as NASA states?

 

======================

LUNASCAN  UPDATE
Re: Lobachevski  "Volcano"
Feb 8, 1998

The following update is in regard to reported anomalies in and around Lobachevsky on the lunar farside. Be sure to read the reports on the link below in order to appreciate  the nature of the controversey and understand the geologically rich region we are dealing with.

From: LanFleming@aol.com
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 20:40:14 EST
To: slk@evansville.net, VestAJes@aol.com, Bill63@aol.com, MikeLomax@aol.com
Subject: Re:   Lobachevsky Volcano Gif
 
Fran wrote: <<Do you have a version with big FOV?>>

I could make the FOV a little bigger, but not much. Unfortunately, I have to cut the negative up to fit it into my slide scanner. I know some of you guys
consider this desecration on the order of flag burning, but that's the breaks.

<< Also, send that volcano shot!>>

Yessir. Here it is. I hope you can read the file. The volcano (if that's what it is) is on the floor of Lobachevsky near the center. It's scanned at 506 DPI.
I indicated where the apparent caldera is with an arrow. There is also another landform that appears to have two flows down its slope.  I marked one of them with an arrow. It looks almost like an amoeba spreading its pseudopods. This stuff is obviously higher albedo than the surrounding terrain, and almost looks transparent, as opposed to the dark flows out of the small crater in the rim. (Why would lava be black in one place and light in another close by?)  Notice too that there are few craters in either of the two landforms, and that the stuff from the lower one has seeped into some craters and covered them partially. The landforms and the flows must have been relatively recent. I'm thinking that there could still be active volcanism in this region of the moon. I wonder why El Baz didn't comment on this when he wrote about the small crater in the rim of Lobachevsky.

Lan Fleming, VGL
 

From: VestAJes@aol.com
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 21:42:15 EST
To: LanFleming@aol.com, slk@evansville.net, Bill63@aol.com, MikeLomax@aol.com
Subject: Re: Lobachevsky Volcano Gif

In a message dated 98-02-08 20:40:14 EST, LanFleming writes:

<< There is also another landform that appears to have two flows down its
slope. I marked one of them with an arrow. It looks almost like an amoeba
spreading its pseudopods. This stuff is obviously higher albedo than the >>

Could be a short runout landslide. I doubt it would be Lava because it partially fills a crater and lava hasn't flowed on the moon in the last 2 BY.  Yep my guess was a landslide. Then I took a closer look. Where is the higher slope it came from? Wait a minute. This picture is geologically wrong. If it were a landslide there would be a scar from the source and a lighter albedo scar at that. The slide itself would be of a higher albedo if it was new. The top of the mass
disappears over the lip of the rock it is laying on. Perhaps a ejecta string from another impact crater? The central peak is a volcanic remnant from the original impact IMO. Sometime the central rebound peak became a volcano if there was a magma chamber caused by the impact. I would say the peak is as old as Lobachevsky itself. The Volcanic cone is apparent, and it even has a fissure in its side. I still can't explain that dark stain, unless it is a concentrated mineral just in that one location, released by the impact.

Jon Floyd, VGL
 

From: VestAJes@aol.com
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 08:47:43 EST
To: LanFleming@aol.com, slk@evansville.net, Bill63@aol.com, MikeLomax@aol.com
Subject: Re: Lobachevsky Volcano Gif

In a message dated 98-02-08 22:27:19 EST, LanFleming writes:

<<  I think that these features could also be volcanic, too. I think this was
an unusually active region for volcanism, and I'm not so sure it was all that
long ago.  >>

There are few things that would cause the feature you noted. A surface lava flow: This is contraindicated due to the seismic data that indicated that the moon was cool for the past 2 billion years.  A land slide: This is also not reasonable because the scar from the slide is missing.  Ejecta from elsewhere: There is no other indication elsewhere in the crater of ejecta.  Taling or waste material from a mining operation: This could explain a number of the anomalies noted in the crater including the dark stain on the crater wall. This is the short list of candidates that would cause the feature. Any others?

Jon

EMAIL DISCUSSION
Dec 29, 1997 to Jan 13, 1998
http://www.astrosurf.com/lunascan/anomlob.htm


LRO IMAGES:



ANOMALOUS OBJECTS
The following were discovered on the LRO images and do not appear as compression errors.