The Day the Sky Flashed Twice: What Caused the Mysterious Vela Incident?

On September 22nd 1979, the sensors aboard the US Vela Satellite picked up a distinctive signal from somewhere in the vast expanse of the South Atlantic ocean. It was a mysterious “double flash” of blinding light. Even today no-one knows for sure what caused the Vela incident...

Pinpointed to within a 3,000 mile radius by the Vela 6911 satellite, the mysterious unexplained double flash of light was seen from space and likely emanated from near Bouvet Island between South Africa and Antarctica. The frozen isle is one of the most remote in the world and at the time was home to a Norwegian automated weather station. The only recent event of note was the 1964 discovery of a suspicious lifeboat of unknown origin that was laden with supplies.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, we sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. All content is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. -