/Nexus - 0306 - New Times Magazine/pages/0057/image.png)
Page Content (OCR)
by Marcus Allen /'tIEXUS Magazine (UK Office) 55 Queens Road, East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 1BG, UK Telephone: +44 (0)1342 322854 fax: +44 1011342 324574 Photographs by Stephen Alexander ©1996 oaOBER -NOVEMBER 1996 There are always doubts. Every April, the same question is asked among crop cir cle enthusiasts: "Will there be any fonnations this year?" 1996 was no different. Winter waslong in England, and spring was wet, but by mid-May the question was answered: "They're back again." As usual, the season started the same way: a few simple circles and rings in a variety of crops-oilseed rape, barley and wheat. By mid-June, nothing special had been reported to the only monthly crop circle publication, SC (Sussex Circular), which had iust six circles listed. On the morning of Monday 17th June, everything changed. One of the most spectacu lar designs ever to appear was seen in East Field, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire-the site of numerous fonnations in previous years, but none so intricatc as this. Immediately named "DNA" from its obvious similarity to the DNA double helix, the fonnation measured 648 feet in length and consisted of 90 separate circles ranging from two feet to 50 feet in diam eter. The 'tramlines' were about 50 feet apart, made by tractors carrying crop-spraying equipment with booms extended on both sides. Fanners in England very rarely use aerial spraying. Enquiries by the many crop-circle researchers already packing out the legendary Barge Inn at Honeystreet-the ultimate destination for any self-respecting 'croppie' (see NEXUS 2/28)-soon established some important details. East Field had been watched until 1.00 am that morning; no one had been seen to enter. Dawn was at 4.30 am. The formation was first reported at 6.30 am by an employee of the farmers, Tim and Polly Carson. Ground inspection revealed beautifully swirled circles, with no damage to the crop other than that it now lay horizontally. Aerial photographs were taken by 10.00 am and showed the truly spectacular nature of the design. Several national newspapers in England carried large pictures of the "DNA" formation, with reports which reflected the genuine bewilderment felt by many as to its creation: 90 circles in less than five hours (one every three minutes!), no mistakes, and mainly created in darkness. The Carsons issued a challenge: "If anyone can claim to have made it, then do it again alongside the original." No one came forward. Due to the indefatigable work of Peter Sorenson from California, who has faithfully videotaped most UK crop circles since 1992, the "DNA" fonnation was filmed from the air and from the ground. News of the formation was soon on the Internet. The Crop Circle Connector site has details and pictures of all formations reported. Whoever or whatever the CircJemakers are, a sense of humour seems part of the phe nomenon. As if to say, "So you thought the DNA formation was good? You ain't seen nothing yet!", more was to come. On Sunday 8th July at 5.30 pm, an air taxi pilot flew over Stonehenge. The passengers wanted to film the world-famous stone circle. No one reported seeing a crop circle. Yet, by 6.30 pm, people were already trying to enter the fonnation, soon to be named "the Julia Set" (a mathematical diagram which results from running fractal equations on a computer, in a similar way to the Mandelbrot Set). The fonnation was 400 yards south of Stonehenge and within sight of the main London Exeter road (A303), one of the busiest holiday routes in England. Consisting of lSI sepa rate circles from two feet to 40 feet in diameter, and measuring 915 feet long when unrav elled, "the Julia Set" became more mysterious, with investigations being conducted by Colin Andrews and others. The formation was within sight of the 24-hour-a-day security guards at Stonehenge who reported seeing nothing unusual. It was a few miles from not only the RAF airfield at NEXUS· 57