725. Earling Strand ~ Hessdalen Lights of Norway

Martin Willis welcomes back Erling Strand, founder of Project Hessdalen, for an in-depth discussion on one of the world’s most enduring and scientifically studied unexplained phenomena—the Hessdalen Lights of Norway. In this wide-ranging conversation, Strand reflects on his first encounters in the early 1980s and how an initial curiosity evolved into a decades-long, instrument-based research program. He explains the four primary categories of observations reported in the Hessdalen Valley, ranging from brief flashing lights to long-duration luminous objects, radar-tracked targets traveling at extreme speeds, and rare daylight sightings of structured craft-like forms. The discussion explores hard data collected over the years, including radar returns consistent with solid objects, electromagnetic and magnetic measurements, unexplained ground conductivity, ultraviolet indicators, and baffling physical effects such as tracks in snow with no heat signature. Strand also addresses competing hypotheses—plasma, geophysical mechanisms, multiple coexisting phenomena, and even portal-like interpretations—while emphasizing the scientific challenges posed by the diversity of observations. Finally, Strand shares what continues to motivate his research, why Hessdalen remains a unique natural laboratory, and how understanding the underlying energy involved could have profound implications for science and humanity. SHOW NOTES