The Cause of the Cloud
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At around sunset on February 28, 1963, a cloud appeared in the vicinity of Flagstaff, AZ and remained sunlit for 28 minutes after sunset. It was highlighted in the May 1963 edition of Life Magazine. In addition to Life Magazine, various articles written appeared in Science Magazine (April 19, 1963), an independent report issued May 31, 1963, and in Weatherwise Magazine (June 1963). The cloud was very unusual and puzzled scientists at the time, who could not find a conclusive explanation for the cloud. The height of the cloud was initially estimated by James E. McDonald from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Arizona, Tucson, as being approximately 35 kilometers but was later revised by him to be at approximately 43 kilometers (141,000 feet). Believers of William Branham's message view the cloud as part of the fulfillment of a vision that William Branham had in December 1962 that Seven Angels would meet him outside of Tuscon, Arizona (see Prophecy of the Cloud). They see it as a supernatural sign the preceded William Branham's opening of the Seven Seals. Critics view the cloud as simply being the aftermath of the intentional destruction of a Thor rocket over Vandenburg air force base. They also view William Branham's stories about the cloud being the aftermath of the angelic visitation as untruthful as these stories are in direct contravention with the facts. They believe that William Branham's own testimony clearly show that he made up the stories about being at the cloud's genesis and that these stories only began after he saw the article in Life Magazine. Explanations for the CloudFollowers of the message believe that there is a complete supernatural explanation for the Cloud while those outside of the message think that it simply a natural phenomena that had a credible scientific explanation. The Scientific ExplanationOn February 28, 1963, a thrust assisted Thor rocket was launched from pad 75-3-5 at Vandenburg Air Force base in California carrying a Keyhole 4 military surveillance satellite.[1] The rocket started to veer off course and was intentionally destroyed[2] at an altitude of 44 kilometers (144,000 feet) at 1:52pm.[3] The cloud was investigated by by Dr. James F. MacDonald in a number of published scientific reports. Dr. MacDonald is most famous for his investigations of UFO's. McDonald was senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and professor in the Department of Meteorology, University of Arizona, Tucson. Dr. MacDonald never published a final report on the cloud. Why? It is likely that he lost interest in the cloud as he arrived at a likely explanation of the cloud that was not particularly interesting, i.e. the explosion of the rocket. As an individual who criticized the scientific community for ignoring phenomena that defied interpretation by conventional science, it is extremely unlikely that he would have failed to publish a final report on the cloud simply because he could not explain it. The facts:
Dr. McDonald reports that the cloud appeared in the Mesosphere, but that clouds cannot form at this height. [4] However, Dr. McDonald has subsequently been proven wrong - visible exhaust clouds can reach into the Mesosphere. [5] More recently, NASA has been testing wind currents at high altitudes by creating extremely high clouds with chemicals. Some of these appear shapes similar to the February 28, 1963 photograph published in Life Magazine and exist without an “exhaust trail” back to the launch site. [6] Unlike the 1960s, anyone can now see rocket launches from the Vandenburg Air Force Base in California on Youtube.[7] Depending on conditions, these launches can be seen from Tucson and beyond, and can leave clouds stretching into the mesosphere that remain illuminated long after sunset. [8] Questions have also been raised as to why was the cloud not seen prior to appearing over Flagstaff. However, as the cloud was similar to a noctilucent cloud, it would not be visible until the sky began to darken at sunset. Dr. MacDonald made no mention of the noctilucent cloud phenomena in his report. In March 2012, NASA launched five rockets off the east coast of the USA to create some of these clouds. These clouds formed rings that look like the May 1963 Life magazine photo. [9] Questions have also been raised about a second cloud accompanying the cloud. While this does present an issue for the Thor rocket explanation (although not insurmountable), it also presents a problem for those vying for a supernatural explanation. Were there 2 sets of angels? Why didn't William Branham mention the second cloud if he was standing right underneath it? The Supernatural ExplanationThose who judge William Branham to be a prophet will spiritualize these discrepancies, rather than admitting that he made an error. Some of these spiritual interpretations include:
Problems with the Spiritual InterpretationQuestions that must be asked if the cloud is seen to be supernatural in origin:
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