Nostradamus — King of Terror
Marshall Masters, 24-September-01
Table of Contents

C3:Q34:L3

Quite otherwise will one interpret it,

PAGE SUMMARY: Many scientific discoveries have come about purely by accident. An investigator or a researcher was looking for one thing, when something else completely unexpected pops up. In this case, I was looking for Comet Lee, or something in the tail of Comet Lee. However, what I found in the live NASA feed of the August 11, 1999 eclipse over Turkey were three objects, none of which seemed a likely candidate for Comet Lee, which I labeled Objects A, B, and C respectively. Objects A and C later proved to be man-made. However, Object was not man-made, and the horseshoe corona on its leading edge indicated that it was most likely a comet.

People had watched the eclipse with great anticipation. They expected to see something grand and majestic. However, Nostrdamus never promised this. He simply states that the "monster will be seen in full day," which was viewed via the NASA live feed. Nonetheless, the debate raged on as to what the three objects I spotted in the video feed could be, and it finally came to head thanks to the needling of Richard Hoagland, who jumped to premature conclusion while viewing the video feed playback.

He expressed the opinion that we had seen light bulbs going off, which would have been true if there had been UFO or two high above the crowd taking pictures of the crowd. Nonetheless, I was forced to respond and thanks to the Russian Space Program, we obtained some revealing images taken by a French Cosmonaut on the MIR space station during the eclipse.

Thanks to this heated and rather passionate debate, we eliminated Objects A and C, and focused our attention on Object B. In the final analysis, I owe Richard Hoagland my thanks for making me defend my work, because it did reveal that we had in fact seen the King of Terror during the August 11, 1999 eclipse over Turkey, just as Nostradamus had prophesied.

	C3:Q34 -- When the eclipse of the Sun will then be,
	C3:Q34 -- The monster will be seen in full day:
	C3:Q34 -- Quite otherwise will one interpret it,
	C3:Q34 -- High price unguarded: none will have foreseen it
	C10:Q72 -- The year 1999, seventh month,
	C10:Q72 -- From the sky will come a great King of Terror:
	C10:Q72 -- To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
	C10:Q72 -- Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.

Marshall Masters, August 22, 1999
Solar Eclipse as Seen From Turkey Update #1

Submitted by John Caruso
Fri, 20 Aug 1999 03:40:14 -0700

• John Caruso: I would encourage Marshall Masters and Michael Bara / Richard Hoagland to view and *listen to* the 300k Windows Media clip found here:
  
  http://webevents.broadcast.com/exploratorium/solareclipse/
  

• Marshall Masters: Thanks John. Several people have written about this clip. Your letter was the most helpful, and I have reviewed the clip at great length. I will respond to each of your questions, and then note other things that I found in this clip as well.
• John Caruso: Sometime before the totality, a commentator notes that a filter should be removed shortly, presumably to allow the corona to be clearly seen.
  
  
• Marshall Masters: This video was part of simultaneous webcast from a viewing location in Amasya, Turkey and an Exploratorium auditorium located in San Francisco, CA. The commentator you mentioned was in San Francisco. When the filter is eventually removed, there is slight up-and-down jiggle in the picture.
  
  Please refer to: 01:26:31 "It is about time for Paul to remove those filters from the camera and refocus."

  At 01:26:39 Paul responds with: "We're waiting. We're waiting. On the words of Larry, I'll do it." This is the first and only time the cameraman speaks. He has a slight Eastern USA accent.

• John Caruso: At approximately 1:27:35 in the clip, the totality begins. The camera appears to cut away, allowing the filter to be removed. Then, the mysterious objects are tracked for a moment, and the cameraman says "I've got Venus." Then, the camera returns to the sun's corona.
  
  
• Marshall Masters: 01:27:41 "I have Venus." The voice has an accent that is different from the man who acknowledged that he would change the filters on 'Larry's' command. He sounds younger, with a tone that seems to be more from the Midwest. What this means is that we do not really know what the cameraman said during the eclipse, if anything.
  
  
• John Caruso: The mysterious objects are evidently the planet Venus, and a nearby star. The third object (Object C) definitely appears to be some type of light artifact - although I'm no video expert.
  
  
• Marshall Masters: If you are right about Objects A and B, then we're two down and one to go. Oddly enough, Object C is the one that really has us wondering.
  
  
• John Caruso: It's only there for a fraction of a second. (It is in this clip, btw - I was able to pause the player right on it once.)
  
  
• Marshall Masters: You must have lightning-speed reflexes. I could never get the Real Audio file to stop on that particular frame. Nice to know Object C appears in both the MOV and RA formats. This is an important find. Nice going John.
  
  
• John Caruso: Of course, this is still speculation. Perhaps someone could track down the cameraman, by contacting the Exploratorium, to verify these conclusions?
  
  
• Marshall Masters: We'd really appreciate it if you could personally run this down and let us know the results. We'll be sure to publish your findings.
  
  
• John Caruso: I look forward to seeing an update on your websites. Sincerely,
  John Caruso

**** HERE IS WHAT YOU MISSED JOHN *****

• At 01:15:39 Commentator says "There is a NASA ship." He identifies the ship as being manned by NASA personnel with telescopes. He expresses the option that people should be able to get a feed from the NASA ship, and then he drops the topic with an uncertain voice.
• NASA: It is important to note that the on-location Exploratorium commentator sounds puzzled as he points out that NASA does not operate sailing vessels, and then assumes that the NASA ship is a rental.
• At 1:20:20 the Exploratorium sound feed from Turkey suddenly drops out, and you can hear a commentator at the Exploratorium webcast auditorium in San Francisco say "It just got quiet from Amasya."
• At 01:21:21 the SFO commentator says, "We're gonna try to get Turkey back."
• At 01:21:39 the SFO commentator says, "We've lost Amasya for the moment."
• At 01:22:53 the SFO commentator says, "Can we get Amasya back?"
• At 01:23:02 (00:02:40 later) The on-location commentator can be heard saying, "Linda do you hear us?"
• At 01:23:37 The audio feed from Turkey briefly cuts out again.
• From 01:24:35 to 01:24:37 the scene cuts to a crowd shot in Turkey. Obviously, the on-location team is using two cameras.
• At 01:24:38 another cut back to the original shot of the eclipse.

*****  HERE IS WHAT I MISSED *****

We had one man with some very impressive video credentials express the opinion that the QuickTime video had been edited. What he said made sense, but the evidence was a bit thin. Then, I got your e-mail John, and started to review the QuickTime video clip again. This time, I had the QuickTime player and the Real Networks player side-by-side on my desktop and started viewing the same scenes on both files. This time I noticed some odd things I hadn't noticed before.

• Different Cameras? Compare the corona shape of the Real Audio file at 01:27:11 with the NASA clip QuickTime at 00:00:18. There are subtle but noticeable differences between the images at several points.
• Different Timings? Just after the full eclipse, the Real Networks clips starts a zoom move at 01:27:44, and stops at 01:27:50, for a total of 6 seconds. It then resumes and stops again at 01:27:58, for an overall running length of fourteen seconds.
  Just after the full eclipse, the QuickTime clips starts a zoom move at 00:00:18, and stops at 00:00:21, for a total of 3 seconds. It then resumes and stops again at 00:00:24, for an overall running length of 6 seconds.
• Different Formats? Perhaps there are timing differences between the QuickTime and Real Networks, and this is the reason for an 8 second difference between two files of the same sequence. However, if you note the crescent shape of the eclipse on frame 00:00:00 of the QuickTime clip, you'll find that a subtle difference in the arc of the image with that of the Real Networks clip. Again, this could be a difference between the formats, or it could be a slightly different perspective from another camera nearby.

As the old saying goes, "the devil is in the details."

Best regards,
Marshall Masters

Marshall Masters, September 7, 1999
Comet Lee and the Nostradamus Prophecies

Was Comet Lee Seen During the August 11, 1999 Eclipse?

There was a tremendous amount of speculation about Comet Lee leading up to the full eclipse witnessed in Europe on August 11, 1999. A great deal of this speculation surrounded the following quatrain: C3 - Q34

When the eclipse of the Sun will then be,
In broad daylight the monster will be seen:
Everyone will differ on the interpretation,
High price unguarded: none will have prepared.

Commentary

"When the eclipse of the Sun will then be," -- It was generally accepted that Nostradamus was referring to the Eclipse witnessed in Europe on August 11, 1999 "In broad daylight the monster will be seen:" -- This seems to be the point of disillusionment. It was generally believed that the comet (monster) would be visible to the naked eye.

In my case, I detected three objects in a video clip provided by CNN. Two (referred to as Objects A & C) would later prove to be man-made. The third (referred to as Object B) appears to be fragmented comet.

"Everyone will differ on the interpretation," I have written several articles as a result of what I saw in the original CNN video clip. To date, the controversy over Objects A and C still rages on.

To date, no evidence has been submitted to challenge my assertion that Object B is in fact Comet C/1999 Lee and that it fragmented during its journey around the opposite side of the Sun.

During the eclipse, viewing a Comet during a "Total Solar Eclipse" can be difficult, because of solar glare. However, some ground based telescopes and satellites, such as SOHO/LASCO may be able to observe it.

This is why we were absolutely delighted when we received an anonymous email from someone inside the government. This individual expressed a strong desire for anonymity, but likewise expressed disbelief in an explanation offered by a manager. The email contained a link a government web site, where I managed to download a satellite video clip mentioned in the email.

Upon inspection I found that the frames mentioned by the author had been removed as part of what appears to be a 7-second redaction. Consequently, things are just as Nostradamus predicted, "Everyone will differ on the interpretation." As to the rest of the quatrain, your guess is as good as mine.

Marshall Masters, January 1, 2000
Is Mr. Hoagland Grabbing at Straws?

"Trust No One, Mr. Hoagland"
Part 4 of 4 12/28/99

RICHARD HOAGLAND: It was quite clear to me that the TMG objects were probably flood lights of some kind mounted on stanchions in the background. The mysterious "Object C" seems to be nothing more than someone in the crowd using a flash camera to record the event.

Eclipse Objects A, B, and C
Revisited -- The Real Proof!

Our answer to Mr. Hoagland contains images that have been on our site for some time, plus several new images that offer significant insights into this story. These images are presented in the date order in which we received them, along with comments that I hope will help clarify matters.

Eclipse -- August 11, 1999

This eclipse was special in that also coincided with the prophecies of Nostradamus. Consequently, the world watched this event with both joy and trepidation. Those who believed in the prophecies expected to see a huge comet during the eclipse and were greatly disappointed.

Yet, this event continues to stir the imaginations of many. The original story published August 18, 1999 by TMG, Solar Eclipse as Seen From Turkey by Marshall Masters still holds the TMG record for the most widely read article every published on the site. As of this writing, it currently stands as 10th most popular article on the site.

Six months after the first publication of this article, it still being read by well over 3,000 site visitors every month. When TMG analyzed the site traffic logs in September 1999, we learned that a significant percentage of those readers were from the various agencies of the United States Government.

Sighting of Objects A, B, and C from NASA Video Feed

In my first TMG article Solar Eclipse as Seen From Turkey, I analyzed MPEG files with NASA video feed imagery of the August 11, 1999 eclipse in Turkey using Apple QuickTime 4 Pro. During that analysis I identified three visual objects, which I labeled Objects A, B and C.

At that point, the immortal words of Sherlock Holmes took root: "The game is afoot." And so began a long and partially unfulfilled search for answers as to the real identities of Objects A, B and C.

Close-up Composite of Objects A, B, and C

The first real breakthrough in identifying Objects A, B and C came via an extremely talented man by the name of Joseph Malinoski. He sent me a single composite image which I first published in my third eclipse article titled, Solar Eclipse as Seen From Turkey Update #2 - August 24, 1999 by Marshall Masters

August 11, 1999 Eclipse Imagery from MIR Space Station 

After publishing the article, Solar Eclipse as Seen From Turkey Update #2, a storm of contreversy sprang up around the true identities of Objects A, B and C.

Many people, like Mr. Richard Hoagland in his December 28, 1999 article speculated that the objects were really camera flashes from the ground. 

These explanations did not make sense to me having worked as: A professional photographer for 6 years; photojournalist for the U. S. Army for 2 years; and as a science feature news producer for CNN for 2 years. 

Still the same, it was obvious that we needed to corroborate our initial findings. This was a frustrating process, since NASA was and still is a stone wall when it comes to talking about these objects. However, we did get cooperation from the Russian Space Agency vis-à-vis excellent imagery from the MIR space station, captured at the time of the eclipse.

Composite of Objects A and C as Seen From the MIR Space Station

The imagery from the MIR space station helped us to positively identify Object A and Object C, as shown in this composite image. In this breathtaking image, you can see both Objects A and C in low Earth orbit over the European continent. 

Russian SB16 Missile Booster as Seen From MIR Space Station 

Oddly enough, the brunt of the controversy had swirled around Object A, and a bit on Object C. Nobody ever commented on Object B until Mr. Hoagland decided that it was a camera flash. Mr. Hoagland also decided that Object A was a camera flash as well. 

Nonetheless, this second image from the MIR Space Station, settles the issue of Object A once and for all. Object A was a spent Russian SB16 missile booster, which also happened to create a lot of concern for Floridaians when it disintegrated over the Atlantic shortly thereafter. 

Comparison of NASA Video Feed with MIR Imagery of the August 11, 1999 Eclipse Over Turkey

Thanks to MIR Space Station imagery provided by the Russian Space Agency, we were able to close the books on Objects A and C. 

This left us Object B as the only remaining item on the "unknown" list. Likewise, it also left us with an immutable wall of silence from NASA that remains to this very day.

Object B from August 11, 1999 Eclipse Over Turkey 

This is Object B. It has yet to identified, and after many of months of trying there is no real hope in site. I will admit that at the outset I thought that it was Comet Lee. Later analysis showed that it was not Lee, but given that Lee is now headed towards towards the furthest reaches of our system I wish I had been right. 

Object B is not a man-made object, a camera flash or a speck on the lens. Rather, it is the real McCoy and it is out there. Furthermore, our government does not want us to know what it is or where it is going. Like Object B, we must forge forward through the darkness.

Object B from August 11, 1999 Eclipse Over Turkey
(Gamma shifted for low-resolution monitors)

This image of Object is an extreme close-up generated from the original NASA MPEG video feed. We prepared a gamma shifted copy of the image above for easy viewing with older PCs with lower resolution monitors and video cards. 

In Mr. Hoagland's article, I notice that he upgraded his computer system and used Windows Media streaming media to evaluate the original NASA video feed.

In terms of quality, Real Networks and Windows Media both run a close second to MPEG. MPEG is the digital television standard. The CNN site used a reduced quality Real Networks conversion of the original MPEG feed. Likewise, Mr. Hoagland most likely viewed a reduced quality Windows Media conversion of the original MPEG as well.

One Last Look at Nostradamus

Since TMG published my first eclipse article, we have watched with amazement the continuing success of the story. Likewise, so has our government. At least, that is what our site logs tell us.

In the news business, they would say "this story has legs." For some reason, it continues to draw interest well after the event has passed. In this case, the principle reason can be found in the prophecies of Notradamus.

Born, Michel de Nostre-Dame, the man we know simply as "Nostradamus," lived in France from 1503 to 1566. As a physician and astrologer, he became famous for his predictions of future events in his masterpiece: The Centuries.

The Millennium Group views the writings of Nostradamus as an intellectual alarm clock. The biggest problem we have with the writings of Nostradamus are the translations, many of which seem flawed because they do not take into account the usage of the French language during the time of Nostradamus.

Although his prophecies are not always fulfilled, they have through the centuries been an enduring part of Western culture. While he certainly has had his misses, he did call it on the money when he predicted Napoleon, Hitler and the Challenger disaster.

On June 19, 1999, The Millennium Group published an article titled, COMET C/1999 H1 (Lee) = NOSTRADAMUS COMET? by Colonel James B. Ervin. His article was an analysis based on the popular prophecy book, Nostradamus 1999 -Who Will Survive, by Stefan Paulus.

In his article, Colonel Ervin quoted the two quatrains that seemed to apply most to the appearance of Comet Lee.

Century 10 - Quatrain 72

The year 1999, the seventh month,
from the sky will come a great King of Terror:
Resuscitating the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign Happily.

Nostradamus never says that there will be an impact in the Sept. month, but nonetheless, a great many people seemed to think that it would happen. However, Mars (God of War) has in fact reigned happily just as predicted. Before in Kosovo, and after in Chechnya .

Century 3 - Quatrain 34

When the eclipse of the Sun will then be,
In broad daylight the monster will be seen:
Everyone will differ on the interpretation,
High price unguarded: none will have prepared.

A real point of contention in this particular quatrain is the phrase "In broad daylight the monster will be seen." What amazed me when I read the various interpretations is that it generally assumed that we will see the monster with our own eyes. Yet, the quatrain does not specifically say how we would in fact actually see the monster. Perhaps, Nostradamus had actually seen the "Monster" through the Internet in his vision. Unfortunately, his prophecies concerning recent times have been often misinterpreted and worse yet, used by those in power to rudely dismiss legitimate concerns. Consequently, I felt compelled to write a fairness article on behalf of Nostradamus,titled Comet Lee and the Nostradamus Prophecies which was published on September 7, 1999. At that time, I also sponsored the Nostradamus Special Interest Group for those interested in debating his prophecies, with proper translations from the Old French.

Prophecy Sources

Please note, the prophecies of Nostrdamus were written in French language as it was used in that day. As with all languages, words and phrases take on new meanings as time passes an interpretations can and will vary. For the sake of consistency, the English translations were taken from a Russian web site. This is because the Russians share a closer cultural history with the French, and a deep respect for the language. There was a long period of time in Russia, when the nobility preferred the French language over their own.