not quite what i thought from the headline; this phenomenon is generally explained by dirt on the lense.

but, i'm actually entirely down with alien contact as a naturalistic explanation for a large proportion of the bible. stuff like elijah flying to heaven in a chariot, for example. really, this whole sky god thing altogether.

i've seen footage of humans in helicopters approaching herds of elephants, descending and performing medical care on them and then flying off. elephants are very, very smart animals. they perform rituals around their burials, which only humans (and neanderthals) are known to do. really, they may not be that far from where we were when we came up with religion. and, it's very interesting to me to wonder what they're thinking as they're experiencing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wySFvmvr6Mg