In Defense of The Supernatural Cloud (3 Part Series/Study)
Subject Outlines covered in Video Series
– Root Cause?, – Unit Measure, – Avogadro’s Number, – Molar Weight, – Dalton’s Law, – Molar Weight of Air and Water, – Properties of Water, – Temperature (Solid, Liquid, Vapour triple point), – Temperature vs Heat, – Atmosphere Layers, – Temperature Change with Altitude, – Temperature Profile, – Winds Aloft, – Size of Cloud, – Cloud Volume and Mass, – Thor Agena-D Rocket Thrust Augmented, – Solid Rocket Booster, – Rocket Plume, – Validation, – Rocket Booster Comparison (Thor Agena-D vs Space Shuttle), – STS-131 Space Shuttle Rocket Booster Plume vs Clouds, – Soyuz Launch, – Clausius-Clapeyron Equation, – Supernatural Cloud vs Rocket Launch Plume
Some background facts:
The Thor Agena-D missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on February 28, 1963, at 1:48 PM, local time (PST). The missile was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer at 1:49 PM, two minutes after launch, at an altitude of 44 km (about 27.5 miles).
The anomalous cloud appeared over Flagstaff, Az at 6:22 PM (MST) some 3 ½ hours later that same day, initially observed at an altitude of 26 miles. The cloud was visible for 28 minutes. When the cloud went dark the estimated altitude was 30 km (19 miles).
Flagstaff is located about 510 miles East of VAB at a latitude slightly North of VAB. The cardinal direction from VAB to Flagstaff is 85 degrees. The prevailing winds aloft in the stratosphere at that time of year are normally Westerlies, that is, West to East.
In Defense of The Supernatural Cloud (3 Part Series & Study) – Brother Bill Rostron
This set of videos was recorded at The Tabernacle of the Lord, Townville, SC on March 1, 2020 and March 8, 2020.
The purpose is to consider the anomalous cloud formation that appeared over Flagstaff, Arizona on Feb. 28, 1963, in the light of current understanding of meteorology and physics.
The common postulated cause of this event is said to be from the launch of a Thor-Agena D rocket from Vandenburg Air Force Base, some 3 1/2 hours before the cloud appeared.
The problem is approached as a rigorous Root Cause analysis. The discussion is extensive and endeavors to give all of the basic information required to reach a conclusion. The analysis shows that the commonly held postulated cause is unlikely to be correct.
Video 1 outlines the problem and provides background information needed to understand the later discussion. Atmosphere constituents and Dalton’s Law of partial pressures are presented. Properties of water and the Saturation/Sublimation Line are presented. Standard Atmospheric pressure and temperature are presented.
Video 2 covers the majority of the cause analysis. Atmospheric layers, standard atmosphere moisture content, cloud formation, wind patterns, and size and volume of the cloud are considered. At the end we touch on the contents of Video 3.
Video 3 covers the characteristics of the Thrust Augmented Thor-Agena D rocket and basic rocket physics. Key is analysis of solid-rocket booster chemistry and physics. The root cause analysis is closed with validation of key assumptions and discussion of the conclusions.
Questions and Answers
Question: There are many photos of the cloud from various perspectives. Why is the one photo of the cloud (most often published) considered significant above the others which are ignored?
Answer: Photos of the cloud are not ignored. The cloud revealed different shapes from different perspectives. These photos are key to understanding the perspective from which the picture was made, and is how both the altitude and the cloud dimensions were determined. Apparently, the most famous photo was taken about 50-70 miles south of Flagstaff, perhaps near Camp Verde.
Question: Could the cloud be due to unburned propellant from the Thor rocket first stage?
Answer: It is expected that a mist of unburned RP-1 fuel could persist for some time after an explosion, and the quantity of left-over fuel would be related to how much remained in the first stage tank when the rocket was destroyed. A majority of the fuel (~60%) would have been expended by the time the rocket reached 44 km altitude, but clearly some volume could remain. Rocket explosions near the ground invariably result in all of the propellant being consumed in the resulting fireball. What happens at high altitude depends on whether sufficient oxygen exists that could support some aftermath combustion. Certainly the immediate rupture of the LOX tank would support some additional combustion, but how much is not certain.
For reference, it is common for jet aircraft to jettison fuel as needed for, say, emergency landing. Jet-A is similar to RP-1, and it doesn’t create persistent clouds when jettisoned in the troposphere. The troposphere has much higher buoyancy than the stratosphere, so how fuel naturally behave in the stratosphere is uncertain. Liquid RP-1 is much heavier than air, and would be suspended only by strong up-draft in a locally heated atmosphere. Once cooled (which would be rapid) the persistence of visible liquid or mist in the stratosphere over 3 ½ hours at almost constant altitude is not plausible.
Both NASA and the USAF have reported persistent clouds of raw RP-1 in the stratosphere, but maintaining constant altitude is not observed or explained.
Question: Is the flatness of the cloud expected from a rocket explosion?
Answer: Rocket explosions at altitude invariably result in dispersion of debris in all directions. Yet the cloud was remarkably flat at nearly the same altitude over miles of span. No known physical phenomenon exists to explain a collapse of heavier-than-air material into an isobaric layer, persisting for hours, spread out over miles, and then later uniformly descend at nearly 1000 ft per minute. Yet the flatness of a cirrus cloud is easily explained by the sublimation curve, which is why natural cirrus clouds appear in isobaric layers, as this cloud appeared.
Question: What about wind direction? The normal wind direction at altitude in February supports the rocket hypothesis.
Answer: The motion of the cloud (from the May 19 Science article) was observed to be towards the SE. This is difficult to reconcile with ordinary winds aloft, since the normal wind patterns at this altitude and also this time of year is straight Westerlies. The wind direction from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAB) to Flagstaff demands straight Westerlies. The cloud was significantly descending over Flagstaff; the rate of descent would have put a similar structure near VAB into the troposphere hours before. If the physics of the cloud were consistent over its existence from VAB, then the observations over Flagstaff cannot be explained.
Question: It is normal for winds aloft to result in “odd” cloud shapes. Is the hangman’s noose shape plausible from this?
Answer: Clouds are affected by winds aloft as they change altitude. The particular shape of any cloud is determined by both wind shear and also the pattern of growth or dissipation as the cloud evolves. Oddly shaped clouds are normal, and the shape of ordinary clouds is not significant. This cloud did not exhibit multiple layers, but rather was largely at one altitude (isobaric). This observation supports the conclusion that the cloud was not made of material other than water.
Question: There was a second, smaller cloud reported. Why is this ignored?
Answer: Most clouds don’t mean anything and therefore have no significance. We had read about the second, smaller cloud, but didn’t focus on it because Brother Branham didn’t say anything about it; it had no significance. But, a smaller cloud would be more consistent with the remains of a destroyed Thrust Augmented Thor rocket.
Question: Was the cloud seven angels, or the face of Jesus?
Answer: It was a cloud. In symbolism there may be multiple answers. Brother Branham taught that it symbolized the “white wig” of a judge, representing Divine Judgment, and it surrounded the face of Jesus (symbolically). He taught that the shape of the cloud from that one perspective was due to the influence of seven angels. Of course, this cannot be proven. It is belief based on observation, and because of what Brother Branham understood. And also it can’t be disproven, so the discussion of this question is not a matter of science, but of faith.
Question: Was Brother Branham aware of the cloud when it appeared?
Answer: Public records in early 1963 are evidence that Brother Branham was not aware of the cloud until weeks after it appeared. But, once he was aware of the cloud, he began to consider its significance. He did not originally see the cloud orientation as significant; a voice told him to “Turn it right!” That is when the imagery of the cloud became significant to him.
Question: There were actually two rocket launches that day from Vandenberg. The first missile was an Atlas D, nicknamed "Pitch Pine". Launched at 0102 local time, the vehicle was aimed towards the South Pacific where it was targeted by an Army Nike-Zeus missile. The second missile was a Thrust Augmented Thor, (TAT) space booster, fired at 1348. Because of an engine malfunction, Range Safety Officers destroyed the vehicle two minutes after lift off. It is difficult to say with absolute certainty which of the two missiles was responsible for creating the "mystery" cloud that reportedly drifted over Arizona, a few hours after the launch. The official Air Force position is that one of these launches was the cause of the cloud reported in Life Magazine. Why do you think otherwise?
Answer: It is interesting that the USAF could not pin down which of the missiles was responsible for the cloud, yet could state without hesitation that the cloud was due to one of them. This is prima facie evidence that no formal root cause was done, and no tracking of any debris was done. The association of the events is an assumption. A plausible assumption, to be sure, but still an assumption. This is why we do independent root cause, to validate assumptions and state contrary arguments where they apply.
We believe that the accepted cause is plausible enough that it must be considered. We also believe that it is wrong (or at least incomplete), for reasons we have tried to explain. The contrary evidence is: 1) the witnessed cloud drift from the NW toward the SE, 2) the apparent huge size and mass of the cloud, 3) the apparent planar structure, and 4) the witnessed descending rate of the cloud at nearly 1000 ft/min. Had these not been in evidence, we would not have made these videos.
The Supernatural Cloud 1963 (High Ring of Mystery)
What Was the Attraction on the Mountain? 1963 – Brother Chad Lamb
In 1963 an extraordinary cloud appeared over Flagstaff, AZ. Because it was positioned higher than is possible for clouds to exist, it captured the attention of the scientific community and was featured in the May issue of Life magazine. Respected atmospheric scientist, Dr. James McDonald, puzzled over it for several years with his last public statement on the subject being that he was still investigating it.
Eight days after the cloud’s appearance, Rev. William Branham experienced a supernatural event on a mountain not far away from where the cloud had been sighted. He believed the cloud and his experience were connected.
The question is: was the cloud supernatural or was it a fluke that Rev. Branham used to vindicate his ministry? In this sermon, Pastor Chad Lamb addresses this question using Dr. James McDonald’s research and examining God’s method of vindication based on patterns in the Bible.
VGR Article
Original Voice of God Article
The cloud that Brother Branham described as a constellation of Angels was photographed multiple times from the southern border of Arizona, all the way to the northern border. It was not only documented in Arizona, but it was also seen in northern Mexico, western New Mexico, and southern Colorado.
Experts estimated its height at about 26 miles, which science says is more than 17 miles higher than clouds can form, and about 15 miles higher than any airplane can fly. Although experts never really explained the event, science is never without some sort of explanation. Their best guess is that the cloud traveled from the West Coast, about 500 miles east, at a speed of 135mph. That would be quite a miracle in itself, considering wind speeds were about 95 mph, it stayed intact the entire distance, and there were no reported sightings in one of the most populated areas on earth (Los Angeles).
The supernatural is something that mankind does not fully understand. How the entire world flooded with water, how the Nile River was turned to blood, how a strange star appeared to the wise men, or how a supernatural cloud formed over Arizona, are things that we will never understand while in these carnal bodies. So-called Christian scientists can come up with explanations that seem to make sense, but the bottom line is that their best guess, just like science’s best guess, is no more than educated speculation. Our faith is not in carnal understanding but in the revelation provided by the Holy Spirit.
The same Holy Spirit that wrote the Bible prophesied that these Angels would come when the prophet said this a few months before the cloud appeared: “I just heard that great blast that went forth, that sounded like it was south, from me, towards Mexico. But, it shook the earth. And when it did, I was still looking westward. And way off into Eternity, I saw a constellation of something coming. It looked like that it might have been little dots. There could have been no less than five, and not more than seven. But, They were in the shape of a pyramid, like these messengers coming. And when it did, the Power of Almighty God lifted me up to meet Them.” (62-1230E)
A couple of months later, while hunting near Sunset Arizona, a supernatural cloud appeared, a blast shook the earth, and the prophet was caught up with the Angels. How it happened, we don’t know. Neither do we know the exact timing or why God chose to do it that way, but we do have a lasting memorial that is displayed in homes and churches around the world.