Dragnet

Crop Circles

Cereology

Crop-circle enthusiasts call themselves cereologists — after Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. Most cereologists (or "croppies," as they are sometimes called) believe that crop circles are the work of either extraterrestrials or plasma vortices.

Crop circles are not just circles — they can come in many different shapes. The most basic (and the most common) crop circle is the single circle. Circles might also come in sets of two (doublets), three (triplets) or four (quadruplets). A thin outer ring might also enclose the circles.

The stalks inside a crop circle are typically bent into a swirl pattern, and the circles may spin clockwise or counterclockwise. In patterns with several circles, one circle might spin clockwise and another counterclockwise. Even a single circle might contain two "layers" of stalks, each spinning in a different direction.

Crop circles can range in size from a few inches to a few hundred feet across. Most early crop circles were simple circular designs. But after 1990, modern crop circles became more elaborate. More complex crop patterns, called pictograms, emerged. This landscape art can look like just about anything — smiling faces, flowers or even words. Crop circles are sometimes unique designs, but they can also be based on ancient motifs.

Some of the more sophisticated patterns derive from mathematical equations. Astronomer and former Boston University professor Gerald S. Hawkins studied several crop circles and found that the positions of the circles, triangles and other shapes had specific numerical relationships.

In one crop circle that had an outer and an inner circle, the area of the outer circle was exactly four times that of the inner circle. The specific placement of the shapes indicates that the circle makers — whoever they may be — have an intricate knowledge of Euclidean geometry (the geometry of a flat surface introduced by the mathematician Euclid of Alexandria).

Some circles have thin lines leading away from them. These lines, called spurs, are not actually a part of the circle; a farmer's tractor created them.

Most circles have spawned in the south of England, primarily in the counties of Hampshire and Wiltshire. People have found most of them near Avebury and Stonehenge, two mystical sites containing large stone monuments.

But crop circles exist outside of England, too. They have appeared in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and other parts of the world.

The "season" for crop circles runs from April to September, which coincides with the growing season. Typically created at night, the darkness hides the creators (human or otherwise) from curious eyes.

Crop circles can take shape in many different types of fields — wheat, corn, oats, rice, rapeseed, barley, rye, tobacco and even weeds. Most circles appear in low-lying areas close to steep hills, which may explain the wind theory of their creation.

"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." -- Arthur C. Clarke

In 1961, scientists gathered to discuss Extra-Terrestrials and data gathered up until then. They came to the conclusion there were between 2 and 3 million species of aliens in the Milky Way Galaxy.

It is no wonder the World is being visited 1,000's of times daily.