The Betz Sphere - Explained and Debunked

Man with Mullet and Dodgy Moustache Finds UFO Engine
[Un-] Explained: Debunking the weird and wonderful in (about) two minutes!

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Transcript

Did a student find an alien propulsion drive in Florida?

May 26 1974, Jacksonville, Florida. Terry Betz and his parents are inspecting the damage caused by a bushfire, they find an 8 inch metal orb marked with a triangle symbol. He fears it is debris from a Sputnik satellite.

Taking the orb home, Betz is stunned to see it vibrate whenever he plays his guitar. Then it begins to move by itself. A local news story goes international.

NASA and the US military contact Betz. X-Rays shows two round objects inside the sphere. Independent researchers discover radio waves coming from within the orb. Others warned that opening the orb could cause a nuclear-like explosion.

What is the unearthly artefact?

1971, Jacksonville, Florida. Three years before the discovery of the orb: Artist James Durling-Jones is working on his latest work. A sculpture made from industrial ball valves, each containing an eight inch stainless steel orb. Transporting them in his VW campervan, a few fall off the roof rack and into the undergrowth. Where one waits to be found three years later by the Betz family.

Despite the huge media interest, the Betz sphere was never seen to perform its mysterious tricks on camera. It faded from the news and its current location is unknown, making it conveniently unavailable for proper scientific testing.

Fuel cell, nuke or ball valve?

Debate is welcome in the comments as always.

Adios.

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[b.a.m.]

Wow. The lack of research in this is absolutely phenomenal.

[chris]

not really "Explained and Debunked"

[rschmidt]

Sorry but this didn’t debunk anything.

[christopherbielman]

My question is why would anyone transport 8 inch balls on the roof of any vehicle

[akrsna]

Neither explained nor debunked. People, nowadays, who call themselves skeptics are as wedded to their aggressive non-belief as any religious zealot is to their belief. Both types are sorely lacking in integrity.

[steverakes]

Among many other aspects of this case that you failed to mention, is that the U.S. NAVY ran a thorough examination (including x-rays) of this sphere and were also completely baffled by it. Nothing debunked here.

[jackbureau]

that is far from debunked brother...not even close or interesting...change the name of your site to ..".my opinion on stuff "

[wmharris]

So let me get this straight, the explanation is of an artist had acquired this "ball" and planned to use it in his sculpture. He was driving through Florida and it fell off the top of his VW. And this guy just happened to get it from a guy( and not clear on whether it was stolen or not ). And the location, ....Taos, NM.
within a stones throw away from none other than, DULCE. May want to do a little digging into Phil Schneider and a little event in 1979.

[liamodell]

The Why Files covered this really well. I don't know if it's real or not but the full story is very interesting.

[MartinSage]

I am surprised that nobody filmed the sphere (that I know of ) but too many have claimed seeing it move on its own.

[jamessmall]

it was found 20 miles away from any main roads out in the middle of no where. They gave it to the military and won't talk about it any more you think maybe they was told not to talk about it anymore.

[joeshmoe]

Numerous professional scientists ran tests on the object and the details that they discovered do not match the orbs described by the artist. While the orb may not have been filmed numerous professional scientists and military personnel witnessed the orb's performance.

[mamendozac]

Debunked? really? Just because you say someone lost a sphere ball.... Ok... i lost my giant metallic frezbee in Roswell... that explains the supposed UFO.

[mykedee]

The sphere was actually found more than 200 yards off a road in a field that was saturated with heavy brush, so the theory that it fell off a VW and rolled more than 200 yards is extremely unlikely. The field was mysteriously on fire which is actually what drew Betz's attention to it to begin with. Secondly, the sphere was seen vibrating and rolling on its own by journalists and other eye witnesses, not just the Betz family. Thirdly is the research by the military who found that the tiny spheres inside the object had a material weight of 140. This is interesting when considering that the heaviest known material is uranium with a density of only 92. As of 2016, the whereabouts of the sphere is unknown.

[R]

I ended up here because the show "Ancient Aliens" kicked off it's current season on this topic. While I see AA as primarily engaging and entertaining speculation it also sometimes raises good questions. This episode went back to where the sphere was supposedly found which was miles from any road. They also said the sphere was ultimately confiscated by the U.S. gov't.
Of course the problem here is a general one: If something is a hoax, sooner or later it is either proven as such or the whole thing fades from the public view. If something is a real national security issue it is covered up by saying it is a hoax and making sure no evidence is left for examination.
I am left wondering what I would do if I found one of these things... Keep it to myself, turn it over to the authorities or hold a press conference?

[MJ-imnq]

Not sure if this has been debunked...How do we know the artist really had spheres like this? Could it be he just lied to bring attention to himself? And why are there no photos of this artist with his sculptures made out of spheres? The old newspaper articles show the Betz family, but I can't find any with the artist. How do we know he didn't just make the whole story up? And where is the Betz family? Has anyone trying to debunk this follow up with the Betz family or is everything being based on old newsaper articles and hearsay? Have debunkers contacted the artist to verify any of this? If the artist used the spheres to create statues, where are the statues or photos of them? Debunkers say that the artist was contacted by numerous reporters after his story came out, yet no photos of him in the paper? I'm not convinced the sphere is supernatural...it's probably nothing, but if you want to really debunk this, these are some of the things debunkers should include in their videos...

[ladylea]

+tamiyak
yes the ball and the family did exist Terry Betz (my coysin)and his mother Jerry Betz (my Aunt) are my family on my father's side. my Dad and I did live with them around this time. And there so I can say yes it did exist.

[PoeLemic]

First video saw, but really love your Channel's idea. Am a subscribber now.

[scottschroer]

I read an interview with the sculptor. It's part of a valve.

[MrJakeXXL]

Is it extraterrestrial? “Ancient astronaut theorist say yes” lol