Spökraketen en meteor, påstå våra astronomer

This newspaper article from the June 12, 1946, edition of Hufvudstadsbladet reports on the investigation into the 'ghost rocket' (spökraket) sightings that occurred across southern Finland on the preceding Sunday evening. Despite public speculation that the sightings might be related to V2-weapon technology, astronomers from the Helsinki University Astronomical Observatory, specifically Dr. V. R. Ölander, concluded that the phenomenon was almost certainly a meteor fall. Dr. Ölander, who witnessed the event himself, noted that while it is difficult to confirm with absolute certainty without precise multi-point observations to calculate trajectory and speed, the object's behavior—including its 1.5 to 2-second visibility, high speed, and the smoke trail it left behind—strongly supports the meteor theory. The smoke trail appeared double because the object exploded and split into two parts upon entering the atmosphere. Dr. Ölander noted that while he had never seen such a bright meteor, similar cases exist in astronomical literature. Professor of Astronomy Gustaf Jämefelt concurred with this assessment. The article also includes reports from a wedding party in Jockis, where approximately one hundred people witnessed a fireball, estimated to be about one kilometer long, approaching the earth at a 30-degree angle. They reported hearing a dull, cannon-like explosion approximately 30 seconds after the object appeared to hit the ground. Another observer in Vanda claimed the object exploded three times in succession. Calculations based on the time delay between the visual event and the thunder-like rumble suggest the explosion occurred at an altitude of approximately 60 kilometers.