In July of 1996, one of the most complex and spectacular crop circle designs ever seen appeared in a field opposite Stonehenge. The design became known as ‘The Julia Set’ because it resembled the mathematical fractal known by that name.

A pilot flying over the area at 5:30 p.m., with a passenger taking pictures, both reported that there was no formation in the field at that time. The pilot landed his plane at the nearest airfield, the passenger disembarked, and the pilot refueled for another flight. The pilot took off again and crossed the field at 6:15 p.m. when he saw the Julia Set formation in the field. At about the same time his previous passenger drove past Stonehenge to see cars pulled off the side of the busy road. The security guards at Stonehenge claimed the formation was not in the field earlier in the day.

In effect, a formation consisting of 150 circles in a complicated design had been formed within clear sight of the most visited ancient artifact in the world. Some 7,000 people pass through Stonehenge on an average summer day, with guards on the premises 24 hours a day. No one saw any movement in the nearby field where the wheat was perhaps three feet high. It was reported that it took a team of 11 people no less than five hours just to survey the formation. Investigators in the field could find no evidence that human beings created this formation.