Lexicon · Concept

close encounter

In UFO research, a close encounter is a category based on the distance between the observer and the observed object, and on their interaction. It was systematized by astronomer J. Allen Hynek, who distinguished three basic types.

A close encounter is a term used in UFO research. It refers to a sighting in which the observer sees the observed object or phenomenon from relatively close range, within roughly 150 meters according to the original definition. The term is associated with the American astronomer J. Allen Hynek, who from 1948 to 1969 served as scientific adviser to the Air Force's UFO investigation programs, including Project Blue Book, and who in 1973 founded the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) research center.

The categories

Hynek's system also covered phenomena seen from a distance: the nocturnal light, the daylight disc and the visual sighting also confirmed by radar each received a separate category. He divided close encounters into three types:

  • Close encounter of the first kind: the observer sees an unusual object or light at close range, but the object has no detectable effect on its surroundings.
  • Close encounter of the second kind: the observed phenomenon leaves a physical trace or effect behind. Examples considered to fall into this category include burned or flattened vegetation, marks left in the ground, malfunctions of vehicles or electrical equipment, unusual animal behavior, and physical symptoms experienced by witnesses.
  • Close encounter of the third kind: according to the observer, animate beings, “entities,” also appear near the object.

In popular culture, the categories were later supplemented with additional types, such as abduction cases. These are not part of Hynek's original system, and they are not used uniformly among researchers.

Spread

The term was made known by Hynek's 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. It was popularized among the wider public by Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, whose title refers to the classification system. Hynek was a technical adviser on the film and also appears in it in a brief scene.

Positions

The categories are descriptive: they classify the circumstances of a sighting and do not explain the phenomenon. Classification does not mean that the reported experience is proven to be of alien origin. According to skeptics, a significant portion of the cases reported as close encounters can be explained by natural phenomena, aircraft, optical illusions, misidentification or memory distortion. Official investigations have mostly found no evidence that would point beyond doubt to an alien origin.

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