Case file · Sighting
Constantina radar-station sighting
On 12 November 1968 a captain of the air surveillance squadron at Constantina (Seville) and five others watched a very bright light that dimmed, flared and swung like a pendulum.
1968 CE · 37.87, -5.62 · status: unexplained
The sceptical view
Venus and the brightest local star were ruled out in the file; no explanation was given.
The researched reading
Experienced air-surveillance personnel watched a flaring, swinging light. A sunlit balloon is the most likely explanation, though the file does not identify it.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 40% | A very bright light that dimmed and flared repeatedly while swinging like a pendulum, seen in the afternoon, fits a high balloon glinting as it rotates in sunlight, or an aircraft’s glint; the file rules out Venus and the brightest star but not balloons. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 18% | The file judged the witnesses experienced and the movement unlike aircraft, but gives no measurement. |
| Secret human technology | 13% | US and Spanish military activity around Morón and Rota was intense in 1968; a test or reconnaissance balloon is possible. |
| Undetermined | 12% | The share a generic explanation had beyond what has been shown for this case: it fits many cases like this one, but has not been demonstrated for this one. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 7% | A point of light with no reference appears to swing (autokinetic effect). |
| A known natural phenomenon | 6% | Atmospheric scintillation can make a bright point flare and fade. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 3% | Nothing points to an unusual natural light. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 1% | Reported by an Air Force captain in an official file. |
Official position: The Spanish Air Force file found the witnesses reliable and ruled out aircraft, Venus and the brightest star; no explanation was given.