Case file · Non-fiction & research literature
Hynek, 'The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry'
Astronomer J. Allen Hynek's argument that UFOs deserved real scientific study, written after two decades as the Air Force's scientific consultant.
1972 CE · 42.05, -87.68 · status: account
The account
Hynek, a Northwestern University astronomer who had begun as a debunker for Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book, said the residue of well-documented, unexplained reports was being ignored. The book introduced his 'close encounter' classification and lent the subject the credibility of a professional scientist who had seen the files.
The sceptical view
Skeptics argued that the unexplained residue reflects incomplete information rather than a new phenomenon, and that Hynek's categories do not themselves establish anything anomalous.
Connections in the atlas
- The UFO Experience
- Condon Report
- Project Blue Book closes