Adhara Observatory Moon photographs
After calls about objects crossing the Moon, staff at a private observatory near Buenos Aires photographed it and found dark spots that seemed to move across its face.
1965 CE · -34.54, -58.71 · status: disputed
The account
On the evening of 1 December 1965 the Adhara Observatory in San Miguel took a sequence of Moon photographs at fixed intervals. After processing, several frames showed shadow-like specks in front of the lunar disc, and the pictures were published as UFOs.
The sceptical view
Experts suggested faults in film processing, birds, insects or distant aircraft caught against the bright Moon.
The researched reading
Dark specks on Moon photographs taken during a UFO flap. Film faults or birds and insects near the instrument are the ordinary and likely explanations.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 50% | Birds, insects and distant aircraft crossing a telescope’s view of the bright Moon appear as dark, moving specks; this is a common effect in lunar photography, as in the Bonilla case of 1883. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 15% | The staff photographed after calls about UFOs, during a wave in Argentina, so marks on the film were read as objects. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 15% | The images were published as UFOs in a sensational period; deliberate retouching cannot be excluded, though the observatory had no clear motive. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 6% | Thin clouds drifting across the Moon can leave shadow-like patches in timed exposures. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 5% | Several frames at set intervals showed specks and the film was never analysed independently, but nothing in the images requires more than a fault or a nearby flying animal. |
| Undetermined | 4% | 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. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 3% | No poorly understood natural effect is needed. |
| Secret human technology | 2% | No secret craft is needed to explain specks on lunar frames. |
Official position: No official investigation; experts at the time suggested processing faults, birds, insects or aircraft.