ufology Ufology ( ) is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial alien visitors). While there are instances of government, private, and ...

, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an

unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are Ide ...

. This terminology and the system of classification behind it were first suggested in astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek's 1972 book ''The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry''. Categories beyond Hynek's original three have been added by others but have not gained universal acceptance, mainly because they lack the scientific rigor that Hynek aimed to bring to ufology. Sightings more than from the witness are classified as "Daylight Discs," "Nocturnal Lights," or "Radar/Visual Reports." Sightings within about are subclassified as various types of "close encounters." Hynek and others argued that a claimed close encounter must occur within about to greatly reduce or eliminate the possibility of misidentifying conventional aircraft or other known phenomena. Hynek's scale became well known after being referenced in a 1977 film, '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'', which is named after the third level of the scale. Promotional posters for the film featured the three levels of the scale, and Hynek himself makes a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

near the end of the film.

Hynek's scale

Hynek devised a sixfold classification for UFO sightings: They are arranged according to increasing proximity:

Nocturnal Lights

Lights in the night sky

Daylight Discs

UFOs seen in the daytime, generally having discoidal or oval shapes

Radar-Visual

UFO reports that have radar confirmation—these supposedly try to offer harder evidence that the objects are real, although radar propagation can be occasionally discredited due to atmospheric propagation anomalies

Close Encounters of the First Kind

Visual sightings of an unidentified flying object, seemingly less than away, that show an appreciable angular extension and considerable detailJ. Allen Hynek, ''The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry'', Ballantine Books, 1972, pp. 98-9.

Close Encounters of the Second Kind

A UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged; this can be interference in the functioning of a vehicle or electronic device, animals reacting, a physiological effect such as paralysis or heat and discomfort in the witness, or some physical trace like impressions in the ground, scorched or otherwise affected vegetation, or a chemical trace

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

UFO encounters in which an animated entity is present—these include humanoids, robots, and humans who seem to be occupants or pilots of a UFO

Bloecher subtypes

UFO researcher Ted Bloecher proposed six subtypes for the close encounters of the third kind in Hynek's scale: :A ''(Aboard)'' : An entity is observed only inside the UFO. :B ''(Both)'' : An entity is observed inside and outside the UFO. :C ''(Close)'' : An entity is observed near to a UFO, but not going in or out. :D ''(Direct)'' : An entity is observed—no UFOs are seen by the observer, but UFO activity has been reported in the area at about the same time. :E ''(Excluded)'' : An entity is observed, but no UFOs are seen and no UFO activity has been reported in the area at that time. :F ''(Frequence)'' : No entity or UFOs are observed, but the subject experiences some sort of "intelligent communication".

Extensions of Hynek's scale

Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind

A Close Encounter of the Fourth Kind is a UFO event in which a human is abducted by a UFO or its occupants."What're close encounters of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth kind?"
S.P.S. Jain. ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

''. 22 March 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2014. This type was not included in Hynek's original close encounters scale. Hynek's erstwhile associate

Jacques Vallee Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are ove ...

argued in the '' Journal of Scientific Exploration'' that the "Fourth Kind" should refer to "cases when witnesses experienced a transformation of their sense of reality", so as to also include non-abduction cases where absurd, hallucinatory or dreamlike events are associated with UFO encounters.Vallee, Jacques.
Physical Analysis in Ten Cases of Unexplained Aerial Objects with Material Samples
." 1998. ''Journal of Scientific Exploration''. Vol. 12, No. 3., pp. 359-375. URL accessed 23 August 2009 The film ''

The Fourth Kind ''The Fourth Kind'' is a 2009 science fiction psychological horror thriller film directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and featuring a cast of Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Corey Johnson, Will Patton, Charlotte Milchard, Mia Mckenna-Bruce, Yulian Ve ...

'' makes reference to this category.

Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind

A Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind is a UFO event claiming direct communication between aliens and humans.

References

General * * * * * * * {{Authority control Ufology