Close encounter

In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object (UFO) at relatively close range, where the possibility of misidentification is presumably greatly reduced. This terminology and the system of classification behind it were first suggested in the American astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek's book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry (1972). 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.

Distant sightings more than 150 meters (500 ft) from the witness are classified as daylight discs, nocturnal lights, or radar/visual reports. Sightings within about 150 meters (500 ft) are sub-classified as various types of close encounters. Hynek and others argued that a claimed close encounter must occur within about 150 meters (500 ft) 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 the classic sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977),[citation needed] 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 near the end of the film.

Hynek's scale

Main scale

Hynek devised a sixfold classification for UFO sightings. The six levels are arranged according to increasing proximity:

Number Title Description
1 Nocturnal lights Lights in the night sky.
2 Daylight discs UFOs seen in the daytime, generally having discoidal or ovoid shapes.
3 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.
4 Close encounters of the first kind (CE1) Visual sightings of an unidentified flying object, seemingly less than 500 feet (150 m) away, that show an appreciable angular extension and considerable detail.
5 Close encounters of the second kind (CE2) A UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged; this can be interference in the functioning of a vehicle or electronic device, some physical trace like impressions in the ground, scorched or otherwise affected vegetation, a chemical trace, animals reacting, or a physiological effect such as paralysis, heat, or discomfort in the witness.
6 Close encounters of the third kind (CE3) 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.

Close encounters of the third kind (CE3) may imply first contact.

Bloecher subtypes

UFO researcher Ted Bloecher proposed six sub-types for the close encounters of the third kind in Hynek's scale:

  1. Aboard: an entity is observed only inside the UFO.
  2. Both: an entity is observed inside and outside the UFO.
  3. Close: an entity is observed near to a UFO, but not going in or out.
  4. 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.
  5. Excluded: an entity is observed, but no UFOs are seen and no UFO activity has been reported in the area at that time.
  6. Frequence: no entity or UFOs are observed, but the subject experiences some sort of "intelligent communication".

Vallée's extensions

After Hynek's death in 1986, his colleague Jacques Vallée extended Hynek's classification system by two steps, specifically close encounters of the fourth and fifth kinds, as published in Vallée's book Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact (1990). The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) immediately adopted the extensions to the classification scale and has used them ever since.[citation needed]

Close encounters of the fourth kind (CE4)

A close encounter of the fourth kind is a UFO event in which a human is abducted by a UFO or its occupants. This type was not included in Hynek's original close encounters scale. Hynek's former associate Jacques Vallée argued that a CE4 should describe not only abductions, but also encounters that lead to a shift in the experiencer's perception of reality. The title of the film The Fourth Kind (2009) makes reference to this category.

Close encounters of the fifth kind (CE5)

As stated in Vallée's Confrontations (1990), a close encounter of the fifth kind is where an alien abductee receives some manner of physical effect from their close encounter, typically either injury or healing. Several years after Vallée's classification updates, some preferred that a close encounter of the fifth kind instead refer to human-initiated contact with extraterrestrial life forms or advanced interstellar civilizations, claiming direct communication between aliens and humans. This alternate interpretation of what a close encounter of the fifth kind (CE5) should represent has been attributed to Steven M. Greer. While technically not an extension of the Vallée scale that measures result-oriented data, this replacement of the originally coined CE5 classification has become popular in marketing human-initiated contact events.[citation needed] In a CE5 event, individuals or groups use specific protocols to establish communication or interaction with extraterrestrial beings. These protocols primarily involve the use of contact meditation and the use of sounds or signals. Close encounters of the fifth kind are also referred to as human-initiated close encounters.

Other extensions

Tim Mendham of Australian Skeptics has noted two further common extensions to the scale, namely close encounters of the sixth and seventh kinds, which relate to bodily harm or hybridization respectively. Their recognition has gained some traction in ufology, in spite of not having gained universal acceptance. Recognition of these additions has also extended to writings outside of ufology, including the tongue-in-cheek work The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, which also makes mention of these extensions, as well as a particularly tongue-in-cheek chapter in a book on the history of measurements and scales titled The Long and the Short of It: How We Came to Measure Our World. Tim Mendham elaborated on these extensions at the end of an article focusing on skeptics Robert Sheaffer and Philip J. Klass, specifically noting that a CE6 incident was defined as one where "a person or animal dies during the close encounter with a UFO", while a CE7 incident was defined as one where "a hybrid being (human/UFO occupant) is generated as result of the close encounter".

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hynek, Allen J. (1998) [First published 1972]. The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-1-56924-782-2.
  2. ↑ Clark, Jerome (1998). The UFO Book. Detroit: Visible Ink Press.
  3. ↑ Hynek, 1972, 1998, p. 6
  4. ↑ Hynek, 1972, 1998, p. 20; see also the program UFO Hunters episode "Alien Contact" aired on 23 April 2008 on the History Channel.
  5. 1 2 New, Jake (11 June 2026). "What's Behind Steven Spielberg's Lifelong Obsession With Flying Saucers and Extraterrestrial Visitors?". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 June 2026. Spielberg cribbed the phrase for the title of his new UFO film. ... The production later hired the astronomer as a technical consultant and gave him a cameo in the film.
  6. ↑ Seitz, Matt Zoller (2002). "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". In Carr, Jay (ed.). The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films (PDF). Grand Central Publishing. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2026 – via Library of Congress. CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST KIND: Sighting CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND KIND: Evidence CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND: Contact ... Original release poster. Courtesy Library of Congress
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Mendham, Tim (December 2023). "Flying off the Shelves: Tim Mendham looks at two leading skeptical researchers of UFOs, their key publications, and how their efforts reflect on today, 40 years later" (PDF). The Skeptic. Vol. 43, no. 4. Australian Skeptics. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2026. Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind: A person or animal dies during the close encounter with a UFO. Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind: A hybrid being (human/UFO occupant) is generated as result of the close encounter.
  8. ↑ Steven J. Dick (28 December 1999). The Biological Universe: The Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science. Cambridge University Press. pp. 309–. ISBN 978-0-521-66361-8. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Goldsmith, Donald; Tobias C. Owen (April 2001). The search for life in the universe. University Science Books. pp. 521–. ISBN 978-1-891389-16-0. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  10. ↑ J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry, Ballantine Books, 1972, p. 41.
  11. ↑ J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry, Ballantine Books, 1972, p. 59.
  12. ↑ J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry, Ballantine Books, 1972, pp. 80–1.
  13. ↑ J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry, Ballantine Books, 1972, p. 158.
  14. ↑ Hendry, Allan (August 1979). The UFO Handbook: A Guide to Investigating, Evaluating and Reporting UFO Sightings. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-14348-6.
  15. 1 2 Vallee, Jacques (1990). Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact. Charlottesville, VA: Anomalist Books. ISBN 978-1933665290.
  16. 1 2 Jain, S.P.S. (22 March 2003). "What're close encounters of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth kind?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2014..
  17. ↑ The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry. 1972. ISBN 978-1-56924-782-2.
  18. ↑ Mosleth King, Maiken (2022). "Ancient Astronauts and Sumerian Aliens: The Fourth Kind as a Pseudo-Archaeological Narrative". Rosetta Journal. 27: 1–23. doi:10.25500/rosetta.bham.00000002. ISSN 1752-1580. An encounter of the fourth degree, first hypothesised by Jacques Vallee, describes an alien abduction or another type of close contact which transforms the victim's sense of reality.
  19. ↑ Pirodsky, Jason (26 January 2010). "'The Fourth Kind' movie review: Milla Jovovich in faux-real alien invasion thriller". The Prague Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. ... this film uses the same scale devised by J. Allen Hynek, where the third kind refers to a UFO sighting, and the fourth kind refers to alien abduction.
  20. ↑ Greer, Steven M. (1999). Extraterrestrial Contact: The Evidence and Implications. Crossing Point Inc. ISBN 0-967-32380-0.
  21. ↑ Hernandez J.D., Reinerio; Schild, Rudy; Klimo, Jon (2018). Beyond UFOs: The Science of Consciousness & Contact with Non Human Intelligence (Volume One). The Dr. Edgar Mitchell FREE Foundation. ISBN 1-548-72116-6.
  22. ↑ Watson, Nigel (November 2013). UFO Investigations Manual: UFO Investigations from 1892 to the Present Day. Haynes Publishing. pp. 68–69. Retrieved 26 September 2026. CEVI CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SIXTH KIND Murder or injury of animals and humans allegedly caused by aliens. This includes cattle mutilation cases. CEVII CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SEVENTH KIND Human/alien hybrids created by an alien breeding programme.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ↑ Ankerberg, John; Weldon, Josh (1992). The Facts on UFO's and Other Supernatural Phenomena. Harvest House Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 9780890819913. Close Encounters of the Sixth Kind (CEVI) include injuries or deaths resulting from a UFO close encounter.
  24. ↑ Lincoln, Don (2013). Alien Universe: Extraterrestrial Life in Our Minds and in the Cosmos. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 80. ISBN 9781421410739. Sixth is an encounter that causes injuy or death to a human. Finally, close encounters of the seventh kind requires human/extraterrestrial mating that produces an offspring, often called a "star child".
  25. ↑ Joyce, Judith (2011). The Weiser Field Guide to the Paranormal. Red Wheel/Weiser. p. 7. ISBN 9781609252984. Close Encounters of the Sixth Kind involve the death of a human being or a terrestrial animal, such as a cow, during an alien encounter. Close Encounters of the Seventh Kind involve genetic interchange between humans and aliens and the creation of hybrid or transgenic beings.
  26. ↑ Borgenicht, David; Piven, Joshua; Winters, Ben H. (2012). The Ultimate Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. Chronicle Books. p. 268. Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind (CE6) Alien attack. After a CE2 or CE3, you have a major, life-threatening injury or are dead. Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind (CE7) Human-alien hybridization. Following a CE4, you discover yourself pregnant with an alien baby.
  27. ↑ Donald, Graeme (2016). The Long and the Short of It: How We Came to Measure Our World. Michael O'Mara Books. pp. 170–171. ISBN 9781782436232. Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind: one involving the death of either human or animal life. Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind: interaction that results in the creation of an alien–human hybrid. CE6 Quote CE7 Quote

Bibliography