Académique Documents
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by
David Calvert
The first serious attempt at classifying UFOs came from the most influential figure in
ufology, Joseph Allen Hynek. A professor of Astronomy at North-western University,
US, Hynek was employed in 1948 by the US Air Force to investigate UFO reports. As
former head of Project Blue Book, he devised the following classification system,
which has long been the ‘industry standard’. He initially divided UFO reports
according to the distance from the observer - greater or less than 150 m. (500 ft.) - and
then further subdivided these two sections into a total of six categories
Nocturnal lights: Light or lights seen at a distance. These may display various
fluctuations in intensity, changes in colour and/or rapid acceleration, and sudden turns
or directional changes. They frequently turn out to be no more than misidentifications
of planets such as Venus or Jupiter, high altitude aircraft or meteors.
A 3: Anomalies that have entities associated with them, such as big foot, ghosts,
yetis, spirits, elves, goblins, or other such mythical or legendary entities.
A 4: Witness interaction with the AN 3 entities, including near-death experiences,
religious miracles and visions, out-of-body experiences (OOBEs).
MA ratings are used to describe the behaviour of a UFO and are comparable with the
Nocturnal Light, Daylight Disc, and Radar-Visual Hynek classifications.
MA 3: MA 1 plus any entities observed on board, e.g., the airship cases of the late
19th century.
CE ratings are used to describe close encounters, and are very similar to the Hynek
close encounter classifications.
CE 1: UFO comes to within 150 m. of the witness, but the witness or the surrounding
area suffers no after-effects.
The SVP rating system is an important rating of credibility. ‘Marks’ out of four are
awarded for the three categories of reliability (first number), site visit (second
number), and possible explanations (third number). For example, if a rating of 330
was awarded, it would imply that the witness was at first-hand and reliable, the site
was visited by a reliable investigator, but the sighting could be explained by natural or
mundane causes, thus:
Should you be fortunate enough to experience your own UFO sighting or simply read
of someone else’s, why not analyse it for yourself using the methods outlined. Use
either the Hynek system or Valée system, or both, and see what results you get.