 Case Directory Category 1, Distant Encounters Preliminary Rating: 5 |
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| A Hynek
Classification of Distant Encounter is usually
an incident involving an object more than 500
feet from the witness. At night it is
classified as a "nocturnal light" (NL) and
during the day as a "daylight disc" (DD). The
size of the object or the viewing conditions
may render the object in greater detail but
yet not qualify the sighting as a Close
Encounter which is an object within
500'. |
Three
Red Objects Sighted From USS Supply
Feb. 28, 1904
Pacific Ocean, 300 mi. WSW of California
Feb. 28, 1904
Pacific Ocean, 300 mi. WSW of California
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Fran
Ridge:
Feb. 28, 1904, Pacific Ocean, 300 mi. WSW ofd California A sighting by the U.S.S. Supply as reported by then Lt. Frank H. Schofield, later to become Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet. "[Three objects] appeared beneath the clouds, their color a rather bright red. As they approached the ship they appeared to soar, passing above the broken clouds. After rising above the clouds they appeared to be moving directly away from the earth. The largest had an apparent area of about six suns. It was egg-shaped, the larger end forward. The second was about twice the size of the sun, and the third, about the size of the sun. Their near approach to the surface appeared to be most remarkable. That they did come below the clouds and soar instead of continuing their southeasterly course is also curious. The lights were in sight for over two minutes and were carefully observed by three people whose accounts agree as to the details." (Source: Monthly Weather Review, March 1904). Bruce Maccabee: Information provided by the Monthly Weather
Review and by the ship's log is compared with
theoretical expectations for meteors. This
comparison indicates that the objects were not
meteors because they (a) were too close to the earth
(about a mile high or less), (b) made a large change
in flight direction, and (c) were seen for too long
for the amount of sky traversed.
Detailed reports and
documentsMichael Tarbell: The coordinates given in the Monthly Weather
Review of Mar 1904 (36 deg 20 min N, 127 deg 36
min W) put the sighting roughly 300 mi. WSW of San
Francisco.
reports/040228brumac.8k.com [pdf] (Bruce Maccabee) reports/040228pacific_report.htm (Brad Sparks) |