Within First Checks
Where exactly were they looking?
A sighting becomes testable when the witness captures where they stood, where they looked and how high above the horizon the object appeared.
On this page
- Why observer position changes the whole case
- Compass bearings, landmarks and horizon angles
- Simple field notes that survive later checking
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Introduction
Before a UFO report can be tested against aircraft tracks, satellite passes, astronomical objects or weather records, investigators need one simple thing: a reliable record of where the witness was looking. The problem is that memory begins changing almost immediately after an unusual event. Conversations, media coverage, repeated retellings and even attempts to estimate distances after the fact can alter a witness’s recollection. For that reason, one of the most valuable early checks in any UFO investigation is to record viewing direction and apparent elevation above the horizon as soon as possible. A sighting with precise bearings and horizon angles can often be reconstructed; a sighting remembered only as “high in the sky” or “over there” frequently cannot. Project Blue Book and later civilian investigation methods both treated missing positional information as a major obstacle to evaluation. [Defense Logistics Agency]esd.whs.milDefense Logistics AgencyProject Blue BookSeptember 25, 2012 — The Air Force groups its evaluations of UFO reports under three general hea… [Wikipedia]WikipediaIdentification studies of UFOsIdentification studies of UFOsThe following are some major studies undertaken since 1948 that reported on identification of UFOs: Proj…
Why observer position changes the whole case
Many apparently extraordinary sightings become difficult to interpret because investigators know where the object appeared but not where the observer stood. A movement that seems impossible from one location may align perfectly with an aircraft approach path, a satellite track or a bright planet when viewed from another.
This is a basic geometry problem. The sky does not provide natural distance markers. Witnesses often describe an object as being “above the town”, “over the hills” or “behind the trees”, yet those descriptions depend entirely on the observer’s position. Even moving a few hundred metres can noticeably change the apparent relationship between a distant light and nearby landmarks.
Investigators therefore place heavy emphasis on documenting the witness location first and the object location second. Civilian UFO investigation procedures commonly collect azimuth (direction along the horizon) and elevation (angle above the horizon) because these measurements allow later comparison with known objects and events. [MUFON]mufon.comMUFONThe Scientific MethodA MUFON Field Investigator then interviews the witnesses who made the report and collects additional informatio…
A common failure mode occurs when witnesses later reconstruct a sighting from memory. Once the object is no longer visible, people often unconsciously replace exact viewing directions with broader descriptions such as “west” or “above the trees”. Those approximations may be sincere, but they reduce the ability to test ordinary explanations.
Compass bearings, landmarks and horizon angles
The most useful direction record combines two forms of information: a measured bearing and a fixed landmark reference.
A compass bearing provides a reproducible direction. A note that an object first appeared at approximately 245 degrees and disappeared at 270 degrees gives investigators a defined segment of sky to examine. If a compass is unavailable, landmarks can still preserve valuable information. Descriptions such as “two finger-widths above the church spire” or “directly above the radio mast” are often more useful than a vague cardinal direction because the landmark can be identified later.
Elevation is equally important. Investigators generally distinguish between an object’s apparent position in the sky and its actual altitude. Witnesses can estimate the former but rarely the latter. A light observed 15 degrees above the horizon may correspond to a distant aircraft, while a light observed 70 degrees above the horizon could point investigators toward a very different set of possibilities.
MUFON field-investigation guidance specifically treats elevation and azimuth as measurable characteristics worth collecting during witness interviews because they allow later reconstruction and comparison. [MUFON]mufon.comOpen source on mufon.com.
Useful practical estimates include:
- Horizon level: 0 degrees.
- Halfway to overhead: roughly 45 degrees.
- Directly overhead: 90 degrees.
- A clenched fist at arm’s length: about 10 degrees.
- Three fingers at arm’s length: roughly 5 degrees.
These are crude measurements, but they are often far better than qualitative descriptions such as “fairly high” or “low in the sky”.
Why early notes beat later recollections
Witness testimony remains important in UFO investigations, but timing matters. Cognitive research consistently shows that memories are reconstructed rather than replayed. As time passes, confidence and accuracy do not necessarily increase together.
For UFO reports, this creates a specific risk. People naturally focus on the object itself rather than on recording their own position, viewing angle and orientation. Later, when investigators ask for those details, witnesses may have to infer them from memory rather than recall them directly.
The result can be significant. A witness may remember an object moving rapidly across the sky but forget that they turned their head or changed position while watching it. Another may remember an object as nearly overhead when contemporary notes would have shown it much closer to the horizon. Small directional errors can dramatically affect attempts to match a sighting with aircraft routes, satellite tracks or astronomical objects.
This concern helps explain why historical UFO programmes often distinguished between genuinely unexplained reports and reports containing insufficient information. Missing positional data frequently prevented meaningful analysis. [Defense Logistics Agency]esd.whs.milDefense Logistics AgencyProject Blue BookSeptember 25, 2012 — The Air Force groups its evaluations of UFO reports under three general hea… [Wikipedia]WikipediaList of reported UFO sightingsList of reported UFO sightingsThis is a list of notable reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) some of which include…
Simple field notes that survive later checking
The goal is not scientific perfection. It is preserving enough information that later investigators can independently verify what was in that section of sky.
Immediately after a sighting, the most useful notes are:
- Exact observer location, preferably an address or coordinates.
- Direction of first observation.
- Direction of last observation.
- Approximate elevation at the beginning and end of the sighting.
- Nearby landmarks used as reference points.
- Whether the witness moved during observation.
- Time recorded from a phone, watch or other source.
Photographs can help, but even a simple sketch may be valuable. A rough drawing showing the horizon, major landmarks and the object’s position often preserves spatial information that becomes difficult to reconstruct days later.
In practical UFO investigation, these notes serve a governance function as much as an evidential one. They create a documented observational record before memory drift, discussion with others or later interpretation changes the account. A report that preserves direction and elevation early is not automatically correct, but it is far more testable than one reconstructed entirely from recollection. That distinction is crucial when deciding whether a sighting remains merely unidentified or deserves further scrutiny as a potentially anomalous event. [MUFON]mufon.comMufon's Ufo, Et Research Tracking ToolsThe MUFON Case Management System (CMS) is a powerful tool designed to help researchers, investigat… [MUFON]mufon.comMUFON Through the AgesTrack UFOs · Field Investigator CMS Login · Become a Field Investigator · Report a UFO · Report an Experience · Don…
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Where exactly were they looking?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Discusses the importance of structured observation and report quality.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Shows why exact report details matter in classification.
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Endnotes
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Identification studies of UFOs
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identification_studies_of_UFOsSource snippet
Identification studies of UFOsThe following are some major studies undertaken since 1948 that reported on identification of UFOs: Proj...
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Source: mufon.com
Link: https://mufon.com/the-scientific-method/Source snippet
MUFONThe Scientific MethodA MUFON Field Investigator then interviews the witnesses who made the report and collects additional informatio...
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Source: mufon.com
Link: https://mufon.com/become-a-mufon-field-investigator/ -
Source: Wikipedia
Title: List of reported UFO sightings
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightingsSource snippet
List of reported UFO sightingsThis is a list of notable reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) some of which include...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Project Blue Book
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_BookSource snippet
Project Blue BookProject Blue Book had two goals, namely, to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and to scientifical...
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Source: mufon.com
Link: https://mufon.com/research/Source snippet
Mufon's Ufo, Et Research Tracking ToolsThe MUFON Case Management System (CMS) is a powerful tool designed to help researchers, investigat...
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Source: mufon.com
Link: https://mufon.com/history/Source snippet
MUFON Through the AgesTrack UFOs · Field Investigator CMS Login · Become a Field Investigator · Report a UFO · Report an Experience · Don...
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Source: mufon.com
Link: https://mufon.com/cms-ifo-info/Source snippet
CMS IFO InfoTrack UFOs · Field Investigator CMS Login · Become a Field Investigator · Report a UFO · Report an Experience · Donate or Vol...
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Source: esd.whs.mil
Link: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/UFOsandUAPs/proj_b1.pdf?ver=2017-05-22-113513-837Source snippet
Defense Logistics AgencyProject Blue BookSeptember 25, 2012 — The Air Force groups its evaluations of UFO reports under three general hea...
Published: September 25, 2012
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Source: documents.theblackvault.com
Title: August 2008
Link: https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/MUFON/Journals/2008/August_2008.pdfSource snippet
MUFON UFO Journal16 Aug 2008 — With Altitude and Azimuth defined we can now identify some techniques that can be used to provide an estim...
Published: August 2008
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Source: history.com
Title: Project Blue Book
Link: https://www.history.com/articles/project-blue-bookSource snippet
HistoryProject Blue Book - Alien, Definition & Files22 Feb 2010 — Over the next 17 years, Project Blue Book would compile reports of 12,6...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzpiekMIYygSource snippet
Deviation by Azimuth (Sun) | Problem 2In this video we solve the problem below. On 26 February your vessel's 1615 ZT DR position is LAT 2...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1eh8sah/mufon_investigator_training_manual_table_of/Source snippet
MUFON Investigator Training Manual, Table of Contents....These are taken from my personal manuals during different decades of involvemen...
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Source: britannica.com
Title: Project Blue Book
Link: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Project-Blue-BookSource snippet
Definition, History, Aliens, UFOs, & Facts16 May 2026 — Project Blue Book, code name for the United States' longest-running Air Force pro...
Published: May 2026
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Source: archives.gov
Title: Project BLUE BOOK
Link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufosSource snippet
Unidentified Flying Objects25 Jun 2024 — Pro-UFO researchers claim that an extraterrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants were recov...
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Source: electronicsandbooks.com
Title: MUFON UFO Journal December 1979
Link: https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Magazine/M/MUFON%20UFO%20Journal/MUFON%20UFO%20Journal%20-%20December%201979.pdfSource snippet
The MUFON10 Dec 1979 — The case also was investigated by. MUFON Field Investigator, Arthur. Morros of Zionsville, Indiana. On September 2...
Published: December 1979
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Source: abebooks.co.uk
Link: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/MUFON-Field-Investigators-Manual-Mutual-UFO/32217016709/bd
Additional References
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Source: cia.gov
Link: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp81r00560r000100010001-0Source snippet
THE NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE ON...Blue Book UFO investigation, prepared analyses of UFO data for AF, liaison officer between Da...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/SWCloudCity/posts/trump-admin-release-latest-ufo-files-pentagon-files-describe-ufo-craft-that-awak/1462798405892546/Source snippet
TRUMP ADMIN RELEASE LATEST UFO FILES:-...Let us know what you think about these images, do you think they are really depicting extrater...
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Source: handprint.com
Link: https://www.handprint.com/UFO/UFO.htmlSource snippet
UFO as wildlifeA detailed analysis of data of the FBI, which was derived from investigations of intrusions of unidentified aerial phenome...
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Source: af.mil
Link: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/Source snippet
Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue BookOf a total of 12,618 sightings reported to Project Blue Book, 701 remained "un...
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Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link: https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdfSource snippet
[Roswell]({{ 'roswell/' | relative_url }}) ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the request made by...
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Source: cia.gov
Link: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81R00560R000100060001-5.pdfSource snippet
SPECIAL REPORT NO. 14. (ANALYSIS OF REPORTS OF UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL OBJECTS). PROJECT NO. 10073. 5 MAY 1955. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. (AFR 1...
Published: MAY 1955
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Source: sofrep.com
Title: the truth behind ufos from project blue book to the pentagons uap task force
Link: https://sofrep.com/news/the-truth-behind-ufos-from-project-blue-book-to-the-pentagons-uap-task-force/Source snippet
The Truth Behind UFOs: From Project Blue Book to the...8 Feb 2026 — Project Blue Book had two main goals: to determine whether UFOs posed...
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Source: researchgate.net
Title: 352352112 A Preliminary Analysis of Historical UFO Report Data
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352352112_A_Preliminary_Analysis_of_Historical_UFO_Report_DataSource snippet
(PDF) A Preliminary Analysis of Historical UFO Report Data14 Jun 2021 — The data and findings above are insufficient to draw conclusions...
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Source: blaze.tv
Link: https://www.blaze.tv/series/quick-history-us-governments-secret-ufo-project-blue-bookSource snippet
In... classified UFO sightings. Anyone caught doing so could be imprisoned. It...Read more...
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Source: science.nasa.gov
Title: uap independent study team final report
Link: https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdfSource snippet
Study Team ReportSearching for signs of alien technology is a natural extension of those investigations. In 2017, Jill Tarter, one of the...
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