Apr., May, June, 1997 UFO Investigation Reports
6/30/97 Highland St. Paul, MN report
6/30/97 Highland St. Paul, MN report
Date of Sighting: May 30, 1997, 3:34pm CDT
Place of Sighting: St. Paul, MN - Ford Pkwy and Cleveland Ave
(Highland Area)
Type of Report: MA1 - Daylight disk with anomalous maneuver
Date of Report: 02 July, 1997
Investigator: Craig R. Lang - Field Investigator, Minnesota MUFON
Local Evaluation: Probable Unexplained - Ordinary Significance
Sighting Background:
I was informed of the sighting via an e-mail report sent by the
witness to the MN MUFON website. I contacted the witness and
arranged an interview. We met approximately three weeks later and
he told me the details of his sighting, plus a number of additional
experiences he has had.
Witness Description:
The witness is a 32 year old male. He is a college graduate with a
BA degree in communications and additional training in computer
science. His occupation is as a programmer analyst for a major
financial corporation. He describes his health and his hearing as
good. He wears glasses with a very slight correction to 20/20 vision.
He indicates that he has had a number of UFO sightings and possible
close encounters throughout his life. He also indicates that he has
had other paranormal and parapsychological experiences. He has an
interest in, and a substantial knowledge of, the UFO phenomenon.
However, in my view, he seems to be quite objective and is easily
able and willing to discern a normal object from a possible anomaly.
Sighting Account:
The witness was having a late lunch at the Boston Market restaurant
in Highland Crossing Mall, on Ford Parkway and Cleveland Ave., in
St. Paul, MN. The time was 3:45PM CDT. The witness indicates that
he frequently looks up at the sky - and was doing so at that moment,
when he noticed an object which appeared out of the ordinary. A map
showing the witness' location and his viewing angle to the object is
shown below.
Click here for map of sighting area.
He initially thought that it might have been an airplane, although
it appeared to be motionless for an inordinate period of time. The
object's apparent lack of motion, and unconventional shape attracted
and held his interest. Its appearance convinced him that it was not
a balloon.
The object appeared to have a definite shape to it (see sketch).
The appearance, size, and horizontal orientation of the object
remained steady during the entire maneuver. He described the object
as white but non-reflective, like a ceramic object in the sun. There
were no visible features to it, except for an apparent division
between the top and bottom parts.
Click here for object sketch.
Being inside the restaurant, the witness was unable to hear any sound
the object might have made. The object remained motionless for
approximately 4 to 5 minutes as he watched. When first noticed, the
object was approximately "three to four fist widths" [fist held at
arms length] above the building skyline (the top of the Highland
Theater on Cleveland Ave defined the skyline in that direction).
Click here for sketch of flightpath
against skyline.
After remaining motionless for several minutes, the object slowly
descended at a 45 degree angle to the right (as described in
sketch). The elapsed time for the descent appears to be
approximately 20 to 30 seconds. At a point approximately 1 "fist
width" above the skyline, it abruptly began to ascend. While
remaining seated, he followed the object with his eyes until it
disappeared behind the awning. With some effort, he was able to
gain a vantage point allowing him to follow it further, until it
reached (and apparently passed behind) a small cloud. The
witness lost sight of the object at an elevation of approximately
45 degrees. He estimated that the vertical motion was at least
twice as fast as the descent, and took about 5 seconds.
Click here for sketch of bldg front
showing proportions and sighting angles.
(Note: The above sketch at shows the approximate proportions of
the store front and awning. From the witness' perspective, the
edge of the awning was approximately 45 degrees in elevation.)
Weather Conditions at time of sighting:
Sky was clear with some minor alto-cumulus clouds. No ceiling
indicated (assume clouds at 5000 ft.). Wind: 8 Knots from 320 degrees
(NW). Visibility: >10 Mi (unlimited). Temperature: 76 deg F.
Dewpoint: 45 deg F
Additional Witnesses:
No additional witnesses are known to MN MUFON. However, the sighting
occurred in a populated area. It is therefore likely that there
were other witnesses to this object. The witness also indicated that
several other people were in the restaurant when he was there.
However, he indicated that felt uncomfortable with the idea of
bringing a possible UFO to the attention of these particular strangers.
Natural Phenomena Check:
No known natural phenomena would fit the description of this object
and its behavior.
Manmade Phenomena Check:
There are several possibilities of artificial objects to be considered:
Aircraft: The witness initially felt that this was what the object was.
However, the long period in which the object appeared stationary, as well
as the very sharp turn at the bottom of its descent are not consistent
with aircraft descriptions. He is also familiar with aircraft appearance
at distance, and felt that this object did not resemble one.
Balloon: The witness also considered this explanation. The described
behavior might be consistent with a balloon if the object was considerably
closer than indicated. The wind was blowing from the northwest, and a
balloon being caught in wind gusts might partially explain the erratic
flight path of the object. However, the object was clearly visible to the
witness (see sketch above) and he clearly indicates that its shape and
orientation did not resemble that of a balloon. In addition, the witness
believes that the object passed behind a cloud, which would have been too
far away to allow for this hypothesis (see analysis below).
Analysis:
It is possible to calculate approximate distances, sizes and speeds for this
object, based upon the witness' description of its apparent passage behind
the cloud. (Note: All velocities are taken to be perpendicular to the
witness.)
Object Distance:
Assume that the cloud was at an approximate altitude of 5000 feet, and that
the cloud's angle of elevation was approximately 45 degrees. This sets a
probable minimum distance to the object at a point within or behind the cloud
as follows: 5000 ft * (square root of 2) = approx 7000 ft. All calculations
will assume this distance.
Object Size:
The witness indicated that the object was about 1/2 thumb width, giving an
approximate width/distance of one half thumb width / arms length = approximately
0.5 inches / 25 inches = 0.02. Multiplying this estimated distance times this
ratio gives a length estimate of: 7000 ft * 0.02 = 140 feet. From the witness'
sketch, the thickness to length ratio appears to be 1/5 giving a thickness of
about 28 feet.
Object Downward Velocity:
The speed of the object can be calculated based upon angular movement relative
to the observer. The witness describes the object as descending at a 45 degree
angle. The initial angular height was "Three fist widths". Assume that a fist
width = approximately 5 inches at an arm's length distance of 25 inches = a ratio
of 1/5 = 0.2. At a distance of 7000 ft, this would give a height of about 3 *
0.2 * 7000ft. = 4200 ft, or about 4/5 mile. The final elevation was about 1 fist
width = 0.2 * 7000 ft = 1400 ft. Thus the vertical drop was about 2800 ft.
The time required for descent was about 20 sec. Assuming that the object
descended from approximately 4200 ft to approximately 1400 ft at a 45 degree
angle, the descent speed can be estimated as approximately:
(2800 ft) * (square root of 2) / 20 sec = approximately 200 ft/sec or 135 mi/hr.
Upward Velocity Estimates:
The witness estimated the ascent from the bottom of its trajectory to the 45
degree elevation point to occur in about 5 seconds, at a constant rate. He
also stated that he felt the ascent speed was at least twice that of the descent
speed. This gives both a lower estimate and an upper estimate of the velocity.
The lower velocity estimate of twice the descent speed would be approximately:
2 * 135 mi/hr = 270 mi/hr.
The upper estimate on the velocity based upon his estimate of a five second
ascent would be approximately:
(7000 ft - 1400 ft) / 5sec = 1120 ft/sec = approx 764 mi/hr (note: approx. Mach 1).
In either case, if the distance scales assumed in this analysis are correct,
and if the turn at the bottom of the object's flight path was as sharp as
described, the change in velocity would require extremely high acceleration
of the object.
Sighting Evaluation:
Type: MA1 - Daylight Disk
Evaluation: Probable Unexplained. Significance: Ordinary
Note: An "unexplained" evaluation assumes that the object passed behind the cloud,
thus setting lower bounds on the distance scale. However, the witness was not
absolutely sure of its passing behind the cloud. Therefore the conclusion is
given as "Probable" Unexplained.
Back to Index Page
NOTICE: For all reports, data, etc. submitted: Anonymity will be preserved where requested.
To submit UFO, Abduction, Crop Circle, or Cattle Mutilation reports for inclusion here,
e-mail: [email protected], but please read "" first. Thanks.
This html content (c)Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, Joel Henry and/or above named authors.
All rights reserved. Any probs send e-mail to: [email protected].