A Genealogy of the Extraterrestrial in American Culture
A Genealogy of the Extraterrestrial in American Culture
A Genealogy of the Extraterrestrial in American Culture
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astronomical misattribution and misperception, halluc<strong>in</strong>ation, as well as simple hoax<strong>in</strong>g and<br />
confabulation. Thus <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> set <strong>of</strong> cases classified as mere sight<strong>in</strong>gs (fur<strong>the</strong>r away than 500 feet)<br />
or CEI (<strong>the</strong> types <strong>of</strong> cases most common <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> immediate post World War II era) <strong>the</strong> distance<br />
between phenomenon and percipient was at its greatest and <strong>the</strong> distance between experience and<br />
potential quotidian explanation was at its most proximate. In terms <strong>of</strong> misidentification,<br />
sight<strong>in</strong>gs had been expla<strong>in</strong>ed by misattributed sight<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> planets (ironically, given <strong>the</strong><br />
ostensible po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> extraterrestrial contacts—Venus and Mars are common candidates)<br />
and stars. Radar sight<strong>in</strong>gs were expla<strong>in</strong>ed as <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> temperature <strong>in</strong>versions. Swamp gas<br />
was ano<strong>the</strong>r widely ballyhooed explanation, as were light refractions caused by cloud-bound ice<br />
crystals. Explanations <strong>of</strong>fered for CEI sight<strong>in</strong>gs sometimes depended less upon misattribution<br />
and more on gross misperception. In <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nash Fortenberry sight<strong>in</strong>g, arch debunker<br />
Donald Menzel <strong>in</strong>itially <strong>of</strong>fered <strong>the</strong> explanation that <strong>the</strong> two pilots had mistaken fireflies trapped<br />
between panes <strong>of</strong> cockpit glass for spacecraft. 207<br />
Aga<strong>in</strong>, a UFO encounter where <strong>the</strong> witness<br />
sees a vessel less than 500 feet away was classified as a close encounter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first k<strong>in</strong>d. The<br />
second k<strong>in</strong>d refers to sight<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> which some physical effect is manifested by <strong>the</strong> vessel, such as<br />
scorched earth, flash burns suffered by witnesses and mechanical failures <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> proximity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
UFO (<strong>the</strong> classic manifestation <strong>of</strong> which is a stalled automobile). In close encounters <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> third<br />
k<strong>in</strong>d witnesses actually saw <strong>the</strong> occupants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> vessel. Hynek's tripartite structure served as a<br />
basic classificatory heuristic for organiz<strong>in</strong>g massive numbers <strong>of</strong> reported encounters, and<br />
track<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> decreas<strong>in</strong>g distance between witness and phenomenon.<br />
CEII’s began to close <strong>the</strong> gap between percipient and phenomenon. While debunkers<br />
and skeptics still drew on <strong>the</strong> full set <strong>of</strong> explanations, <strong>the</strong>y became less conv<strong>in</strong>c<strong>in</strong>g and more<br />
dependent upon <strong>the</strong> sense that <strong>the</strong> percipients were victims <strong>of</strong> gross misapprehension and/or<br />
207 Keith Thompson, Angels and Aliens (New York: Addison Wesley, 1991) 24.<br />
133