UFO sightings classification

Close Encounters of the fourth kind (CE4, CEIV)

An abduction of an individual by an alien being or race. The most famous of these being the abduction of Betty and Barney Hill in September 1961. (Hynek included this case in his CE3 category.) Although in recent years abductions have, because of their spectacular nature, received a great deal of publicity, they constitute only a small proportion of all UFO reports.

Close Encounters of the fifth kind (CE5, CEV)

Sometimes used to represent a direct and deliberate two-way communication with alien being or race. For example: Billie Meier with the Pleiadians, U.S.Govt. with the Greys, or channeling. The communication is often telepathic. Other researchers have used this classification for strange beings that have been reported, but without the obvious presence of a ‘craft’. These beings are generally seen in the witnesses house at night. 

Their description is similar to the beings seen associated with UFOs in abduction and contactee cases.  Sometimes they are called ‘bedroom visitors’, the same set of reports have been classified as CE0 (zero) and CE9 by other groups of researchers.

Close Encounters of the sixth kind (CE6, CEVI)

Michael Naisbitt proposed a class of CE scenario that is described as UFO incidents that cause direct injury or death. This category was not included in Hynek’s scale, and is furthermore redundant: a CE2 in Hynek’s scale specifically included UFO encounters that leave direct physical evidence of any kind.

Close Encounters of the seventh kind (CE7, CEVII)

According to the The Black Vault Encyclopedia, a Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind is a mating between a human being and extraterrestrial that produces a human-alien hybrid, usually called a Star Child.

Other researchers have used this classification for strange beings that have been reported, but without the obvious presence of a ‘craft’. These beings are generally seen in the witnesses house at night.  Their description is similar to the beings seen associated with UFOs in abduction and contactee cases. 

Sometimes they are called ‘bedroom visitors’, the same set of reports have been classified as CE0 (zero) and CE9 by other groups of researchers. (2011 -08-02)

STRANGENESS AND PROBABILITY RATINGS

This is a 5 point rating system used by Paranet BBS’s of the National Fringe Sciences information Service to help establish the credibility of sighting reports.

  1. Explained or Explainable.
  2. Probably Explainable, with more data.
  3. Possibly Explainable, but with elements/ strangeness.
  4. Stange, does not conform with the norm.
  5. Highly strange, definately indicative of intelligent guidance.

                 
EXAMPLES:

  •       S1-Weather balloons, meteor, bolides, aircraft, etc..
  •       S2-Experimental aircraft, celestial object(planet/star/).
  •       S3-Slow, low flying object in formation.
  •       S4-Bol (ball of light phenomena) physical traces.
  •       S5-Close encounters,Abductions.

PROBABILITY FACTOR/ #

Relates to the credibility, # & separation of witnesses and the
soundness of evidence.

  1. Not credible or sound.     
  2. Unreliable, probably a hoax.
  3. Somewhat credible or indeterminate.
  4. Credible and sound.
  5. Highly credible, no doubt.

EXAMPLES:

  •       P1-Known hoaxer; photo hoax.
  •       P2-Repeat witness;conflicting testimony.
  •       P3-Standard,first time witness ;some radiation reading.
  •       P4-Multiple witnesses; pilot; good photo.
  •       P5-National figure, mutiple independent witnesses, videotape

  Composite Stangeness/Probability Rating of a case involves of   the combined S/P factors.

EXAMPLES:                    

  •       S1-Wickenburg, AZ; July 10    
  •       S2/P5-X-shaped UFO,Petaluma, CA
  •       S4/P5-Brazillian ping pong ball
  •       S5/P4-Betty & Barney Hill     
  •       S4/P4-Lubbock lights
  •       S5/P5-Helicopter (Coyne case)
  •       S3/P2-Delphos