J. Allen Hynek was an American astronomer and a consultant for US Air Force UFO investigations, later becoming a proponent of scientific research in the field.
J. Allen Hynek (1910–1986) was an American astronomer who held a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Chicago. He taught at Ohio State University and Northwestern University, where he chaired the astronomy department and directed the Dearborn Observatory. Alongside his astronomical work, he served as a scientific advisor to the US Air Force for Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book, which investigated UFO reports between 1947 and 1969.
Early in his career, Hynek approached these reports with skepticism, but he later argued that while most could be explained, a small minority of well-documented cases remained unexplained and warranted scientific study. In his 1972 book, "The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry," he introduced a classification system for close encounters, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" — a report of an encounter involving alleged entities. In 1973, he founded the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), which investigated reports outside government channels.
Hynek is considered a central figure in shaping the civilian and academic discourse on UFOs. The term he coined lent its name to Steven Spielberg's 1977 film, for which Hynek also served as a consultant and made a brief cameo. His assertion that some reports might indicate extraterrestrial spacecraft was a claim he made, not a conclusion accepted by mainstream science or governments.
Hynek was an American astronomer and a consultant for US Air Force UFO investigations. He later promoted the scientific study of reports in the field.
It's a term in Hynek's classification system for a close encounter report that includes alleged entities.
Yes. He was a scientific advisor to the US Air Force for Project Blue Book, which operated from 1952–1969.
No. He argued that a minority of cases remained unexplained, but the possibility of them being extraterrestrial spacecraft is not a conclusion accepted by mainstream science or governments.