Father Gill's Sighting
At a mission in Papua, a priest and dozens of others watched figures on top of a glowing craft, and when he waved, they waved back.
What was reported
On the evening of 26 June 1959, Father William Gill, an Anglican priest at the Boianai mission, and around 38 others, including teachers and mission staff, watched a bright object hovering over the bay. They said figures appeared on top of it, as if working on deck.
The next evening the object returned. Gill and others waved, and the figures appeared to wave back. When Gill flashed a torch, the object seemed to move in response. Gill wrote a detailed report signed by 25 witnesses.
Explanations offered
The astronomer Donald Menzel suggested they had seen the planet Venus, which was bright in the west at the time, blurred by Gill's short-sightedness. Gill pointed out that he saw Venus separately in the sky that evening. The large number of witnesses makes it one of the most discussed cases.
- When
- 26–27 June 1959
- Where
- Boianai, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
- Witnesses
- Father William Gill and about 38 people at the mission
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.