The New Star of 1960
In 1960 a bright new 'star' began gliding across the night sky every evening, and people everywhere wondered what it was.
What was reported
In August 1960 the United States launched Echo 1, a balloon of shiny plastic film 30 metres across, which inflated in orbit to bounce radio signals between continents. Sunlight on its silvery skin made it one of the brightest objects in the night sky.
For years people around the world watched it drift steadily across the stars in a few minutes, and many who didn't know about it reported it as a UFO.
Explanations offered
It was the satellite. Newspapers printed times when Echo would pass over, and it became one of the most-watched objects in history. Satellites are still among the most common causes of UFO reports, from Echo to today's trains of small communications satellites.
- When
- From August 1960
- Where
- In orbit: Echo 1, seen from all over the world
- Witnesses
- Millions of people around the world
- Status
- Explained
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.