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Could Atmospheric Distortion Explain Carter's UFO?

A bright object near the horizon can flash red, blue and green as turbulence and refraction distort a planet or star.

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Preview for Could Atmospheric Distortion Explain Carter's UFO?

On this page

  • What Carter reported seeing
  • How bright celestial objects change colour near the horizon
  • What missing location and timing data prevent investigators proving

Introduction

Jimmy Carter’s 1969 UFO sighting remains one of the best-known celebrity UFO cases because the witness later became President of the United States. Yet the aspect of the report that attracts the most scientific attention is not Carter’s prominence but his description of a bright object that appeared to change colour. Red, blue and white flashes from a bright object low in the sky are a well-known atmospheric effect that can affect stars and planets, particularly when viewed through turbulent air near the horizon. That does not prove what Carter saw, but it does provide a conventional mechanism that closely resembles one of the most distinctive features of his account. The remaining difficulty is that key observational details were never recorded precisely enough to determine whether the object was a bright planet, another astronomical source or something else.[history.com]history.comTV Nederland Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sightingHISTORY TV NederlandJimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting | September 18, 1973 | HISTORYNovember 16, 2009…Published: September 18, 1973

Carter Sighting illustration 1
Explanatory illustration 1

What Carter reported seeing

According to the report Carter filed in 1973, the event occurred while he was waiting outside a Lions Club meeting in Leary, Georgia, in 1969. Carter estimated that roughly ten to twelve other people also witnessed the object. He described it as extremely bright, about the apparent size of the Moon, around 30 degrees above the western horizon, and changing colour while appearing to move towards the observers before seeming to recede into the distance. He later emphasised that he had seen an unidentified object, but did not believe he had witnessed an alien spacecraft.[history.com]history.comTV Nederland Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sightingHISTORY TV NederlandJimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting | September 18, 1973 | HISTORYNovember 16, 2009…Published: September 18, 1973

The colour changes became one of the most frequently quoted parts of the report because they are visually striking. However, they are also among the least unusual features from an astronomical perspective. Bright celestial objects close to the horizon commonly appear to flicker through white, blue, green and red as their light passes through unstable layers of Earth’s atmosphere.[harvard.edu]chandra.harvard.eduChandra:: Resources:: Q&A: General Astronomy and Space ScienceChandra:: Resources:: Q&A: General Astronomy and Space Science

7:44

President Jimmy Carter Spots a U.F.O. | NASA's Unexplained Files

Channel: Science Channel · Views: 170.5K · Uploaded: June 2022 · Length: 7 minutes

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How bright celestial objects change colour near the horizon

The Earth’s atmosphere is not optically uniform. Layers of air with different temperatures and densities bend incoming light by slightly different amounts. When a bright point-like object such as a star or planet sits low above the horizon, its light passes through a much longer atmospheric path than it does overhead. Turbulence continually changes that path, producing rapid fluctuations in brightness, position and colour known as atmospheric scintillation.[International Cloud Atlas]cloudatlas.wmo.intInternational Cloud Atlas Scintillation | International Cloud AtlasInternational Cloud Atlas Scintillation | International Cloud Atlas

This effect becomes especially dramatic for very bright objects because the eye easily notices the colour shifts. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, an observer may see:

  • rapid flashes of red, blue or green;
  • apparent brightening and dimming;
  • slight wandering or shimmering;
  • brief impressions that the object is moving.

These effects originate in the atmosphere rather than the object itself. Astronomers frequently observe them in bright stars such as Sirius, and bright planets can display similar behaviour when close to the horizon.[harvard.edu]chandra.harvard.eduChandra:: Resources:: Q&A: General Astronomy and Space ScienceChandra:: Resources:: Q&A: General Astronomy and Space Science

This is why reports of colour-changing lights alone are generally not regarded as evidence for an unusual aerial object. Instead, investigators examine whether the object’s position, time and viewing geometry are consistent with a bright astronomical source experiencing atmospheric distortion.

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Channel: Science Channel · Views: 65.6K · Uploaded: October 2016 · Length: 4 minutes 36 seconds

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Why Venus became a leading explanation

Several investigators have argued that Carter’s observation could have been the planet Venus. Venus is the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon and has been responsible for many historical UFO reports because of its exceptional brightness and the visual distortions it can acquire near the horizon.

Researchers including Robert Sheaffer and Allan Hendry concluded that Venus was well placed in the western sky near the relevant date and that its appearance matched important parts of Carter’s description. The combination of great brightness, low elevation and atmospheric turbulence could account for the reported colour changes without requiring the planet itself to change colour.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaJimmy Carter UFO incidentJimmy Carter UFO incident

That explanation is plausible rather than conclusive. Carter himself later said he was familiar with the night sky and did not think he had mistaken Venus, although he also rejected extraterrestrial explanations. His own position illustrates that an honest witness can accurately report an unusual visual experience while disagreeing with later identifications of its cause.[Wikipedia]WikipediaJimmy Carter UFO incidentJimmy Carter UFO incident

Carter Sighting illustration 2
Explanatory illustration 2

What missing location and timing data prevent investigators proving

The central limitation of the case is not the witness but the observational record. Modern investigators attempting to reconstruct the event encounter several missing pieces of information.

The report does not provide:

  • an exact observation time;
  • a precisely verified date, which has itself been debated in later reconstructions;
  • accurate compass bearing;
  • measured elevation above the horizon;
  • duration of each phase of the sighting;
  • weather and atmospheric turbulence measurements from the observation point.

Without these data, investigators cannot definitively compare the sighting with astronomical ephemerides, aircraft movements or other possible sources. Small errors of even a few degrees in direction or tens of minutes in time can significantly alter which celestial object would have occupied the reported position.[Wikipedia]WikipediaJimmy Carter UFO incidentJimmy Carter UFO incident

Some later researchers have proposed alternatives to the Venus hypothesis, including a high-altitude military barium cloud experiment launched from Eglin Air Force Base that could also produce luminous, colour-changing effects under suitable conditions. Although that proposal aligns with several reported characteristics, it remains a retrospective reconstruction rather than a confirmed identification.[Reddit]reddit.comJimmy Carter, United States president from 1977 until 1981, reported seeing an unidentified flying object while at Leary, Georgia…

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Jimmy Carter Actually Filed a UFO Report with NASA Before Becoming President

Channel: Inside Edition · Views: 66.7K · Uploaded: September 2016 · Length: 1 minute 54 seconds

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What the case illustrates about famous UFO reports

Jimmy Carter’s sighting demonstrates why celebrity testimony does not automatically strengthen the physical evidence for a UFO report. Carter’s reputation lends credibility to the sincerity of the observation, but sincerity alone cannot identify the object that produced it.

From the standpoint of ordinary explanations behind famous UFO cases, the most instructive feature is the reported colour change. Atmospheric scintillation and refraction are well-established optical phenomena capable of making bright celestial objects flash red, blue and other colours, especially when viewed low above the horizon. That makes atmospheric distortion an important and scientifically grounded explanation for one of the sighting’s defining characteristics. At the same time, the incomplete observational record prevents investigators from proving that this was the correct explanation in Carter’s specific case. The result is a report that remains historically significant but observationally inconclusive.[wmo.int]cloudatlas.wmo.intInternational Cloud Atlas Scintillation | International Cloud AtlasInternational Cloud Atlas Scintillation | International Cloud Atlas

Carter Sighting illustration 3
Explanatory illustration 3

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Endnotes

1. Source: history.com
Title: TV Nederland Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting
Link:https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/September-18/carter-files-report-on-ufo-sighting

Source snippet

HISTORY TV NederlandJimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting | September 18, 1973 | HISTORYNovember 16, 2009...

Published: September 18, 1973

2. Source: chandra.harvard.edu
Title: Chandra:: Resources:: Q&A: General Astronomy and Space Science
Link:https://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/faq/astrophysics/astrophysics-27.html

3. Source: archives.gov
Title: National Archives Do Records Show Proof of UFOs? | National Archives
Link:https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/do-records-show-proof-of-ufos

4. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Jimmy Carter UFO incident
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter_UFO_incident

5. Source: time.com
Link:https://time.com/6298958/ufos-congressional-hearing-what-to-know/

Source snippet

Testimony by former Air Force Major David Grusch claimed the U.S. military has been recovering and reverse-engineering extraterrestrial m...

6. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia/comments/1ifj4rp

Source snippet

Jimmy Carter, United States president from 1977 until 1981, reported seeing an unidentified flying object while at Leary, Georgia...

7. Source: archives.gov
Title: ¿Registros muestran prueba de ovnis? | National Archives
Link:https://www.archives.gov/espanol/ovnis

8. Source: cloudatlas.wmo.int
Title: International Cloud Atlas Scintillation | International Cloud Atlas
Link:https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/scintillation.html

9. Source: glossary.ametsoc.org
Title: Glossary of Meteorologyscintillation
Link:https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/scintillation/

Source snippet

Glossary of Meteorology...

10. Source: cloudatlas.wmo.int
Link:https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/en/scintillation.html

Additional References

11. Source: nypost.com
Title: New York Post Jimmy Carter once saw a UFO
Link:https://nypost.com/2024/12/30/us-news/jimmy-carter-once-saw-a-ufo-but-had-this-to-say-about-aliens-on-earth/

Source snippet

Although Carter described seeing an unidentified flying object and detailed the experience, he remained skeptical about the existence of...

12. Source: youtube.com
Title: Jimmy Carter Actually Filed a UFO Report with NASA Before Becoming President
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSISgAgdyH0

Source snippet

President Jimmy Carter Spots a U.F.O. | NASA's Unexplained Files...

13. Source: internationalufobureau.com
Link:https://www.internationalufobureau.com/pastinvestigations/jimmycarter

14. Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/2016/04/the-brown-mountain-lights-solved-again/

15. Source: youtube.com
Title: Episode 288: Jimmy Carter and the UFO
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKQcaVr9nis

Source snippet

Why America's Presidents Took UFOs Seriously | SLICE EXPERTS...

16. Source: ledger-enquirer.com
Link:https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article263271598.html

17. Source: skyatnightmagazine.com
Link:https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/green-flash-venus-what-is-how-see

18. Source: thevintagenews.com
Link:https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/01/31/jimmy-carter-ufo/

19. Source: youtube.com
Title: Jimmy Carter May Have Seen A UFO
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoXoYetbsds

Source snippet

Did you know that Jimmy Carter was open about seeing a UFO?...

20. Source: beforeitsnews.com
Title: President Jimmy Carters Ufo Sighting Testimony | Paranormal | Before It’s News
Link:https://beforeitsnews.com/paranormal/2026/01/president-jimmy-carters-ufo-sighting-testimony-2570790.html