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This is a New Zealand Defence Force public release of RNZAF file AIR 39/3/3, "Flying Saucers," which covers 1952 to 1955 and was declassified in September 2010 under the Official Information Act. It collects sighting reports from the public and military personnel, press clippings, and a table of 1952 sightings. It also holds Carter Observatory opinions attributing some reports to meteors. A large part covers the inquiry into lights seen from National Airways Corporation Flight 108 on 31 October 1955, which the RNZAF could not fully explain as Venus.
“Christchurch”32 pages
7. 6 Venus was in the general direction as reported by all concerned on the first sighting. 7. 6.1 The light fluctuation, or twinkling is a common occurrence for planets at low altitude, contrary to the generalisation of text-books that planets shine with a steady light. The prismatic effect of the atmosphere at such altitudes also causes changes of colour, and it is understood that the object was reddish with occasional flashes of green or blue. This is to be expected. 7. 6.2 Some of the reports indicate a fairly large object. This may be either psychological after attention has been actively directed to an object for an interval of time, or could be due to a halo effect in the atmosphere producing an apparent enlargement. The well known illusion of the apparent enlargement of objects near the horizon (e.g. the rising moon) must also be considered. This could well compensate any diminution of brightness due to atmospheric extinction. 7. 6.3 Some confusion was at first caused by the impression of the captain of the aircraft that the object moved relatively from abaft to before the beam. With the aircraft on course 350 True, and assuming the object to be Venus at bearing 245 True, the relative bearing would be Red 105 or only 015 abaft the beam. Unless expert airmanship evidence can state otherwise I consider it would not require undue yawing to bring such an object abeam on the wing tip or ahead. I understand that one witness considers the object remained on a steady relative bearing abeam. Such being the case, the evidence for Venus is increased, and it is difficult to say whether the observer would clearly distinguish from eye alone, relative bearings anywhere between Red 090 and Red 110. So far as I can ascertain no accurate bearing or relative bearing observations are available. 7. 6.4 At the times of sighting the altitude of Venus was such that it would have been approaching or in the horizon plane of the aircraft. This can be seen from the data in Section 3. 7. 6.5 Air Commodore Cohen, and several of the other witnesses ascribed the appearance to a planet on the first sighting. 7. 6.6 At the first sighting, Venus in relation to Mount Egmont, would have an apparent motion due to the motion of the aircraft. ## 8. GENERAL CONCLUSION: FILE From all the above considerations it is suggested that the planet Venus was the object responsible for the reports, unless new evidence is produced to completely eliminate such a possibility. ## 9. RECOMMENDATION: In the next few weeks, aircraft on the same flight might watch out to confirm this appearance. Venus is rapidly becoming
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