Mysteries Department
Sign inRequest access
0

What were the Princeton's radar tracks?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of What did Fravor and Dietrich see on 14 November 2004?·3 answers·0·0 following
Three answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible.

Why it matters

The most extreme claims (objects above 80,000 feet, descents in seconds, 60 miles in under a minute) come from the cruiser's radar operators, as relayed to the pilots and later recounted by Kevin Day⁠[1]⁠[2]. Whether the tracks were real objects or system artefacts decides how much of the story stands.

Answers 3

Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Still possible
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Still possible

History

  1. Knapp: the 2009 report is said to list AN/SPY radars, an E-2C and ship radars among the sensors, which if accurate…Against: False tracks from the SPY-1 system, which had been recently upgraded, with the visual sighting a coincidence.
  2. Daugherty puts forward: real objects were tracked at the altitudes and speeds described.
  3. Daugherty: day says his team checked the system and confirmed it was working before treating the tracks as real.For: Real objects were tracked at the altitudes and speeds described.
  4. Fravor: fravor's jets' radars showed nothing when vectored to the contact.Against: Real objects were tracked at the altitudes and speeds described.
  5. Fravor: the accounts attribute instantaneous descents from 80,000 to 20,000 feet, behaviour that resembles…For: False tracks from the SPY-1 system, which had been recently upgraded, with the visual sighting a coincidence.
  6. Asked on this site
Add evidence
1What it bears on2What you found3Where it comes from
Which answer?
Does it count for or against it?
In a sentence, what did you find?
What you found optional
Where it comes from optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Propose an answer
Your answer, in a sentence
What would rule it out? optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Ask a sub-question
Your question
Why it would help optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Add a source
The source
What it shows about this question optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.

Discussion 0

Add to the discussion