Claim

The Calvine photographs of August 1990 show a large craft of unknown origin

Also known as Calvine claim

Open. The surviving print is a genuine photograph of a real scene with no sign of manipulation, but there is not enough data to say what the object is; sceptics suggest a small model close to the camera, and the photographers have never been identified. (Photographic Analysis of the Calvine UFO Photograph (Sheffield Hallam University, 2024))

Evidence for

• Photographic Analysis of the Calvine UFO Photograph (Sheffield Hallam University, 2024): The print is a genuine copy of the photograph the MoD analysed, with no sign of later manipulation

Who has said it, in order

1. August 1990 — says so, relayed: Two men walking on the moors above Calvine on the evening of 4 August 1990 said they saw a large, silent, diamond-shaped object hover for several minutes while a jet made passes around it, before it rose vertically at speed; one of them took six photographs, which they gave to the Daily Record. Source: The story of the Calvine UFO photograph | In Case You Missed It at 0:55
2. 1996 Nick Pope — says so, opinion: Nick Pope, who ran the MoD UFO desk from 1991, wrote in 1996 that the case was "one of the most intriguing in the Ministry of Defence's files", that a poster-sized print hung in his office until his head of division removed it, and that MoD analysis judged the photos not to be fakes. Source: en.wikipedia.org (archived)
3. 7 May 2026 Craig Lindsay — context, first-hand: Lindsay later sees a blown-up print of one image on the wall of the MoD office that dealt with UFOs, and is told it is being dealt with. Source: The story of the Calvine UFO photograph | In Case You Missed It at 3:01
4. 7 May 2026 — context, opinion: The most realistic explanation, says Williams, is military hardware of some kind; the witnesses, the Harrier pilot and the newspaper's reasons remain unknown. Source: The story of the Calvine UFO photograph | In Case You Missed It at 9:03
5. — context, documented: The surviving print is a genuine copy of the photograph the MoD analysed in 1990 and shows a real scene before the camera with no sign of later manipulation; there is insufficient data to say what the object is, and a hoax staged in front of the camera cannot be excluded. Source: doc-robinson-calvine-analysis.pdf
6. — disputes it, opinion: Sceptics argue the object could be a small model, such as a cardboard star ornament, hung from the overhanging trees close to the camera; the witnesses have never been identified, no other sighting was reported, and no Harrier pilot has come forward. Source: drdavidclarke.co.uk (archived)

Connected files

Incidents

• Calvine photograph (about)

Documents

• Photographic Analysis of the Calvine UFO Photograph (Sheffield Hallam University, 2024) (evidence for) — The print is a genuine copy of the photograph the MoD analysed, with no sign of later manipulation

People

• Nick Pope (asserted by)
• Craig Lindsay (comments by)

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