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NAME
J. Allen Hynek
BIRTH DATE
May 1, 1910
DEATH DATE
April 27, 1986
DID YOU KNOW?
J. Allen Hynek was born just before Halley's Comet passed close to Earth in
1910, and died shortly after the comet made a return appearance in 1986.
PLACE OF BIRTH
Chicago, Illinois
PLACE OF DEATH
Scottsdale, Arizona
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QUOTES
“Scientists in the year 2066 may think us very naive in our denials.”
—J. Allen Hynek
J. Allen Hynek Biography
(1910–1986)
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American astronomer J. Allen Hynek is best known for
investigations of unidentified flying objects and efforts to promote
"ufology" as a legitimate scientific pursuit.
Who Was J. Allen Hynek?
J. Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) studied astronomy at the University of
Chicago before joining the faculty at Ohio State University. In the late 1940s, he
analyzed reports of unidentified aircraft sightings as a consultant to the U.S. Air
Force's "Project Sign." The following decade, he began conducting more thorough
investigations under the umbrella of the renamed "Project Blue Book," with his
discoveries fueling a quest to turn the study of UFOs into a legitimate scientific
practice. Hynek later founded the Center for UFO Studies and published multiple
books on the subject. One of them introduced the "Close Encounter" classification of
sightings, inspiring the Steven Spielberg film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Project Sign and Project Blue Book
In 1948 astronomer J. Allen Hynek, then director of Ohio State University’s McMillin
Observatory, agreed to help the U.S. Air Force investigate reports of unexplained
aircraft sightings, including one that described the lightning-fast "flying saucers"
above the Cascade Mountains in Washington.
As the astronomical consultant on "Project Sign," Hynek combed through the reports
and sorted them into categories: There were those which were simply astronomical
observations, like the appearance of a meteor, those explained by meteorology, like
an unusually shaped cloud, and those which captured accounts of man-made
objects, like balloons. That left about 20 percent with no clear explanation, though
Hynek felt that answers would eventually surface and returned to Ohio State.
By 1952, with reports continuing to trickle in, the Air Force had rekindled the
operation as "Project Blue Book." Hynek was also back in the fold and now granted
the license to investigate the alleged sightings in the field. While he had harbored
plenty of skepticism the first time around, he found his assumptions challenged by
the rational recollections of witnesses, and began thinking about the legitimate
scientific study of these "Unidentified Flying Objects" or "UFOs."
By the 1960s, Hynek had moved on as the chair of the Department of Astronomy at
Northwestern University and was at odds with the stifling oversight of the Air Force.
With the arrival of new intriguing cases, like a reported sighting of alien beings by
New Mexico police officer Lonnie Zamora in 1964, Hynek began conferring with
other curious Northwestern faculty members in what he called his "invisible college."
Swamp Gas and the Condon Committee
In March 1966, Hynek was dispatched to investigate reports of unusual lights in
separate areas of Michigan over successive nights. Rushed to conduct his findings
amid a horde of reporters, the scientist soon announced that the sightings were
possibly the result of "swamp gas."
The term became a national joke, but Michigan Congressman and House Minority
Leader Gerald Ford wasn't laughing and demanded the Armed Services Committee
pick up what he felt was a shoddy investigation. Called to testify, Hynek used the
occasion to argue for an extensive, transparent study of UFOs, marking his first
public break from the Air Force.
With the formation later that year of the University of Colorado's "Condon
Committee," named for director and physicist Edward Condon, Hynek was thrilled
that UFO research had finally risen to a level of national importance. However, he
was disappointed when the committee concluded two years of study with the report
that there was no need to expend further resources on the subject. In 1969, Project
Blue Book was formally shuttered for good.
J. Allen Hynek
Photo: PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images
Center for UFO Studies
No longer hamstrung by the Air Force, Hynek in 1973 formed the Center for UFO
Studies (CUFOS) to further legitimize the field of "ufology." CUFOS enjoyed some
successes in its early years, leading investigations of reported sightings while
fostering working relationships with law-enforcement agencies.
Hynek left Northwestern in 1978 to devote his full attention to CUFOS. By the early
1980s, fundraising efforts were flailing and Hynek was forced to run the operation out
of his home in Evanston, Illinois. He was lured to Scottsdale, Arizona, by a potential
benefactor in 1984, though the promise of a revived operation failed to materialize.
CUFOS remains in existence, run by a devoted board of disciples who retain access
to Hynek's files and continue to aid investigations of UFOs and other unexplained
phenomena.
'The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry' and 'Close Encounters'
In 1972, Hynek sought to lay out a clear explanation of his studies by publishing The
UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. The book is most famous for introducing the
"Close Encounter" classification: A Close Encounter of the First Kind entails the
spotting of an unidentified aircraft; the Second Kind includes accompanying physical
effects, like the sudden malfunctioning of equipment; and the Third Kind includes the
sighting of life forms on or near the aircraft.
The terminology entered the pop culture lexicon later in the decade with the release
of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Hynek served
as a consultant on set and even made a brief cameo in the film as a scientist.
Other Media Appearances and Books
In the 1970s, Hynek was a well-known face of ufology thanks to appearances on
programs like The Dick Cavett Show and In Search Of.... He was a popular and wellcompensated speaker on the college circuit and even delivered a presentation on
UFOs to the United Nations in 1978.
Hynek also continued his written analysis of the subject with The Edge of Reality: A
Progress Report on Unidentified Flying Objects (1975), co-authored with colleague
Jacques Vallee. The following year, he offered the inside scoop of his involvement
with Project Blue Book with The Hynek UFO Report: What the Government
Suppressed and Why.
Astronomical Beginnings
Josef Allen Hynek was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 1, 1910. His dad, Joseph, an
immigrant from Czechoslovakia, was a cigar manufacturer and his mom, Bertha, was
a grammar school teacher.
An introduction to the stars came after Hynek was bedridden with scarlet fever at
age seven: Having run through their supply of children's books to read, his mom
turned to textbooks, with a high school edition on astronomy capturing the boy's
attention.
Hynek excelled in math and became editor of his school paper in high school. By
then he had also developed an interest in more esoteric subjects, particularly the
works of the Rosicrucian secret societies and hermetic philosopher Rudolf Steiner.
University of Chicago and Graduate Work
After earning his bachelor of science from the University of Chicago in 1931, Hynek
remained at the school to pursue a doctorate in astronomy. His graduate studies
took him to the Yerkes Observatory at Wisconsin's Lake Geneva, where, he recalled,
his focus on the cosmos left him largely in the dark about events like the rise of Adolf
Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Instead, it was an interstellar event that impacted his career: With the appearance of
the brilliant Nova Herculis in the night sky in late 1934, Hynek was tapped to take
readings of the supernova at Ohio's Perkins Observatory, which was affiliated with
Ohio State University. After earning his PhD, he joined Ohio State's Department of
Physics and Astronomy in 1936.
Other Professional Contributions
Proximity Fuze
During World War II, Hynek helped develop military technology at the Johns Hopkins
Applied Science Laboratory. His pet project was the proximity fuze, a detonator that
used radio signals to determine when an explosive device was close enough to its
target. Hynek's work here paved the way for his involvement with UFO investigations
and other government projects.
Project Moonwatch and Sputnik
In 1956, Hynek was recruited by the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
to aid efforts to launch the first man-made satellite into orbit. As part of what was
dubbed "Operation Moonwatch," Hynek began establishing a global network of
tracking stations outfitted with specialized optical instruments.
The plans were thrown into disarray when the Soviet Union suddenly launched the
first satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957. The event brought the first taste of
media attention for Hynek, who found himself as the point man for interviews to
explain what was happening and why Americans weren't in danger.
Hynek eventually resumed his work, along the way pioneering a method for
capturing light from faint galaxies that became the foundation of image orthicon
astronomy, before resuming his teaching career in 1960.
Project Stargazer
By the late 1950s, Hynek was again collaborating with the Air Force for what became
"Project Stargazer": An attempt to overcome atmospheric distortions by launching
high-altitude balloons equipped with telescopes. To Hynek's frustration, the Air Force
scrapped the project in 1963 following a series of failed tests.
Marriages and Family
Following a first marriage that ended in 1939, Hynek in 1942 wed an undergraduate
student named Miriam Curtis. They had four children: Scott, Joel, Paul, Ross, and
Roxane.
Death
Hynek died of a brain tumor at Memorial Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 27,
1986, at age 75.
Fact Check
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Citation Information
Article Title
J. Allen Hynek Biography
Author
Biography.com Editors
Website Name
The Biography.com website
URL
https://www.biography.com/people/j-allen-hynek
Access Date
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 9, 2019
Original Published Date
January 4, 2019
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