Cosmonauts Manakov and Strekalov Observe Giant Iridescent Sphere from Mir Space Station
On September 27, 1990, while aboard the Mir space station in Earth's orbit, cosmonauts Gennady Manakov and Gennady Strekalov observe a glittering, iridescent, perfect sphere while looking down at Newfoundland through a clear atmosphere. Strekalov calls Manakov, and together they study the object. Strekalov describes it: 'it shone like the balls that hang on trees at Christmas, greenish in color and all shimmering. It was impossible to take your eyes off it.' The sphere appears to be 20 to 30 kilometers above the Earth, is enormous, and has 'an absolutely even shape.' They watch it for ten seconds before it disappears as suddenly as it appeared. They report to Mission Control that they observed 'a kind of unusual phenomenon.' Later they confess to having no idea what it was: 'Perhaps an enormous, experimental sphere or something else.'
Background
EVENT TITLE: Cosmonauts Manakov and Strekalov Observe Giant Iridescent Sphere from Mir Space Station
EVENT DATE: 1990-09-27
EVENT TYPE: sighting
1. On September 27, 1990, while aboard the Mir space station, cosmonauts Gennady Manakov and Gennady Strekalov observed a large, glittering, iridescent sphere while looking down at Newfoundland. The object appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly, leaving the cosmonauts puzzled.
The Incident
While aboard the Mir space station in Earth's orbit, cosmonaut Gennady Strekalov was looking down at Newfoundland through a clear atmosphere. He observed a glittering, iridescent, perfect sphere appear before him. Strekalov called Manakov, and together they studied the object.
Strekalov described the object as shining "like the balls that hang on trees at Christmas, greenish in color and all shimmering," and said it was impossible to take one's eyes off it. The cosmonauts estimated the object was 20 to 30 kilometers above the Earth and of enormous size, possessing an "absolutely even shape." They watched it for approximately ten seconds before it disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. They were unable to retrieve a camera in time to capture an image.
Investigation
The cosmonauts reported the sighting to Mission Control, carefully describing it as "a kind of unusual phenomenon." Later, they confessed to having no idea what the object was, speculating it could have been "an enormous, experimental sphere or something else..."
Significance
This sighting is significant because it involves trained observers – Soviet cosmonauts – reporting an unusual aerial phenomenon from space. Their description of a large, perfectly spherical, and iridescent object challenges conventional explanations. The cosmonauts' reluctance to definitively label the object, coupled with their admission of not knowing what it was, adds to the mystery and makes this a noteworthy event in the history of reported UAP sightings.