Professional photographer Almiro Baraúna photographed a disc-shaped object from the Brazilian Navy training ship Almirante Saldanha while dozens of military personnel and civilians simultaneously observed the object over Trindade Island.
On January 16, 1958, the Brazilian Navy training ship Almirante Saldanha was anchored near Trindade Island during the International Geophysical Year scientific program. Shortly after noon, numerous officers, sailors, scientists, and civilian personnel observed a gray, Saturn-shaped object maneuvering above the island. Professional photographer Almiro Baraúna quickly retrieved his Rolleiflex camera and captured four photographs as the object passed behind Pico Desejado before accelerating away. The incident was witnessed by at least 47 people, including naval officers and Captain José Teobaldo Viegas of the Brazilian Air Force. The Brazilian Navy questioned witnesses, examined the negatives, and temporarily restricted publication until its inquiry was complete. The photographs were later released publicly and became one of the most famous and extensively analyzed UFO photographic cases in history. Although skeptics have questioned the authenticity of the images, no consensus explanation has been accepted, and the case remains one of the strongest multiple-witness photographic UFO incidents on record.
| Date: | 1958-01-16 |
| Location: | Trindade Island, Espírito Santo |
| Country: | Brazil |
| Category: | Photographic Evidence |
| Credibility: | Very High / Multiple Military Witnesses and Photographs |