Light / Glare
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socialNov 17r/
Historical caseStructured for retrospective review and comparison against modern sightings.

A disturbing encounter with a UFO in Venezuela described in the December 18, 1886, issue of the Scientific American magazine.

Light9 witnessesNamed sourcesNov 17, 1886, 12:00 AMMaracaibo, Venezuela

Witnesses

9 witnesses

Duration

Unknown

Source material

3

Timeline

2

Source context

Limited context

59

Interesting, but still missing stronger corroboration or harder source material.

Source provenance

r/UFOs

Live sighting record 55c5258e-faf1-48cb-be4f-e6e1525e3c84.

Using the selected case's real source, media, and context throughout the workspace.

Correlations

Field Intelligence

Moon phase

71% illumination

Waning gibbous — moderate moon brightness

Solar window

Sunrise6:17 AM
Sunset5:54 PM
Day length11h 37m

Area activity

Within 2 daysNo sightings within 60 mi

Meteor activity

Active showerLeonids · 15 ZHR
Peak windowNov 17

Context notes

Leonids meteor shower was active at this time

Extracted details

Observed facts

Occurred

Nov 17, 1886, 12:00 AM

Timezone

Venezuela Time

Location

Maracaibo, Venezuela

Observers

9 witnesses

Witness account

Narrative

In an Issue of the Scientific American magazine, published on December 18, 1886, in a section titled "Curious Phenomenon in Venezuela," a letter, dated November 17, 1886, from Warner Cowgill of the U.S. Consulate in Maracaibo, Venezuela, describes a sighting of a "dazzling light" that caused environmental effects and injuries to a family of nine. Below are the contents of this letter: - To the Editor of the Scientific American: The following brief account of a recent strange meteorological oc...

Case progression

Timeline

Encounter windowNov 17, 1886, 12:00 AM

Witnesses place the encounter near Maracaibo, Venezuela.

PublishedMay 21, 2026, 8:42 PM

r/UFOs carried the report into the source network.

Ledger

Source material

media

Cover image

Open

Visual reference carried with the original report.

source

Original report

Open

Direct source material from r/UFOs.

telemetry

Environmental pass

Historical atmosphere, astronomy, and nearby infrastructure were resolved for this case.