Disc
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Historical caseStructured for retrospective review and comparison against modern sightings.

One of the best UFO photos ever - made by National Geographic Institute of Costa Rica in 1971

Disc3 witnessesPhotoSep 4, 1971, 12:00 AMLake Cote

Witnesses

3 witnesses

Duration

Unknown

Source material

3

Timeline

2

Source context

Limited context

58

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

Source provenance

r/aliens

Live sighting record 64c66ff3-426f-4c25-80e9-64f695336ab4.

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

Correlations

Field Intelligence

Moon phase

98% illumination

Full moon — bright sky

Solar window

Sunrise5:31 AM
Sunset5:49 PM
Day length12h 18m

Weather

Open-Meteo
ConditionsModerate drizzle
Temperature74°F
Cloud cover100% · Overcast
Wind2 mph
Precipitation0.8 mm

Area activity

Within 2 daysNo sightings within 60 mi

Context notes

Full/near-full moon (98% illumination)

Heavy cloud cover (100%) — limited visibility

Extracted details

Observed facts

Occurred

Sep 4, 1971, 12:00 AM

Timezone

Central Standard Time

Location

Lake Cote

Observers

3 witnesses

Witness account

Narrative

On September 4, 1971, the Costa Rican National Geographic Institute was taking aerial photos from 10,000 feet of Lake Cote, the small body of water that would later become the larger Lake Arenal, as part of preliminary studies for the future hydroelectric project. The study was funded by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) to determine water sources in the area for their planned hydroelectric project. Photographer Sergio Loaiza, along with Costa Ricans Juan Bravo and Francisco Reyes,...

Case progression

Timeline

Encounter windowSep 4, 1971, 12:00 AM

Witnesses place the encounter near Lake Cote.

PublishedMay 23, 2026, 4:32 PM

r/aliens 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/aliens.

telemetry

Environmental pass

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