Ursi's Eso Garden

On Sunday, May 18, NBC's Dateline aired a UFO special titled "10 Close Encounters Caught on Tape", which presented a number of the more famous UFO cases in which video or photos of the event were recorded.

From "Star Trek" to "Star Wars" - we've always been fascinated by the idea that -- just maybe -- we're not alone in this great big universe of ours.

But what if you actually had a "close encounter" with a UFO? You could reach out to the "Men in Black," but more likely you'd reach for your camera. After all, the camera, doesn't lie. Does it?

You be the judge as we count down the 10 most out-of-this-world '"close encounters" we could find -- from Texas to New Zealand, to the "Belgian Triangle."

Below you can view all the video clips that ran on NBC's Dateline, or visit their website 10 Close Encounters Caught On Tape.


1. McMinnville Photos

In 1950, a farmer and his wife photographed what remains to this day one of the clearest photographs of an alleged UFO ever taken. UFO investigators have repeatedly authenticated the photos but skeptics think they are nothing more than a hoax – a model hung from the telephone wires above. Did an actual alien spacecraft visit McMinnville, Oregon? Perhaps the farmer and his wife merely photographed a plane or helicopter, thinking it was out-of-this-world. Or maybe, it was all an attention-grabbing hoax. What do you think?



2. Galactic encounter

The year was 1966 and on board the tiny Gemini IX spacecraft, two astronauts, Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon, noticed something strange outside one of the windows. The photos they took spawned a debate that continues to this day: exactly what did the astronauts see?



3. Florida mystery

On the gulf coast of Florida, in the town of Gulf Breeze, a UFO phenomenon was born. It was 1987 and some incredibly clear photos of what appear to be alien spacecrafts began to emerge. For almost 10 years, the strange sightings of lights in the sky and crafts continued. But is it possible it was all a big hoax? You be the judge.



For the next videos:

4. Belgium Triangle

In the late 1980s, the UFO phenomenon found its way to Belgium, where hundreds of people reported seeing a strange formation of lights in the sky. A very interesting picture emerged from the sightings. What does it look like to you?

5. The Hudson Boomerang

In the early 1980s, folks in the Hudson Valley, outside New York City, began reporting a strange formation of lights in the night sky. Many photographs and video were taken of the lights. But is it proof of alien visitors, or proof of a hoax?

6. Air Force encounter

It was supposed to be a routine mission to seek out secret airplane runways used by drug smugglers. It turned into a potential UFO encounter. Watch the video and tell us what you think happened in the skies over Mexico.

7. Tinley Park Triangle

In the summer and fall of 2004, thousands of people in the Chicago area reportedly saw a large triangle-shaped collection of lights. Was it a giant spacecraft? Was it multiple crafts? Or maybe, it was just illumination flares sent up in the air as a hoax. Watch the video and decide for yourself.

8. The Stephenville Sightings

In the winter of 2008, hundreds of witnesses in and around Stephenville, Texas, came forward claiming to have seen strange lights in the sky. Some reported also seeing an actual craft. The Air Force says it was F-16 jets. UFO investigators say no way. After viewing the video, what do you believe?

9. New Zealand Orbs

Intrepid newsman Quentin Fogarty was sent to investigate a strange sighting off the coast of New Zealand. But the reporter soon became an eyewitness. But to what, exactly, was he an eyewitness? You decide.

10. The Phoenix Lights

March 13, 1997. It was supposed to be a night to observe the Hale-Bopp Comet. Instead, for thousands of Arizonans, it became a night to observe something even more impressive in the night sky, and something perhaps just as otherworldly. Or, maybe, they just saw flares. Look at the footage and choose your side.

Web only: Carteret Lights

In Carteret, N.J., hundreds of people reported seeing lights in the sky after midnight in July 2001. Cars pulled over on the N.J. Turnpike after seeing the strange formations. Who, or what, was responsible for the Carteret lights?

Web only: Soviet obsessions

NBC Space Analyst James Oberg discusses a UFO sighting he finds particularly interesting in this video. Follow the links to read a web-exclusive of Oberg’s research into the sighting in which he says he’s uncovered the real cause of the strange lights.

Web only: Minnesota sighting

UFO investigator Sam Maranto discusses a sighting that occurred in Minnesota and which he believes offers some of the strongest proof yet of the existence of alien life. Maranto admits there could very well be a more worldly explanation, but that the answer can only be uncovered through a thorough investigation. Check out these web exclusive images, then follow the links to the MUFON website for a more detailed analysis of the photos.

No, man — this wasn’t Larry King. This was NBC.