Chinese Say UFO Filmed For 40 Minutes During Eclipse

September 7, 2009 4:25 p.m. EST

Nanjing, China (AHN) - Astronomers here say they have confirmed that a UFO was filmed during a solar eclipse this summer.

Ji Hai-sheng, director of the Purple Mountain Observatory, told sina.com that an unidentified object was filmed for 40 minutes near the sun during a total solar eclipse on July 22.

He declined to speculate on the nature of the object, saying that scientists will study the footage before drawing any conclusions.

Reports of UFO sightings are not uncommon in the Nanjing area. A researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory, Wang Sichao, reported in 2008 that UFOs visit the provincial capital every five or 10 years.

In 2007, Wang used his personal savings to establish annual awards for people who observed and recorded details about UFOs.

Nanjing was the site of the first recorded sighting of a UFO in China in 1892.