Roerich's shining oval over the expedition camp

Witness account

Roerich's travel narrative describes members of his expedition watching a large black bird around 9:30 a.m. on 5 August, then noticing a much higher, shiny oval form. He says it crossed from north to south, changed toward the southwest, and disappeared in the blue sky. The group used field glasses. The book places the camp in the Kukunor district near the Humboldt chain.

Public record

The Nicholas Roerich Museum publishes the complete text of Altai-Himalaya, including the passage and the expedition's dated sequence. The observation belongs to 1927, not the frequently repeated 1926. Its location is in the Qinghai portion of the journey, although the chapter is headed 'Mongolia (1926–1927)' and later retellings often use a broad Himalayan label.

Sources

• Nicholas Roerich, Altai-Himalaya, first edition 1929; full text provided by the Nicholas Roerich Museum
• Andrew Tomas, Nicholas Roerich, and the Flying Saucer Sighting of 1927, Jason Colavito