News that Chinese scientists filmed a UFO during last month's northern hemisphere solar eclipse has come as no surprise to former Dunedin academic Dr Jan Pajak.
Polish-born Dr Pajak was a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Otago in the early 1990s but left shortly after publicity about his UFO theories.
He is now unemployed and living in Wellington.
British media said this week scientists at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing "are reported to have confirmed" they filmed a UFO near the sun for 40 minutes during the eclipse, on July 22.
Observatory director Ji Hai-sheng said he would not be speculating publicly on the nature of what was captured on film until it had been properly studied.
Dr Pajak, who maintains a website on his UFO theories, noted that an object seen in China as a "blue sphere" would be red in the southern hemisphere because of magnetic differences.
"I know that there is so much evidence on our planet for the factual existence of these vehicles, but I think psychologically for many people it is not acceptable to talk about this."
