Editor’s Note: Please note there are no known photographs of the UFO that Jimmy Carter saw in 1969. The photos used in this article are artist depictions and UFOs that were reported in other sightings.

Extraterrestrial beings have been in the news quite a bit lately, with several government hearings taking place regarding the existence of life on other planets. Speculation about alien life forms is, of course, nothing new. Beings from other planets have been a common trope in science fiction films for decades, and there are reports of mysterious, unidentified flying objects dating all the way back to the 1940s. Most of us have, at one time or another, looked up at the night sky and wondered what else could be out there. One of the most famous UFO sightings in history occurred in Georgia. President Jimmy Carter is a Georgia native who has lived here all his life, other than his time spent in Washington D.C., and it’s quite fitting that he experienced his own potentially extraterrestrial experience right here in Georgia. Let’s take a look back in time at this 1969 event:

Jimmy Carter is one of history's most famous people from Georgia. He was born in the tiny town of Plains and served as the nation's president from 1977 to 1981. He also served as the Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons
In 1969, Carter was preparing to give a speech at the Lions Club in Leary, Georgia, a small town in Calhoun County.
Michael Rivera/Wikimedia Commons
He and around a dozen others at the meeting all reported seeing a strange self-illuminated object coming from the west.
thumperward/Wikimedia Commons

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The object was as bright as the moon and changed colors, giving off an unusual glow that none of those present had ever seen before.
driver Photographer/Flickr
Later, Carter stated that he didn't think of it as an alien object and probably believed it was a military aircraft, though he noted it didn't make any helicopter-type noises.
maxime raynal/Flickr
While it may seem like a minor incident, this UFO sighting had quite the effect on Carter. He said in his later presidential election campaign that he would follow a policy of openness when serving in office, and give people the benefit of the doubt regarding UFO sightings.
While the object that Carter saw remains officially unidentified today, it's thought that it may have been a chemical cloud released from a nearby rocket base in Florida. The timeline and description both match up with Carter's alleged sighting.
Віщун/Wikimedia Commons

This was one of the most famous UFO sightings in Georgia history. Have you ever spotted a UFO? Share your experiences in the comments!

While there’s no guarantee you’ll catch a glimpse of alien life forms, you can certainly enjoy looking up at the night sky more with this cool monocular telescope from REI.

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