The Close Encounters Man
One man can arguably be credited with bringing our fascination with alien life into modern times, and that man is Dr. J. Allen Hynek. The Close Encounters Man is the definitive biography of an often misunderstood and misrepresented figure in UFOlogy. Responsible for (among many other things) coining the phrase “close encounters of the third kind,” Dr. Hynek is a controversial figure on both sides of the UFO debate, to say the least. He enthusiastically debunked UFO reports on behalf of the Air Force for years. Then, he recanted. His agonizing transformation from skepticism to true believer is one of the great misunderstood and misreported stories of science.
In his brilliant biography of this iconic figure, Mark O’Connell chronicles the events of Dr. Hynek’s life in never before seen detail—and in so doing, he lays out a uniquely compelling case for the existence and study of UFOs. Having been granted unprecedented access to Hynek’s personal and professional files, O’Connell is admirably nonpartisan in his delivery of the facts, examining every aspect of Hynek’s backstory—from his upbringing, to his work as a scientist, to his greatest regrets—in order to fully explain what led Hynek to go from being the first astronomer to be recruited by the U.S. Air Force in order to debunk UFO sightings, only to eventually believe in them and help establish their scientific validity. O’Connell lays out the fruits of his extensive research with a narrative flair, and reveals many shocking truths about Hynek and the study of UFOs, including details of a feud with noted astrophysicist Carl Sagan, specifics of Hynek’s involvement with Steven Spielberg, and the origins of the term “unidentified flying object”
Presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Science Festival.
Mark O'Connell
Mark O’Connell is an author, screenwriter, television commentator, and university lecturer. Mark got his start in television writing for Star Trek: The Next Generation (uncredited) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (as Mark Gehred-O’Connell), most notably writing DS9 fan favorite “Who Mourns for Morn?” (S.6, E.12)
Mark’s first book is The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOS, a biography of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, famed UFO researcher, Project Blue Book investigator, and inspiration behind Steven Spielberg’s epic film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. His extensive reality TV credits include Co-Executive Producer and on-camera expert on UFO Witness for TRVL, as well as Co-Executive Producer of The Lost Monster Files streaming on Discovery GO and HBOmax. Mark can also be seen in season one of the National Geographic TV Documentary UFOs: Investigating the Unknown (S.1, E.2, 3), as well as on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (S.11, E.9), and he is soon to appear on both Ancient Aliens and The UnExplained with Dan Aykroyd.
Mark has had several feature screenplays optioned and placed in development, including the crop circle comedy screenplay Doug & Dave that was in development at Disney with the late Bill Paxton attached to direct. Mark has served as an adjunct professor on the screenwriting faculties at both UCLA Extension and the College of Computing & Digital Media at DePaul University. Always on the lookout for a teaching moment, Mark has discussed the UFO phenomenon on Chicago Public TV and Japanese Public Television network NHK.
Mark lives in Georgia with his wife Monica.
Mark is a Lifetime Member of Writers Guild of America, East.