File 65991 · 1977 (peak August–December)
Operação Prato (Colares UFO Wave)
Colares Island, Pará, Brazil
Opened 9/16/2026
Sighting photograph. Image pulled from the public post. — Brazilian National Archives / Operação Prato files
Standing
Unidentified
On the public record, and still open. A claim, paper, or film — not a finding that it was ours, and not a finding that it was not.
Declassified Brazilian Air Force documents confirm the military investigation, witness injuries, and photographic evidence gathered by the team.
What was claimed
Hundreds of residents reported luminous objects directing light beams that caused burns, puncture wounds, and other injuries. The Brazilian Air Force launched a formal investigation ('Operation Saucer') led by Captain Uyrangê Hollanda. The team photographed and filmed objects, interviewed witnesses, and produced thousands of pages of declassified reports.
What is on the record
This file is a working record — a report, not a verdict. Official paper, if any, is linked where we have it.
From mid-1977, particularly intense between August and December, residents of Colares Island and nearby areas in Brazil's Amazon delta reported repeated nocturnal visits by glowing objects of various shapes that projected beams of light onto people, causing painful burns, small puncture marks, hair loss, and symptoms resembling radiation sickness. At least two deaths were locally attributed to the encounters. The reports became so alarming that the Brazilian Air Force initiated Operação Prato, deploying Captain Uyrangê Hollanda and a team for several months. They conducted hundreds of interviews, collected physical evidence, and personally observed, photographed, and filmed anomalous objects on multiple occasions, producing over 2,000 pages of reports, hundreds of photos, and hours of film. Portions of the files were declassified in the 2000s through the Brazilian National Archives.
Could this have been ours?
The known sky, that night.
Satellites were already up. The station was not. Starlink was not.
Always
Venus and the bright planets
A fixed brilliant point. Does not streak. Does not hover over a street then leave. Often the first misread light in a rural report.
Always
Aircraft, balloons, meteors
Landing lights, flares, lanterns, reentries, fireballs. They are on the known sky. They do not close a file by themselves — they are what a serious look has to hold the claim against.
Orbit · Space — the desks for lights that are already named.
Sources
Related files
Same craft, same place, same years. A neighbor in the catalogue — not a conclusion.
Same craft · Nearby · Same year · 1977
Colares, Operation Saucer
Colares, Pará · Brazil
Unidentified
An Amazon island town reported beams of light that burned skin. The Brazilian Air Force sent a team, filmed objects, and later classified the file.
Same craft · Same year · 20 September 1977
Petrozavodsk phenomenon
Petrozavodsk, Karelia · Russia
Identified
A glowing object that showered the city with luminous “jets” was seen across northwest Russia and Finland. TASS printed it as news.
Same craft · Nearby · 1977 (peak October-November)
Colares/Operação Prato Flap
Colares, Pará · Brazil
Unidentified
Hundreds of residents reported being attacked by luminous orbs or beams causing burns and injuries. The Brazilian Air Force launched Operação Prato, a documented military investigation with official reports, photographs, and medical records.
Same craft · Same country · May 19, 1986
1986 Brazilian Night of the UFOs
São José dos Campos and multiple states · Brazil
Unidentified
Radar detected 21+ unidentified objects across southeastern Brazil. Multiple pilots (civilian and military) and ground observers, including 2,000+ at an air base, reported luminous objects. Brazilian Air Force scrambled five jets (F-5E and Mirages) for interception. Objects exhibited extreme speeds (up to 11,500 mph) and maneuvers. Official Ministry of Aeronautics acknowledgment and press conferen
Same craft · Same years · 11 November 1979
Manises, Spain
Manises / Valencia · Spain
Unidentified
A commercial flight diverted to Manises after the crew reported red lights that paced the airliner. F-1 fighters were scrambled.
Same craft · Same years · 27 August 1979
Val Johnson, Minnesota
Marshall County, Minnesota · United States
Unidentified
A deputy’s patrol car was damaged and the officer injured after he reported a blinding light on a rural road. State police documented the car.