Peter Sturrock
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 6
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Sturrock |
| On the Timeline | 1 event, 2003 |
Peter Andrew Sturrock (20 March 1924 – 12 August 2024) was a British-American physicist at Stanford University, known for his work in plasma physics, solar physics and astrophysics, and as one of the few senior scientists to argue openly that UFO reports deserve scientific study.[1][2]
Scientific career
Sturrock was born in South Stifford, Essex, England, and earned a PhD at the University of Cambridge in 1951. He was professor of applied physics at Stanford from 1961 to 1998, and directed its Center for Space Science and Astrophysics from 1992 to 1998. In 1990 he received the Arctowski Medal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for his work in solar physics.[1][3]
UFO research
After reading the Condon Report of 1969, Sturrock concluded that its own evidence suggested UFOs should be studied rather than dismissed. In 1975 he surveyed members of the American Astronomical Society: of about 2,600 questionnaires sent, more than 1,300 were returned, and a large majority favoured continued study of UFOs, though many were skeptical of the extraterrestrial explanation.[1][4]
Society for Scientific Exploration
In 1982 Sturrock helped found the Society for Scientific Exploration, a forum for research on subjects neglected by mainstream science, and led it for two decades. Critics have accused its journal of publishing pseudoscience.[1]
The Sturrock panel
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At the request of philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller, Sturrock and the Society for Scientific Exploration organised a workshop at the Pocantico Conference Center in New York State from 29 September 1997, at which a panel of scientists reviewed physical evidence presented by UFO investigators. The panel's report, released in June 1998, found no convincing evidence of unknown physical processes or extraterrestrial intelligence, though some incidents might involve rare natural phenomena. It judged that most UFO investigations lacked scientific rigour but that careful study of well-documented cases could be useful, and recommended closer contact between UFO researchers and physical scientists. The proceedings appeared in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 1998, and Sturrock expanded them into the book The UFO Enigma. He died at the age of 100 in 2024.[1][5][6]
On the UAP Timeline
- Peter Sturrock on zero-point energy (2003) (22 March 2003) — Stanford's Peter Sturrock tells Vallée he doubts Puthoff's zero-point energy work.
References
- Peter A. Sturrock — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Peter Andrew Sturrock (1924–2024)", Stanford Physics · physics.stanford.edu · archived copy
- "Obituary: Peter Sturrock (1924–2024)", SolarNews, National Solar Observatory · solarnews.nso.edu · archived copy
- Peter Sturrock, "Report on a Survey of the Membership of the American Astronomical Society Concerning the UFO Problem", UFO Evidence · ufoevidence.org · archived copy
- "Scientific panel concludes some UFO evidence worthy of study", Stanford Report (1 Jul 1998) · web.archive.org · archived copy
- Peter Sturrock et al., "Physical Evidence Related to UFO Reports", Journal of Scientific Exploration 12(2) (1998) · web.archive.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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