On January 16, 1958, at least 47 crew members and civilian researchers aboard the Brazilian Navy ship Almirante Saldanha watched a Saturn-shaped object circle Trindade Island. Civilian photographer Almiro Barauna captured four frames with his Rolleiflex before the object reversed course and departed. President Kubitschek personally authorized release of the prints to the press.

The Almirante Saldanha was conducting a geophysical survey mission in the South Atlantic. Brazilian Navy aerial reconnaissance laboratories certified the negatives as unaltered. The U.S. Project Blue Book disputed authenticity, citing Barauna's prior photographic experimentation, though the 47-witness count and the military chain of custody remain documented. Jacques Vallée and other researchers have cited this as one of the most credible multi-witness daytime cases in South American history.