The Aurigny pilot's story was featured in The Sun and The Independent, which dedicated a whole page.
The internet took the sighting global, with hundreds of UFO websites featuring it.

But the biggest surprise for Captain Bowyer was a small article in the New Zealand Herald, that country's largest paper.

'My mum lives in Auckland and said she saw it in the paper there,' he said.

'The story has gone all over the world. I didn't think it would ever get further than Alderney or Guernsey, so it's unbelievable how much attention it has got.'

The 50-year-old said he had been overwhelmed by the response.

'I have had about 50 people speak to me and all told me of sightings within the islands,' he said.

'There appear to have been so many around the triangle of Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey. It's really strange that there seem to have been so many in that area.'

Captain Bowyer believed that by coming forward, he had made it more acceptable for other people to talk about their experiences.

'I have been really impressed with the quality of reporting and I wanted to thank the press for that because I know it could have been sensationalised.'

'Many people have told me their stories and I would like to collate them.

'The amount of people who have had similar sightings in a similar area has made me want to investigate what has been happening in the Channel Islands.'

* UFO sighting details can be passed to Captain Bowyer, by letter at La Croix Guerin Cafe, St Martin's.