The United States government keeps extensive records of UFO sightings; other countries tend to keep more limited documentation.
The Air Force had a program known as Project BLUE BOOK that investigated UFO sightings; however, this initiative was discontinued in 2021.
Today, the government refers to these phenomena as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). This change aims to discourage conspiracy theories while encouraging greater scientific investigation of UAPs.
Number of UFO Sightings
UFOs (unidentified flying objects) have long been the subject of fascination and debate regarding whether aliens have visited Earth. Popular culture often depicts UFOs with images such as movies or books depicting disk-shaped UFOs depicted throughout ancient civilizations’ art and literature – yet modern UFOs only began appearing around the middle of the 20th century, alongside rockets and high-tech aircraft development.
Project Sign, the initial US government investigation of UFOs, began in 1948 during a time of Cold War tensions and believed these UFOs to be sophisticated Soviet spacecraft. Over time however, that thought gradually evolved into extraterrestrial spacecraft theories.
Since then, UFO sightings have fluctuated, although a recent study by an international team of experts indicated an upswing. It could be because more people feel comfortable reporting encounters with unknown objects; or perhaps due to increased interest in aliens and unidentified phenomena.
Recently released by the US military is an unclassified report detailing numerous reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). Many were in restricted or sensitive airspace and raised serious security concerns for national security.
Two top defense intelligence officials will address UFO sightings before Congress this week for what will be the first congressional hearing regarding them in 50 years. Furthermore, these officials will discuss what measures have been taken to investigate these sightings.
Public representatives will have an opportunity to pose their own questions following the closed-door hearing, after which UAP reports have increased. Scott Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence said he believed this increase is caused by people feeling more comfortable discussing experiences they have had with these unknown objects due to efforts taken by military officials to de-stigmatize such reporting.
Although the official position from the Pentagon is that UFOs are unlikely to be alien spacecraft, it still presents an intriguing mystery and has spurred considerable debate and speculation among millions of Americans, some even purchasing alien protection insurance in case they’re abducted by little green men.
Number of UFO Reports
Unidentified Flying Objects, commonly referred to as UFOs, refer to any airborne object which an onlooker cannot readily identify – from natural phenomena such as meteors to spacecraft. UFO sightings have generated much controversy with some believing them evidence of extraterrestrial life or simply conspiracy theories like those alleging government deceit regarding UFO sightings. UFO sightings first made news after World War II due to advances in rocket technology which caused interest. Furthermore, their appearance sparked conspiracy theories with many believing they represent evidence that extraterrestrial life was hidden from view by governments.
The US government has investigated thousands of UFO sightings since 2012, but hundreds remain unexplained. According to their latest report, 247 UFOs remain under investigation with an additional 478 found through people finding old records; some sightings can be attributed to drones or balloons while others simply cannot be explained away.
In the 1950s, an obsession with UFOs spread like wildfire. People eagerly looked out for flying saucers; numerous sightings were recorded by both US military personnel and civilians alike. Project Sign and Grudge were launched as investigations to record UFO sightings while Project Blue Book ran from 1952 until 1969 and examined over 12,000 UFO sightings during that 17-year span.
Project Blue Book found no evidence of UFOs being threats to national security or advanced technologies or extraterrestrial vehicles, and most sightings could be explained away with common phenomena. Although its conclusions contradict many conspiracy theories, many continue to persist despite them.
UFOs have long been thought of as alien spacecrafts capable of traveling at incredible speeds and possessing extraordinary maneuverability, as has been speculated upon. Some theories hold that UFO sightings may be due to psychological processes such as fear and delusion; other believe they exist for scientific research purposes only.
Although UFO sightings have remained low over the past five years, their numbers may be on the increase again. To accommodate this possible resurgence, the Pentagon has developed an online reporting portal called All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office that allows military and government employees to anonymously report UFOs they encounter. It offers guaranteed anonymity as a result.
Number of UFO Investigations
UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are mysterious objects seen flying through the skies that have long intrigued humanity, raising questions of alien life on other planets and becoming popular topics for books and films alike. UFOs have also been the focus of government investigations such as Project Blue Book which concluded its investigations into them back in 1969 after concluding most UFO sightings were either hoaxes or misidentified meteors or objects; its conclusion being heavily criticized due to being biased and secretive.
UFOs have long captivated lawmakers and the general public alike. A 1947 incident in Roswell, New Mexico served as the basis for many popular stories about aliens and UFOs. At that time, an army air field existed there, where witnesses claimed to have seen an UFO crash land at base; initially blamed by Air Force as weather balloon but later changed story. Some witnesses were interviewed by Robertson Panel – consisting of physicists, an astronomer, and rocket engineer experts – which investigated this incident – interviewing witnesses along with interviewing witnesses interviewed by Robertson Panel investigators; these included physicists as well as scientists including an astronomer and rocket engineer among its ranks.
The committee reviewed reports of UFO sightings near Area 51 in Nevada, where the Air Force operates a secret military facility. This led to widespread speculation that this facility is used for testing secret spy planes; declassified documents revealed that both the SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Nighthawk were developed there.
One official noted to the committee that the Air Force has seen an increasing number of reports about unidentified aerial phenomena, which he believes may be linked to increased public trust for reporting these incidents. Furthermore, this official advocated for eliminating stigma attached to these reports, since they may relate to national security matters.
The official also noted that the Air Force was working closely with other federal agencies to analyze reports regarding suspicious objects identified as drones; some objects may even be bird or other terrestrial activity-related.
Number of UFO Experts
Recently, the United States has come under scrutiny for concealing UFO sightings. A whistleblower recently reported that government programs existed to collect and reverse-engineer “UAPs,” the official term for UFOs. Additionally, sightings may have been encouraged as cover ups for secret military tests; consequently the Pentagon created an office dedicated exclusively to investigating UAPs; its head claimed this claim insults employees who dedicate time investigating these phenomena.
UFO sightings have been reported by various organizations, from professional scientific societies and universities, to private entities. Many of these organizations have conducted studies and experiments to validate UFO reports; from measuring speed of UFOs to more complex measures like analyzing radar data.
Even though many UFO sightings remain unexplained, some organizations remain suspicious of claims about them. A report published in 2021 showed that US government could not account for 143 cases of unexplained flying objects that went unexplained. Conversely, other organizations remain convinced of UFOs being real extraterrestrial intelligences originating on another world.
People who report UFO sightings typically believe it to be some form of alien craft due to its strange shapes, formation into groups in the sky, behavior or other characteristics; often witnesses also have the sense that these objects are intelligently controlled.
UFOs have caused major incidents, including the Rendlesham Forest incident – in which three witnesses reported radiation poisoning from seeing one near Bentwaters and Woodbridge airbases in England. Other UFO sightings included forcing an aircraft to make an emergency landing due to radiation poisoning caused by one, forcing an aircraft into making an emergency landing due to one, as well as seeing one at a nuclear power plant in 1984.
Though most UFO sightings do not suggest alien craft, there remains great public fascination in UFOs as an intriguing phenomenon. According to surveys taken across America and globally, 17 percent believed it likely that aliens would visit our planet, significantly lower than the 18 percent global average and even less so in countries like India, China and Latin America.
