In Depth
See Also

Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after investigation. Sightings of unusual aerial phenomena date back to ancient times, but reports of UFO sightings only became fashionable after the first widely publicized U.S. sighting in 1947. Many thousands of such claimed observations have since been reported worldwide. A more modern take is the U.O.O., or Unidentified Orbiting Object, which would describe an unknown article in orbit, such as the debris in the Atlantis Landing delay of September 21, 2006.

Discussions

  Discussion Features

   Ask a question about 'Unidentified flying object'

   Start a new discussion about 'Unidentified flying object'

   Answer questions about 'Unidentified flying object'

   'Unidentified flying object' discussion forum

Timeline

1947   A Seaman named Harold Dahl claims to have seen six UFOs Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identifi... 

 near Maury Island Maury Island

Maury Island is a small island [i] in Puget Sound [i] in the U.S. state [i] of Washington [i]. ... 

. The next morning Dahl reports the first modern Men in Black Men in Black

In UFO conspiracy theories [i], the term Men in Black are alleged to be men dress ... 

 encounter.

1947   Downed UFO Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identifi... 

 allegedly found in the Roswell UFO incident Roswell UFO incident

The Roswell UFO incident was the alleged recovery in 1947 of at least one alien space craft and it... 

, written about by Stanton T. Friedman.

1989   An official news agency in the Soviet Union Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state [i] ... 

 reports the landing of a UFO Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identifi... 

 in Voronezh Voronezh

Voronezh is a large city in the Southwest Russia, not far from Ukraine [i]. ... 

.



Encyclopedia

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after investigation.

Sightings of unusual aerial phenomena date back to ancient times, but reports of UFO sightings only became fashionable after the first widely publicized U.S. sighting in 1947. Many thousands of such claimed observations have since been reported worldwide.

A more modern take is the U.O.O., or Unidentified Orbiting Object, which would describe an unknown article in orbit, such as the debris in the Atlantis Landing delay of September 21, 2006.

In popular culture throughout the world, UFO is commonly used to refer to any hypothetical alien Extraterrestrial life in popular culture

For a scientific theory point of view, see extraterrestrial life [i].... 

 spacecraft but the term flying saucer is also regularly used. Once a UFO is identified as a known object , it ceases to be a UFO and becomes an identified object. In such cases it is inaccurate to continue to use the acronym UFO to describe the object.

History


Ancient accounts

Unusual aerial phenomena have been reported throughout history. Some of these strange apparitions may have been astronomical phenomena such as comet Comet

A comet is a small body in the solar system that orbits the Sun [i] and exhibits a coma [i] and/ ... 

s or bright meteor Meteor

A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid [i] that enters the Earth's [i] atmosphere [i] ... 

s, or atmospheric optical phenomena Optical phenomenon

An optical phenomenon is any observable event which results from the interaction of light [i] and matter [i] ... 

 such as parhelia Sun dog

A sun dog or sundog is a relatively common atmospheric optical phenomenon [i] associated with the ... 

. Examples of these reports include:

  • During the reign of the Pharaoh Thutmose III Thutmose III

    Menkheperre Thutmose IIIya in the Amarna letters [i]), was the sixth Pharaoh [i] of Egypt [i] in the Eighteenth Dynasty [i] ... 

     around 1450 BC, there is a description of multiple “circles of fire” brighter than the sun and about 5 meters in size that appeared over multiple days. They finally disappeared after ascending higher in the sky.




  • The Roman author Julius Obsequens writes that in 99 BC, “in Tarquinia Tarquinia

    Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo [i]... 

     towards sunset, a round object, like a globe, a round or circular shield, took its path in the sky from west to east.”



  • On September 24, 1235, General Yoritsume and his army observed unidentified globes of light flying in erratic patterns in the night sky near Kyoto, Japan. The general’s advisers told him not to worry -- it was merely the wind causing the stars to sway.


  • On April 14 1561 the skies over Nuremberg, Germany Nuremberg

    Nuremberg is a city [i] in the German [i] state [i] of Bavaria [i], in the administrative region [i] ... 

     were reportedly filled with a multitude of objects seemingly engaged in an aerial battle. Small spheres and discs were said to emerge from large cylinders.


These sightings were usually treated as supernatural Supernatural

The supernatural refers to forces and phenomena which are not observed in nature, and therefore beyond ... 

 portents, angels, and other religious omens. Some contemporary investigators believe them to be the ancient equivalent of modern UFO reports.

First modern reports

Before the terms “flying saucer” and “UFO” were coined, there were a number of reports of strange, unidentified aerial phenomena. These reports date from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century. They include:



  • On January 25, 1878, The Denison Daily News wrote that local farmer John Martin had reported seeing a large, dark, circular flying object resembling a balloon flying “at wonderful speed.”


  • On November 17, 1882, astronomer Astronomer

    An astronomer or astrophysicist is a person whose area of interest is astronomy [i] or astrophysics [i] ... 

     E. W. Maunder of the Greenwich Royal Observatory Royal Observatory, Greenwich

    The Royal Observatory, Greenwich was commissioned in 1675 [i] by King [i] Charles II [i] ... 

     described in the Observatory Reports “a strange celestial visitor” that was “disc-shaped,” “torpedo Torpedo

    A modern torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled projectile [i] tha ... 

    -shaped,” or “spindle-shaped.” It was said to be very different in characteristics from a meteor Meteor

    A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid [i] that enters the Earth's [i] atmosphere [i] ... 

     fireball. Years later, Maunder wrote it looked exactly like the new Zeppelin Zeppelin

    A Zeppelin is a type of dirigible [i], more specifically a type of rigid airship [i] pioneer... 

     dirigible Airship

    An airship is a buoyant [i] aircraft [i] that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... 

    s. The strange object was also seen by several other European Europe

    Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

     astronomers.


  • On February 28, 1904, there was a sighting by three crew members on the USS Supply 300 miles west of San Francisco San Francisco, California

    The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth-largest city in California [i] and the fourteenth-lar ... 

    , reported by Lt. Frank Schofield, later to become Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet. Schofield wrote of three bright red egg-shaped and circular objects flying in echelon formation Echelon formation

    An echelon formation is a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally.... 

     that approached beneath the cloud layer, then changed course and “soared” above the clouds, departing directly away from the earth after 2 to 3 minutes. The largest had an apparent size of about six suns.


  • The so-called Fátima incident or “The Miracle of the Sun The Miracle of the Sun

    The Miracle of the Sun was a supposedly miraculous event which, it is claimed, was seen by an estimated ... 

    ,” witnessed by tens of thousands in Fátima, Portugal Fátima, Portugal

    Ftima is a city in Portugal [i] famous for the religious visions that are said to have taken place there ... 

     on October 13, 1917, is believed by some researchers to actually be a UFO event.


  • In both the European Europe

    Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

     and Japanese Japan

    is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

     aerial theatres during World War II World War II

    World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

    , “Foo-fighters Foo fighter

    The term foo fighter was used by Allied [i] aircraft pilots in World War II [i] to describe ... 

    ” were reported by both Allied and Axis pilots.


  • On February 25, 1942, an unidentified craft was detected over the California California

    California is a state [i] spanning the southern half of the west coast [i] ... 

     region. The craft stayed aloft despite taking at least 20 minutes worth of flak from ground batteries. The incident later became known as the Battle of Los Angeles, or the West coast air raid West coast air raid

    The West coast air raid involved unknown object/s reported over Los Angeles [i] in February, 1942, that ... 

    .


  • In 1946, there were over 2000 reports of unidentified aircraft in the Scandinavian Scandinavia

    Scandinavia is a region [i] in Northern Europe [i]. ... 

     nations, along with isolated reports from France France

    France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

    , Portugal Portugal

    Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic is located in southwestern Europe [i] on the Iberian Peninsula [i] ... 

    , Italy Italy

    Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European [i] country. ... 

     and Greece Greece

    Greece

Greece lies at the juncture of Europe [i], Asia [i], and Africa [i]. ... 

, then referred to as “Russian hail,” and later as “ghost rockets Ghost rockets

Ghost Rockets is the name given to mysterious rocket or missile shaped objects which were sighted on man... 

,” because it was thought that these mysterious objects were Russian Russia

Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country [i] that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia [i] ... 

 tests of captured German Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

 V1 V-1 flying bomb

The Fieseler Fi 103/FZG-76 , known as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the... 

 or V2 V-2 rocket

The A4 alias V-2 rocket or Vergeltungswaffe 2 was an early ballistic missile [i] used by ... 

 rocket Rocket

The traditional definition of a rocket is a vehicle [i], missile [i] or aircraft [i] which obtains thrust [i] ... 

s. This was subsequently shown not to be the case, and the phenomenon remains unexplained. Over 200 were tracked on radar and deemed to be “real physical objects” by the Swedish military. A significant fraction of the remainder were thought to be misperceptions of natural phenomena, such as meteors.

Modern UFO era

The post World War II UFO phase in the United States began with a reported sighting by American businessman Kenneth Arnold Kenneth Arnold

Kenneth A. Arnold — a private pilot from Boise, Idaho [i], United States [i], and a part time Sear... 

 on June 24, 1947 while flying his private plane near Mount Rainier Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano [i] in Pierce County, Washington [i], located 54 miles southeast of Seattle [i]... 

, Washington Washington

Washington is a state [i] in the Pacific Northwest [i] of the United States [i]. ... 

. He reported seeing nine brilliantly bright objects flying across the face of Rainier towards nearby Mount Adams at “an incredible speed”, which he calculated at at least 1200 miles per hour by timing their travel between Rainier and Adams. His sighting subsequently received significant media and public attention. Arnold would later say they “flew like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water” and also said they were “flat like a pie pan”, “shaped like saucers,” and “half-moon shaped, oval in front and convex in the rear. ...they looked like a big flat disk.” Arnold’s reported descriptions caught the media’s and the public’s fancy and gave rise to the terms flying saucer and flying disk.

Arnold’s sighting was followed in the next few weeks by several thousand other reported sightings, mostly in the U.S., but in other countries as well. Perhaps the most significant of these was a United Airlines United Airlines

irline=United Airlines|
logo=United Airlines Logo.svg|
... 

 crew sighting of nine more disc-like objects over Idaho Idaho

Idaho is a state [i] in the Pacific Northwest [i] of the United States [i]. ... 

 on the evening of July 4. This sighting was even more widely reported than Arnold’s and lent considerable credence to Arnold’s report. For the next few days most American newspapers were filled with front-page stories of the new “flying saucers” or “flying discs.” Starting with official debunkery that began the night of July 8 with the Roswell UFO incident Roswell UFO incident

The Roswell UFO incident was the alleged recovery in 1947 of at least one alien space craft and it... 

, reports rapidly tapered off, ending the first big U.S. UFO wave.


Starting July 9, Army Air Force United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was a part of the U.S. Army [i] during World War II [i] ... 

 intelligence, in cooperation with the FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is a federal criminal investigative [i], intelligenc ... 

, secretly began a formal investigation into the best sightings, which included Arnold’s and the United crew’s. The FBI was told that intelligence was using “all of its scientists” to determine whether or not “such a phenomenon could, in fact, occur.” Furthermore, the research was “being conducted with the thought that the flying objects might be a celestial phenomenon,” or that “they might be a foreign body mechanically devised and controlled.” Three weeks later they concluded that, “This ‘flying saucer’ situation is not all imaginary or seeing too much in some natural phenomenon. Something is really flying around.” A further review by the intelligence and technical divisions of the Air Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command [i] ... 

 at Wright Field Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force [i] base in Greene [i] ... 

 reached the same conclusion, that “the phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious,” that there were objects in the shape of a disc, metallic in appearance, and as big as man-made aircraft. They were characterized by “extreme rates of climb [and] maneuverability,” general lack of noise, absence of trail, occasional formation flying, and “evasive” behavior “when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar,” suggesting either manual, automatic, or remote control. It was thus recommended in late September 1947 that an official Air Force investigation be set up to investigate the phenomenon. This led to the creation of the Air Force’s Project Sign at the end of 1947, which became Project Grudge at the end of 1948, and then Project Blue Book in 1952. Blue Book closed down in 1970, ending the official Air Force UFO investigations.


Use of “UFO” instead of “flying saucer” was first suggested in 1952 by Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt Edward J. Ruppelt

Edward J. Ruppelt was a United States Air Force [i] officer probably best-known for his involvement in Project Blue Book [i] ... 

, the first director of Project Blue Book, who felt that “flying saucer” did not reflect the diversity of the sightings. Ruppelt suggested that “UFO” should be pronounced as a word — “you-foe”. However it is generally pronounced by forming each letter: “U.F.O.” His term was quickly adopted by the Air Force, which also briefly used “UFOB” circa 1954. Ruppelt recounted his experiences with Project Blue Book in his memoir, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects , also the first book to use the term.

Air Force Regulation 200-2, issued in 1954, defined an Unidentified Flying Object as “any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object.” The regulation also said UFOBs were to be investigated as a “possible threat to the security of the United States” and “to determine technical aspects involved.” Furthermore, Air Force personnel were directed not to discuss unexplained cases with the press.

UFOs in popular culture

Beginning in the 1950s, UFO-related spiritual sects, sometimes referred to as contactee cults, began to appear. Most often the members of these sects rallied around a central individual, who claimed to either have made personal contact with space-beings, or claimed to be in telepathic contact with them. Prominent among such individuals was George Adamski, who claimed to have met a tall, blond-haired Venusian Venus

Venus is the second-closest planet [i] to the Sun [i], orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. ... 

 named “Orthon,” who came to warn us about the dangers of nuclear proliferation Nuclear proliferation

Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons [i] production technology and knowledge to nation ... 

. Adamski was widely dismissed, but an Adamski Foundation still exists, publishing and selling Adamski’s writings. At least two of these sects developed a substantial number of adherents, most notably The Aetherius Society Aetherius Society

The Aetherius Society is an organization founded by Dr. George King [i] in London in 1955 as ... 

, founded by British United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

 mystic George King in 1956, and the Unarius Foundation, established by “Ernest L.” and Ruth Norman in 1954. A standard theme of the alleged messages from outer-space beings to these cults was a warning about the dangers of nuclear proliferation. More recent groups organized around an extraterrestrial Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is life [i] that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth [i], the only pl ... 

 theme include Ummo, Heaven’s Gate, Raël Raëlism

Ralism is the philosophical belief system [i] promoted by the Ralian Movement [i], a ... 

, and the Ashtar Command. Many of the early UFO sects, as well as later ones, share a tendency to incorporate ideas from both Christianity Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic [i] religion [i] centered on Jesus of Nazareth [i] ... 

 and various eastern religion Eastern religion

Eastern religion refers to religions that are mostly either Indian or Chinese in origin: The Dharma [i] ... 

s, “hybridizing” these with ideas pertaining to extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is life [i] that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth [i], the only pl ... 

 and their benevolent concern with the people of Earth.

The notion of contactee cults gained a new twist during the 1980s, primarily in the USA United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

, with the publication of books by Whitley Strieber Whitley Strieber

Louis Whitley Strieber is a US [i] writer best known for his horror novel [i]s The Wolfe ... 

  and Jacques Vallee Jacques Vallée

... 

 . Strieber, a horror writer, felt that aliens were harassing him and were responsible for “missing time” during which he was subjected to strange experiments by “grey aliens Greys

The Greys are the type of alleged intelligent [i] extraterrestrial life [i] that appears mo ... 

”. This newer, darker model can be seen in the subsequent wave of “alien abduction Abduction phenomenon

The abduction phenomenon is an umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses [i], claims or asse ... 

literature Literature

Literature is literally "acquaintance with letters" as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary [i] ... 

, and in the background mythos of The X Files The X-Files

The X-Files is an American [i] television [i] series create... 

and many other TV series.

However, even in the alien abduction literature, motives of the aliens run the gamut from hostile to benevolent. For example, researcher David Jacobs believes we are undergoing a form of stealth invasion through genetic assimilation Genetic assimilation

Note: Genetic assimilation is sometimes used to describe "eventual extinction of a natural species as massi... 

. The theme of genetic manipulation is also strongly reflected in the writings of Budd Hopkins. The late Harvard Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].
... 

 psychiatrist  John Mack  believed that the aliens’ ethical bearing was to take a role as “tough love” gurus Guru

A Guru is a teacher [i] in Hinduism [i], Buddhism [i], and Sikhism [i]. ... 

 trying to impart wisdom. James Harder says abductees predominantly report positive interactions with aliens, most of whom have benevolent intentions and express concern about human survival.

An interesting 1970s-era development was a renewal and broadening of ideas associating UFOs with supernatural Supernatural

The supernatural refers to forces and phenomena which are not observed in nature, and therefore beyond ... 

 or preternatural subjects such as occultism, cryptozoology Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology is the study of animals [i] that are rumored to exist, but for which conclusive pr ... 

, and parapsychology. Some 1950s contactee cultists had incorporated various religious and occult ideas into their beliefs about UFOs, but in the 1970s this was repeated on a considerably larger scale. Many participants in the New Age New Age

The term New Age describes a broad movement of late 20th century and contemporary Western culture [i], c ... 

 movement came to believe in alien contact, both through mediumistic channeling and through literal, physical contact. A prominent spokesperson Spokesman

A spokesman, or spokesmodel is a person who speaks on behalf of others, but is understood not to b... 

 for this trend was actress Actor

An actor is a person who acts [i], or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... 

 Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine is an Academy Award [i]-winning American [i] actress, well ... 

, especially in her book and miniseries, Out On a Limb. The 1970s saw the publication of many New Age books in which ideas about UFOs and extraterrestrials figured prominently.

Another key development in 1970s UFO folklore came with the publication of Erich von Däniken Erich von Däniken

Erich Anton Paul von Dniken is a controversial Swiss [i] author best known for his books abo ... 

’s book Chariots of the Gods Chariots of the Gods

Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a controversial book written in 1968 by Erich von Dniken [i] ... 

. The book argued that aliens have been visiting Earth for thousands of years, which he used to explain UFO-like images from various archaeological Archaeology

Archaeology, archeology, or archology is the study of human [i] culture [i]s through... 

 sources as well as unsolved mysteries. Such ideas were not exactly new. For example, earlier in his career, astronomer Carl Sagan Carl Sagan

Dr. Carl Edward Sagan was an American [i] astronomer [i], astrobiologist [i]... 

 in Intelligent Life in the Universe had similarly argued that aliens could have been visiting the Earth sporadically for millions of years. “Ancient astronauts Ancient astronaut theory

Ancient astronaut theory is a term used to describe the belief that intelligent extraterrestrial [i] ... 

” proposals inspired numerous imitators, sequels, and fictional adaptations, including one book which interprets miraculous aerial phenomena in the Bible Bible

The Bible , is the name used by Jews [i] and Christians [i] for their differing canons [i]... 

 as records of alien contact. Many of these interpretations posit that aliens have been guiding human evolution, an idea taken up earlier by the novel and film .

UFOs constitute a widespread international cultural phenomenon of the last half-century. Folklorist Thomas E. Bullard writes, “UFOs have invaded modern consciousness in overwhelming force, and endless streams of book Book

A book is a collection of sheets of paper [i], parchment [i] or other material with a piece of text writ ... 

s, magazine Magazine

A magazine is a periodical publication [i] containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising [i] ... 

 articles, tabloid Tabloid

A tabloid is a newspaper [i] format particularly popular in the United Kingdom [i].... 

 covers, movies Film

Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general.... 

, TV Television

Television is a telecommunication [i] system for
... 

 shows, cartoon Cartoon

A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another.... 

s, advertisement Advertising

Advertising is the business of drawing public attention to goods and services, and performed through a v... 

s, greeting card Greeting card

A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card usually featuring a message or greeting or other sentimen... 

s, toy Toy

A toy is something used in play [i] by child [i]ren, adult [i]s or pets [i]. ... 

s, T-shirt T-shirt

A T-shirt is a shirt [i], usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sl ... 

s, even alien-head salt and pepper shakers, attest to the popularity of this phenomenon.” Gallup polls rank UFOs near the top of lists for subjects of widespread recognition. In 1973, a survey found that 95 percent of the public reported having heard of UFOs, whereas only 92 percent had heard of US President President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state [i] of the United States [i]. ... 

 Gerald Ford Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr., was the 38th President of the United States [i].... 

 in a 1977 poll taken just nine months after he left the White House White House

The White House is the official home and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America [i] ... 

. A 1996 Gallup poll reported that 71 percent of the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 population believed that the government Federal government of the United States

The government [i] of the United States of America [i], established by the U.S. Constitution [i]... 

 was covering up information regarding UFOs. A 2002 Roper poll for the Sci Fi channel found similar results, but with more people believing UFOs were extraterrestrial craft. In that latest poll, 56 percent thought UFOs were real craft and 48 percent that aliens had visited the Earth. Again, about 70 percent felt the government was not sharing everything it knew about UFOs or extraterrestrial life.

Ufology - people and organizations

See also List of UFO researchers.

Organizations: U.S.

There have been a number of civilian groups formed to study UFO’s and/or to promulgate their opinions on the subject. Some have achieved fair degrees of mainstream visibility while others remain obscure. The groups listed below have embraced a broad variety of approaches, and have seen a correspondingly wide variety of responses from mainstream critics or supporters.
  • Aerial Phenomena Research Organization 
  • National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena 
  • Mutual UFO Network 
  • Center for UFO Studies  A privately-funded UFO research group founded by J. Allen Hynek, a professor of astronomy Astronomy

    Astronomy is the science [i] of celestial objects and phenomena [i] that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere [i] ... 

     at Northwestern University Northwestern University

    Northwestern University is a private [i], coeducational [i], non-sectarian [i] research university [i] ... 

     in Chicago Chicago

    Chicago is the largest city [i] in the U.S. state [i] of Illinois [i], as well as the third-most populous [i] ... 

    . Hynek was also a top scientific consultant for Project Blue Book.
  • Fund for UFO Research 
  • National Institute of Discovery Science 
  • National UFO Reporting Center  : Run by Peter Davenport; national clearinghouse for UFO reports with phone hotline; listings of reports online. , and this
  • National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena  : Founded by NASA NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government [i], res ... 

     scientist Richard F. Haines. Clearing house for aviation UFO reports. Concerned about UFOs and air safety. Has collected and evaluated 3400 aviation cases from the last 40 years.
  • Citizens Against UFO Secrecy  : Small, Arizona Arizona

    Arizona is a U.S. state [i] located in the Southwestern United States [i]. ... 

    -based research and FOIA interest group.
  • Paradigm Research Group  & Extraterrestrial Phenomena Political Action Committee  : Small, Washington D.C. Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. is the capital [i] city [i] of the United States of America [i]. ... 

     group pushing for government UFO disclosure.
  • Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence  : Maryland Maryland

    Maryland , is a Mid-Atlantic [i] state [i] located on the East Coast [i] ... 

     group that runs The Disclosure Project, an effort to get government disclosure on UFOs.
  • Dr. Greer's Disclosure Project
  • UFO Casebook
  • UFO Search Engine  : UFO and paranormal search engine and directory
  • Malevolent Alien Abduction Research This organization believes that aliens are pushing an extremely deceptive agenda, such as claiming that they’re friendly and promote peace.
  • HBCCUFO CANADIAN UFO REPORTING  : BC Canadian Canada

    Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

     UFO reports, witness audio interviews, directed by Brian Vike.

UFO-related memorials

  • In Ängelholm, Sweden Sweden

    The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

     in 1963, a memorial was built in memory of a UFO-landing witnessed by Swedish Sweden

    The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

     hockey Hockey

    Hockey is any of a family of sport [i]s in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a h ... 

     player Gösta Carlsson.
  • In 1998, a memorial plaque was installed at the lighthouse Lighthouse

    An aid for navigation [i] and pilotage [i] at sea [i], a lighthouse is a tower [i] building or framework ... 

     where Frederick Valentich, who disappeared after a close encounter Close encounter

    In ufology [i], a close encounter is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object [i] ... 

     with a UFO, had the last radio contact.
  • In 2002, a plaque was installed in a cementary Cemetery

    A cemetery is a place in which dead [i] bodies [i] and cremated remains [i] are ... 

     in Moreauville, Louisiana Moreauville, Louisiana

    Moreauville is a village in Avoyelles Parish [i], Louisiana [i], United States [i] ... 

     in memory of Felix Moncla, who disappeared after a crash with a UFO in 1952.
  • In Emilcin, Poland Poland

    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe [i]. ... 

     in 2005, a memorial was built in memory of a Close Encounter of the Third Kind

Use in film and television

  • See List of major UFO film and television shows
  • See UFOs in Fiction


Documentary channels, such as the Discovery Channel Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is a property of Discovery Communications [i] primarily packaged as a network entertai ... 

 and the History Channel The History Channel

The History Channel is a mainstream [i] cable [i] television [i] channel [i] ... 

 airs UFO Unidentified flying object

A UFO or Unidentified Flying Object is any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identifi... 

, alien related material from time to time.

See also

  • Aliens Extraterrestrial life in popular culture

    For a scientific theory point of view, see extraterrestrial life [i].... 

  • Alien abduction phenomenon Abduction phenomenon

    The abduction phenomenon is an umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses [i], claims or asse ... 

  • Ancient astronaut theory Ancient astronaut theory

    Ancient astronaut theory is a term used to describe the belief that intelligent extraterrestrial [i] ... 

  • Anomalous phenomenon
  • Australian Disclosure Project
  • Australian Ufology Australian Ufology

    Australian Ufology refers to a historical series of Australian [i] events and or activities pertaining t... 

  • Black triangles Black triangles

    Black triangles are a kind of Unidentified Flying Object that have been reportedly observed in the skies... 

  • British Rail flying saucer British Rail flying saucer

    The British Rail flying saucer was a proposed space vehicle [i], designed by Charles Osmond Frederick [i] ... 

  • Brookings Report
  • Cattle mutilation
  • Condon Report
  • Contactees
  • Crop circle Crop circle

    Crop circles are areas of cereal [i] or similar crops [i] that have been systematically flat ... 

  • Extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life

    Extraterrestrial life is life [i] that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth [i], the only pl ... 

  • Foo fighter Foo fighter

    The term foo fighter was used by Allied [i] aircraft pilots in World War II [i] to describe ... 

  • Forteana Charles Fort

    Charles Hoy Fort was an American [i] writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena [i] ... 

  • Grey aliens Greys

    The Greys are the type of alleged intelligent [i] extraterrestrial life [i] that appears mo ... 

  • Jacques Vallée Jacques Vallée

    ... 

  • Kenneth Arnold Kenneth Arnold

    Kenneth A. Arnold — a private pilot from Boise, Idaho [i], United States [i], and a part time Sear... 

  • List of conspiracy theories
  • List of magazines of anomalous phenomena
  • Military flying saucers
  • Mutual UFO Network
  • Nazi UFOs
  • Project Serpo
  • Prophet Yahweh Prophet Yahweh

    Ramon Watkins, more famously known as Prophet Yahweh, or The Seer of Yahweh is an American [i]... 

  • Rael Raël

    Ral is the founder and self-proclaimed atheist spiritual guide of the Ralian Movement [i]. ... 

  • Robertson Panel
  • Roswell incident Roswell UFO incident

    The Roswell UFO incident was the alleged recovery in 1947 of at least one alien space craft and it... 

  • Scientific skepticism
  • The Disclosure Project
  • True-believer syndrome
  • UFOs in Fiction
  • Unusual Ground Marking
  • Unidentified submerged object
  • Valentich Disappearance


UFO sightings
  • List of major UFO sightings
  • Berwyn Mountain Incident
  • Kecksburg UFO incident
  • Levelland UFO Case
  • Rendlesham UFO incident Rendlesham Forest Incident

    The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the name given to a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights... 

  • Roswell UFO incident Roswell UFO incident

    The Roswell UFO incident was the alleged recovery in 1947 of at least one alien space craft and it... 

  • Shag Harbor incident Shag Harbor incident

    The Shag Harbor Incident was the purported crash of an Unidentified Flying Object [i] in Shag Harbor [i] ... 

  • UFO sightings in Iran
  • UFO sightings in Iraq UFO sightings in Iraq

    This article details a number of UFO [i] sightings that occurred in Iraq [i] in 2003.... 



Notes


References


General
  • Thomas E. Bullard, “UFOs: Lost in the Myths”, pages 141-191 in “UFOs, the Military, and the Early Cold War Era”, pages 82-121 in “UFOs and Abductions: Challenging the Borders of Knowledge” David M. Jacobs, editor; 2000, University Press of Kansas, ISBN 0-7006-1032-4
  • Jerome Clark, The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial, 1998, Visible Ink Press, ISBN 1-57859-029-9. Many classic cases and UFO history provided in great detail; highly documented.*Douglas Curran, In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space, 2001 , Abbeville Press, ISBN 0-7892-0708-7. Non-sensational but fair treament of contemporary UFO legend and lore in N. America, including the so-called “contactee cults.” The author traveled the United States with his camera and tape recorder and directly interviewed many individuals.
  • Richard H. Hall, editor, The UFO Evidence: Volume 1, 1964, NICAP, reissued 1997, Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0627-1. Well-organized, exhaustive summary and analysis of 746 unexplained NICAP cases out of 5000 total cases — a classic.
  • Richard H. Hall, The UFO Evidence: A Thirty-Year Report, 2001, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0-8108-3881-8. Another exhaustive case study, more recent UFO reports.
  • Alan Hendry, The UFO Handbook: A Guide to Investigating, Evaluating, and Reporting UFO Sightings, 1979, Doubleday & Co., ISBN 0-385-14348-6. Skeptical but balanced analysis of 1300 CUFOS UFO cases.
  • J. Allen Hynek J. Allen Hynek

    Josef Allen Hynek was a U.S. [i] astronomer [i], professor [i], and ufologist [i]. ... 

    , The UFO Experience: A scientific inquiry, 1972, Henry Regnery Co.
  • J. Allen Hynek, The Hynek UFO Report, 1997 , Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0429-5. Analysis of 640 high-quality cases through 1969 by UFO legend Hynek.
  • Carl Sagan Carl Sagan

    Dr. Carl Edward Sagan was an American [i] astronomer [i], astrobiologist [i]... 

     & Thornton Page, editors, UFO's: A Scientific Debate, 1972, Cornell University Press, 1996, Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0192-2. Pro and con articles by scientists, mostly to the skeptical side.
  • Peter A. Sturrock . The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0

Debunkery
  • Philip Plait Philip Plait

    Philip Plait is an astronomer [i] who runs the website [i] Badastronomy.com. ... 

     . Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax”. John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons

    John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is a well-known publishing [i] company [i] specializing in reference boo... 

    , ISBN 0-471-40976-6.
  • Michael A. Seeds. . Horizons: Exploring the Universe, Wadsworth Publishing, ISBN 0-534-24889-6 and ISBN 0-534-24890-X.

Psychology
  • Carl G. Jung Carl Jung

    Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss [i] psychiatrist [i] and founder of analytical psychology [i]. ... 

    , “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies” ; 1979, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-01822-7

Histories
  • Richard M. Dolan, UFOs and the National Security State: An Unclassified History, Volume One: 1941-1973, 2000, Keyhole Publishing, ISBN 0-9666885-0-3. Dolan is a professional historian.
  • Downes, Jonathan Rising of the Moon. 2nd ed. Bangor: Xiphos, 2005.
  • Lawrence Fawcett & Barry J. Greenwood, The UFO Cover-Up , 1992, Fireside Books , ISBN 0-671-76555-8. Many UFO documents.
  • Timothy Good, Above Top Secret, 1988, William Morrow & Co., ISBN 0-688-09202-0. Many UFO documents.
  • Kevin Randle, Project Blue Book Exposed, 1997, Marlowe & Company, ISBN 1-56924-746-3
  • Edward J. Ruppelt Edward J. Ruppelt

    Edward J. Ruppelt was a United States Air Force [i] officer probably best-known for his involvement in Project Blue Book [i] ... 

    , The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects, 1956, Doubleday & Co. . A UFO classic by insider Ruppelt, the first head of the USAF Project Blue Book

Technology
  • Paul R. Hill, Unconventional Flying Objects: a scientific analysis, 1995, Hampton Roads Publishing Co., ISBN 1-57174-027-9. Analysis of UFO technology by pioneering NACA/NASA NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government [i], res ... 

     aerospace engineer.
  • James M. McCampbell, Ufology: A Major Breakthrough in the Scientific Understanding of Unidentified Flying Objects, 1973, 1976, Celestial Arts, ISBN 0-89087-144-2 . Another analysis by former NASA and nuclear engineer.

External links

  • - Mufon's website
  • video documentary of the UFO Phenomenon , 1.5hr 353MB
  • The Disclosure Project Witness Testimony video , and .
  • - Documentations and short movies about UFOs
  • - Current news about alleged UFO sightings
  • Claimed physical evidence related to UFO reports"), Journal of Scientific Exploration, Workshop Proceedings, New York, Oct-1997
  • Full-text of Major Donald Keyhoe's 1953 book
  • about USAF monitoring operations of UFOs over the Arctic in 1947 . Earlier by the same.
  • by R. Hastings, NICAP
  • Online version of USAF Project Blue
  • [https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/97unclass/ufo.html CIA educational summary on UFO]
  • - Linda Moulton Howe's website
  • of UFO Casebook
  • - Whitley Strieber Whitley Strieber

    Louis Whitley Strieber is a US [i] writer best known for his horror novel [i]s The Wolfe ... 

    's website.
  • -- a non-commercial website directed to scientists, hosted by an astronomer.