Difference between revisions of "Unidentified Flying Object (UFO)" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Category:Paranormal]]
  
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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.
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[[Image:Blacktriangle.jpg|thumb|200 px|Artist's depiction of the commonly described ''triangle'' UFO]]
  
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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.
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The acronym '''UFO,''' '''Unidentified Flying Object,''' refers to any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after investigation. If a UFO is identified as a known object (for example an [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] or [[Balloon (aircraft)|weather balloon]]), it ceases to be a UFO and becomes an "identified" object. Sightings of unusual aerial phenomena date back to ancient times, but reports of UFO sightings only became fashionable after the first widely publicized [[United States|American]] sighting in 1947. Many thousands of such claimed observations have since been reported worldwide. Often UFOs are linked to [[extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrials]], aliens in control of flying saucers being the popular explanation for UFOs. Despite so many reports, and significant scientific investigation of the claims, no resolution as to the true nature of all such phenomena has been achieved. Some have suggested [[religion|religious]] or spiritual meaning to the occurrences, often with a connection to the ultimate destiny of humanity.
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==Description==
  
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In popular culture throughout the world, ''UFO'' is commonly used to refer to any hypothetical [[extraterrestrial life in popular culture|alien]] spacecraft but the term '''flying saucer''' is also regularly used. Once a UFO is identified as a known object (for example an [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] or [[Balloon (aircraft)|weather balloon]]), 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.
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Although there are hundreds of different types of '''Unidentified Flying Objects''' or '''UFOs''' observed all over the world, a majority of the sightings can be grouped into five common categories:
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[[Image:PurportedNJUFO1952.jpg|thumb|This is a 1952 UFO over [[Passaic, New Jersey|Passaic]], [[New Jersey]]. It is derived from an FBI document with no information establishing its authenticity or falsity.]]
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*Saucer, toy-top, or disk-shaped “craft” without visible or audible propulsion.  
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*Rapidly-moving lights or lights with apparent ability to rapidly change direction. 
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*Large triangular “craft” or triangular light pattern
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*Cigar-shaped “craft” with lighted windows (Meteor fireballs are sometimes reported this way)
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*Other: chevrons, equilateral triangles, spheres, domes, diamonds, shapeless black masses, eggs, and cylinders. 
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While different in appearance, reports of these objects share certain unusual characteristics. UFOs are often alleged to be able to go from a dead stop to high velocities and maneuver in ways that defy the known laws of [[physics]], which is one reason that certain reports are ruled out as manned [[aircraft]]. Some have reported that UFOs interfere with the local [[electro-magnetism|electro-magnetic field]], interrupting electrical devices in close contact to the UFO. They are also said to give off heat and possibly [[radiation]]. All evidence in support of these claims is at best circumstantial.
  
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==History==
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==History==
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===Ancient accounts===
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Unusual aerial phenomena have been reported throughout history. Some of these strange apparitions may have been phenomena such as [[comet]]s, bright [[meteor]]s, or atmospheric [[Optical phenomenon|optical phenomena]] such as [[parhelia]]. These sightings were usually treated as [[supernatural]] portents, [[angel]]s, and other [[religion|religious]] [[omen]]s. Some contemporary investigators believe them to be the ancient equivalent of modern UFO reports.
  
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===Ancient accounts===
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Ancient [[China|Chinese]] and [[India|Indian]] texts talk of flying vehicles that are driven by either [[deity|deities]] or people from far off lands.<ref>''The UFO Phenomenon'' (Alexandria: Time-Life Books 1988). ISBN 0809463245</ref> Some researchers even believe that sections of the [[Bible]], such as the "pillar of fire" that led the [[Jewish]] exodus out of [[Egypt]] and the vision of God seen by the [[prophet]] [[Ezekiel]], fit the description of modern day UFOs. Such ideas are difficult to verify: While every ancient society does report mysterious phenomena that appears to be concurrent with modern day reports, it must be taken into account that the ancients had a radically different outlook on life than contemporary times; more often than not, metaphorical and supernatural explanations were given to occurrences that [[science]] has since explained.
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Unusual aerial phenomena have been reported throughout history. Some of these strange apparitions may have been astronomical phenomena such as [[comet]]s or bright [[meteor]]s, or atmospheric [[Optical phenomenon|optical phenomena]] such as [[sun dog|parhelia]]. Examples of these reports include:
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[[Image:Nuremberg Apr 14 1561.jpg|thumb|left|250 px|Numerous UFOs over Nuremberg, Germany. April 14th 1561. Hans Glaser wood-cut from 1566, 5 years after the event.]]
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Much of the speculation regarding the UFO connection to ancient times comes from [[Erich Von Daniken]]'s 1968 book, ''Chariots of the Gods?'' in which it was argued that aliens, using UFOs as their [[transportation]], had been visiting and influencing the [[evolution]] of [[Earth]] for centuries. However, much of Von Daniken's work has been found inaccurate and too broad to be taken seriously. 
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There is, however, some compelling [[art]]istic evidence. [[Cave painting]]s by [[tribe|tribal]] groups, such as the [[Native American]]s of the [[United States]] and the [[Aborigine]]s of [[Australia]], produced works that seem similar to the popular conception of what [[extraterrestrial life|gray aliens]] look like. Several [[Renaissance]] [[painting]]s show what appear to be small crafts flying in the background sky, deliberately made by the artist.
  
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*During the reign of the [[Pharaoh]] [[Thutmose III]] around 1450 B.C.E., there is a description of multiple “circles of fire” brighter than the sun and about 5 meters in size that appeared over multiple days.<ref>From the papers of the late Professor Alberto Tulli, former Director of the Egyptian section of the Vatican Museum. See also: [http://www.burlingtonnews.net/redhairedmummiesegypt.html]</ref> They finally disappeared after ascending higher in the sky.
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===UFOs in the modern era===
  
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[[Image:Nuremberg_Apr_14_1561.jpg|thumb|right|272px|1566 woodcut by Hans Glaser of 1561 Nuremberg event]]
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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 centuries, and range from farmers in Europe, to whole cities in California, and the entire Northeastern region in the early twentieth century. During [[World War II]], both [[Axis]] and [[Allied]] airplanes reported strange lights that would trail them during flight. These lights were later given the name '''Foo Fighters.'''<ref> David Ritchie, ''UFO:The Definitive Guide to Unidentified Flying Objects and Related Phenomena'' (New York, NY: MJF Books 1994).</ref> As widespread and unsettling as these reports were, there was no context into which to place them until 1947. 
  
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*The Roman author [[Julius Obsequens]] writes that in 99 B.C.E., ''“in [[Tarquinia]] towards sunset, a round object, like a globe, a round or circular shield, took its path in the sky from west to east.”''   
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The post-[[World War II]] UFO phase in the United States began with a reported sighting by American businessman [[Kenneth Arnold]] on June 24, 1947, while flying his private plane near [[Mount Rainier]], [[Washington]]. He reported seeing nine brilliantly bright objects flying across the face of Rainier towards nearby [[Mount Adams (Washington)|Mount Adams]], which he calculated as traveling at at least 1200 miles per hour, based on timing their travel between Rainier and Adams. His sighting subsequently received significant [[mass media|media]] and public attention. Arnold’s reported descriptions caught the media’s and the public’s fancy and gave rise to the terms '''flying saucer''' and '''flying disk.'''   
  
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*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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.laufo.com/disc-history.html | title = UFOs in History | work = LA UFO.com | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.space-2001.net/html/historical_sightings_.html | title = Historical sightings | work = Space-2001.net | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref>
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The next major event in the UFO story happened less than a month later in [[Roswell]], [[New Mexico]], in which a farmer discovered fragments of what some claimed to be pieces of a crashed UFO. Once word broke, the attention of the entire world focused on Roswell, only to have the U.S. military claim later that the sensation was misled; the wreck was that of a [[weather balloon]]. The "[[Roswell Incident]]," as it has come to be known, can be seen as the genesis of many aspects of the current beliefs in UFOs. It marks the first direct involvement of the U.S. government and military with UFOs and aliens, and is one of the earliest reputed cover-ups and [[conspiracy|conspiracies]] in U.S. history. It also marks the first time out of [[literature]] that UFOs are defined as extraterrestrial space crafts.
  
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*On April 14 1561 the skies over [[Nuremberg, Germany]] 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.newsoftheodd.com/article1019.html | title = UFOs Over Nuremberg (April 4, 1561) | publisher = News of the Odd | work = Today in Odd History | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Electric power & Radio, computer, UFO-Drug history 1556-1971 | accessdate = 2006-08-19 | work = Electric Power Radio | url = http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~pppf6/Masahiro/Electric.Radio/Electric.Radio2.html }}</ref> (image right)
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==Ufology==
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[[Image:1871UFO.gif|thumb|left|200px|Photo of a UFO taken in [[New Hampshire]] in 1870]]
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Since the mid-twentieth century, many individuals have spent their time researching the many different aspects of the UFO phenomenon. Over the years, the term '''Ufology''' has been used as an umbrella term for [[sociology|sociologists]], [[journalism|journalists]], [[physics|physicists]], [[psychologists]], amateur investigators, and anyone else who spent time investigating physical evidence, talking to eyewitnesses, and evaluating [[photograph]]s and [[videotape]]s claiming to have captured images of UFOs.
  
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These sightings were usually treated as [[supernatural]] portents, angels, and other religious omens. Some contemporary investigators believe them to be the ancient equivalent of modern UFO reports.
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While many Ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, Ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community. Despite involvement of some respected scientists, the field has seen very little attention from mainstream science. Most critics still consider Ufology a [[pseudoscience]] or a [[protoscience]]. Some argue this rejection by mainstream science is part of the problem: Anyone can declare themselves a "UFO researcher," and completely bypass the sorts of [[consensus]]-building and [[peer review]] that otherwise shape and influence scientific [[paradigm]]s. This has allowed many to stake out territory and disseminate claims, information, and analysis of widely varying rigor and quality.
  
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===First modern reports===
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The course of Ufology has been taken in a more rigorous direction by the work of [[J. Allen Hynek]]. Hynek developed a commonly used system, dividing sightings into six categories. It first separates sightings on the basis of proximity, arbitrarily using 500 feet as the cutoff point. It then subdivides these into divisions based on viewing conditions or special features. The three distant sighting subcategories are:
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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:
 
  
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[[Image:1871UFO.gif|thumb|right|200px|Photo of a UFO taken in [[New Hampshire]] in 1870]]  
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* Nocturnal Lights (NL): Anomalous lights seen in the night sky.
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* Daylight Discs (DD): Any anomalous object, generally but not necessarily "discoidal," seen in the distant daytime sky.
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* Radar/Visual cases (RV): Objects seen simultaneously by eye and on [[radar]].
  
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*On January 25, 1878, The ''[[Denison, Texas|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.”
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The distant classification is useful in terms of evidentiary value, with RV cases usually considered to be the highest because of radar corroboration, and NL cases the lowest because of the ease in which lights seen at night are often confused with identifiable phenomena such as [[meteor]]s, bright [[star]]s, or [[airplane]]s. RV reports are also fewest in number, while NL are largest.
  
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*On November 17, 1882, [[astronomer]] [[E. W. Maunder]] of the [[Greenwich Royal Observatory]] described in the Observatory Reports “a strange [[celestial]] visitor” that was “[[disc]]-shaped,” “[[torpedo]]-shaped,” or “[[spindle]]-shaped.” It was said to be very different in characteristics from a [[meteor]] [[fireball]]. Years later, Maunder wrote it looked exactly like the new [[Zeppelin]] [[airship|dirigible]]s. The strange object was also seen by several other [[European]] astronomers.<ref>http://farshores.org/ufopast.htm ([[Frank Edwards]], ''Flying Saucers, Serious Business'', 18)</ref>
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In addition were three "close encounter" (CE) subcategories, again thought to be higher in evidentiary value, because they include measurable physical effects and the objects seen up close are less likely to be the result of misperception. As in RV cases, these tend to be relatively rare:
  
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*On February 28, 1904, there was a sighting by three crew members on the [[USS Supply]] 300 miles west of [[San Francisco]], reported by [[Frank Herman Schofield|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]] 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.temporaldoorway.com/ufo/report/19040228.htm | title = 2/28/1904 - U.S.S. Supply, 400 mi W of San Francisco, 6:10AM | work = The Temporal Doorway | first = Mark | last = Cashman | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://brumac.8k.com/RemarkableMeteors/Remarkable.html | title = EVEN MORE REMARKABLE | first = Bruce | last = Maccabee | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref>
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* CE1: Strange objects seen nearby but without physical interaction with the environment.
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* CE2: A CE1 case but creating physical evidence or causing electromagnetic interference (see below).
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* CE3: CE1 or CE2 cases where "occupants" or entities are seen.
  
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*The so-called [[Fátima]] incident or “[[The Miracle of the Sun]],” witnessed by tens of thousands in  [[Fátima, Portugal]] on October 13, 1917, is believed by some researchers to actually be a UFO event.  
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Since Hynek's groundbreaking work, large organizations sharing manpower and resources have formed to study UFOs. Some of the most influential and authoritative groups include National Investigators on Aerial Phenomenon (NICAP), International Committee of UFO Research (ICUR), and Fund For UFO Research (FUFOR), all of which seek to answer the UFO question scientifically.
  
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*In both the [[Europe|European]] and [[Japan|Japanese]] aerial theatres during [[World War II]], “[[Foo fighter|Foo-fighters]]” (balls of light and other shapes that followed aircraft) were reported by both [[Allied]] and [[Axis]] pilots. {{fact}}
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Governments have occasionally joined the investigation. While the U.S. government may have denied the retrieval of a UFO at Roswell, it could not deny what was happening in the U.S. and around the world. In 1947, as a response, the [[U.S. Air Force]] began investigating the phenomena under "[[Project Blue Book]]." Thousands of UFO reports were collected, analyzed, and filed. The final report rejected the extraterrestrial hypothesis. In the second paragraph of his introductory "Conclusions and Recommendations," Condon wrote:
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<blockquote>Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. Careful consideration of the record as it is available to us leads us to conclude that further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby.<ref>Edward Uhler Condon, ''Final Report of the scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects Conducted By the University of Colorado Under Contract to the United States Air Force'' (Bantam Books 1969).</ref></blockquote>
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As the result of the [[Condon Report]], Project Blue Book was ordered shut down in December 1969. This project was the last publicly known UFO research project led by the USAF.<ref>The Computer UFO Network, [http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/UFO_A.html "USAF Fact Sheet 95-03: Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book."] Retrieved February 23, 2007.</ref>
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Most of the investigations were concluded to be hoaxes or misidentification, however several hundreds were left unexplained.<ref>United States Air Force [http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=188 Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book.] Retrieved May 6, 2007.</ref> While most governments deny such investigations, it has been alleged that the [[KGB]] of [[Russia]]
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had detailed files on UFOs, as well as [[Britain]] and [[France]], while [[Belgium]] has publicly acknowledged interest in UFOs.<ref>UFO Evidence, [http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/belgium.htm Belgium UFO Sightings.] Retrieved May 8, 2007 </ref>
  
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*On February 25, 1942, an unidentified craft was detected over the [[California]] 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]]. {{fact}}
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===Alien abductions===
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The development of the highly controversial [[alien abduction]] stories is perhaps the most bizarre phenomenon of the UFO culture. The incident in [[New Hampshire]] in 1961, involving [[Betty Hill and Barney Hill|Betty and Barney Hill]] was the first reported [[abduction]] of humans by extraterrestrials for the purpose of [[medicine|medical]] experiments and testing. The tenacity of the couple, their desire to keep the incident a secret, and the recognition of their [[psychologist]] that something traumatic had happened to them all lent a sense of credibility to their story when it was revealed some years later. Since then, thousands of people around the world have made similar claims.  
  
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*In 1946, there were over 2000 reports of unidentified aircraft in the [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] nations, along with isolated reports from [[France]], [[Portugal]], [[Italy]] and [[Greece]], then referred to as “Russian hail,” and later as “[[ghost rockets]],” because it was thought that these mysterious objects were [[Russia|Russian]] tests of captured [[Germany|German]] [[V-1 flying bomb|V1]] or [[V-2 rocket|V2]] [[rocket]]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. {{fact}}
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Usually the individual has no idea they have been abducted, but begins to experience a series of psychological symptoms, such as [[nightmare]]s, [[amnesia]], unaccountable gaps of time, sudden flashes of images, and unexplained [[anxiety]]. Eventually, [[memory|memories]] begin to surface of an abduction that had either been so traumatic the person has forcibly forgotten it, or, as some claim, the memory was removed by the aliens. Some people claim to have had a single experience, while others claim to have been abducted periodically throughout their whole lives. Some "contactees" (persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials) have typically reported that they were given messages or profound wisdom by aliens, regarding them as benevolent toward them and humankind in general. Beyond firsthand testimony and some strange [[scar]]ring on a few "abductees," there remains no evidence to support their claims. Yet, many in the psychology field claim that the very real psychological damage these people suffer is proof enough.
  
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===Modern UFO era===
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===Other phenomena attributed to UFOs===
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The post World War II UFO phase in the United States began with a reported sighting by American businessman [[Kenneth Arnold]] on June 24, 1947 while flying his private plane near [[Mount Rainier]], [[Washington]]. He reported seeing nine brilliantly bright objects flying across the face of Rainier towards nearby [[Mount Adams (Washington)|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.” (One, however, he would describe later as being almost crescent-shaped.) Arnold’s reported descriptions caught the media’s and the public’s fancy and gave rise to the terms '''flying saucer''' and '''flying disk'''.
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[[Crop circles]] and [[cattle mutilations]] are two other very different phenomena attributed to UFOs in the latter part of the twentieth century. The large, intricately geometric patterns caused by the bending of crop stalks have been reported since the mid-twentieth century. They are often attributed to the work of UFOs as the patterns are apparently too large and complicated for a human hoaxer to pull off. Others point out that the patterns contain mathematically precise messages encoded in their design. However, this phenomenon has remained controversial since it has been proven that several of the patterns were, in fact, hoaxes.  
  
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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]] crew sighting of nine more disc-like objects over [[Idaho]] 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]], reports rapidly tapered off, ending the first big U.S. UFO wave.
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Likewise, the mutilation of cattle and other domesticated stock has also received attention in connection with UFOs. The animals are reportedly killed at night, without noise, the blood drained from their bodies, and the [[tongue]] and [[genitalia]] removed with a precision that appears unworldly. Yet, beyond the dead animal, there is no evidence that UFOs are in any way involved. Nevertheless, it has become an essential part of UFO lore, and is often studied by Ufologists who specialize in these tangential, but possibly essential, phenomena.
  
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Starting July 9, [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Force]] intelligence, in cooperation with the [[FBI]], 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.” (Maccabee, 5) 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.” <ref>http://www.ufoscience.org/history/swords.pdf Maccabee, 15; Dolan, 69; Good, 253; Fawcett & Greenwood, 213-14 </ref> A further review by the intelligence and technical divisions of the [[Air Materiel Command]] at [[Wright-Patterson AFB|Wright Field]] 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. <ref>http://209.132.68.98/pdf/twiningopinionamc_23sept47.pdf Maccabee, 20; Good, 261, 476-8 </ref> 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.
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==Explanations==
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[[Image:Ufo-brazil.jpg|right|frame|A claimed UFO from Brazil. The circular aura suggests it is a light in the foreground.]]
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The terms "skeptic" and "believer," often used in regards to UFOs, are somewhat misleading. Those that would be called believers do not necessarily agree on what UFOs actually are, but rather agree that people are actually seeing something. On the other hand, those classified under skeptics range from those who dismiss the idea outright as ridiculous and just hoaxes, to those who consider sightings to be psychologically based. Listed below are some of the most popular theories, from both believers and skeptics.
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===The Advanced Human Aircraft Hypothesis===
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This theory proposes that some or even all UFO sightings are advanced, secret, or experimental [[aircraft]] of earthly origin. During the 1980s, there were reports of "black triangle" UFOs. Some of these could have been the (at the time) secret [[F-117 Nighthawk]], [[B1 Stealth Fighter]], or [[B2 Stealth Bomber]]. An alternative version of the theory proposes that the government created these and other advanced craft from recovered UFOs. While such planes may account for certain UFO observations, it is doubtful they account for every UFO ever seen. There is also the issue of whether any man-made aircraft could have been capable of maneuvering in the ways attributed to UFOs.
  
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Use of “UFO” instead of “flying saucer” was first suggested in 1952 by Capt. [[Edward J. Ruppelt]], 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 &mdash; “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. (See next paragraph.) Ruppelt recounted his experiences with Project Blue Book in his memoir, ''The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects'' (1956), also the first book to use the term.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nicap.dabsol.co.uk/Rufo.htm | title = The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects | first = Francis L. | last = Ridge | work = National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref>
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===The Inter-dimensional Hypothesis===
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Some have argued that, since it is unlikely that any craft could successfully navigate the vast and dangerous vacuum of space, UFOs are more likely from [[parallel dimension]]s or [[parallel universes|universes]]. [[Quantum physics]] has for a while suggested the existence of alternate dimensions, and some theorists think it a more likely origin for UFOs.  
  
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[[Air Force Regulation 200-2]], issued in 1954, defined an '''U'''nidentified '''F'''lying '''Ob'''ject (UFOB) 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cufon.org/cufon/afr200-2.htm | title = AIR FORCE REGULATION 200-2 | work = The Computer UFO Network | date = 1954-08-12 | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref>
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This theory is related to the "[[UFO#Psychosocial Hypothesis|psychosocial hypothesis]]," that [[angel]]ic, [[demon]]ic, and other [[supernatural]] manifestations throughout history were caused by [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] trying to control human destiny, and that UFO sightings are part of this process.  
  
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==UFOs in popular culture==
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===Natural occurrences===
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Beginning in the 1950s, UFO-related [[spiritual]] [[sects]], sometimes referred to as [[Contactees|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 [[telepathy|telepathic]] contact with them. Prominent among such individuals was [[George Adamski]], who claimed to have met a tall, blond-haired [[Venus|Venusian]] named “Orthon,” who came to warn us about the dangers of [[nuclear proliferation]]. 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]], founded by [[United Kingdom|British]] [[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]] theme include [[Ummo]], [[Heaven's Gate (cult)|Heaven’s Gate]], [[Raelism|Raël]], and the [[Ashtar Command]]. Many of the early UFO sects, as well as later ones, share a tendency to incorporate ideas from both [[Christianity]] and various [[eastern religion]]s, “hybridizing” these with ideas pertaining to [[extraterrestrials]] and their benevolent concern with the people of Earth.
 
  
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The notion of contactee cults gained a new twist during the 1980s, primarily in the [[USA]], with the publication of books by [[Whitley Strieber]] (beginning with ''[[Communion]]'') and [[Jacques Vallee]] (''Passport to Magonia''). Strieber, a [[horror fiction|horror]] [[writer]], felt that aliens were harassing him and were responsible for “[[missing time]]” during which he was subjected to strange experiments by “[[Greys|grey aliens]].” This newer, darker model can be seen in the subsequent wave of “[[alien abduction]]” [[literature]], and in the background [[mythos]] of ''[[X-files|The X Files]]'' and many other TV series.
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Skeptics have claimed that certain events of nature, including [[meteorite]]s, [[meteor]]s, [[comet]]s, [[star]]s, [[planet]]s, [[ball lightning]], the [[Aurora Borealis]], [[cloud]] formations, even the release of [[methane]] from [[swamp]]s igniting in the air, are possible causes for UFO sightings. While some maintain that human misinterpretation of such phenomena, in conjunction with overactive imaginations and the subconscious knowledge of UFO sub-culture, could have led to many alleged sightings of UFOs, this theory falls short of explaining a wide range of sightings.
  
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However, even in the alien abduction literature, motives of the aliens run the gamut from hostile to benevolent. For example, researcher [[David M. Jacobs|David Jacobs]] believes we are undergoing a form of stealth invasion through [[genetic assimilation]]. The theme of genetic manipulation (though not necessarily an invasion) is also strongly reflected in the writings of [[Budd Hopkins]]. The late [[Harvard University|Harvard]] [[psychiatrist]]  [[John Edward Mack|John Mack]] (1929-2004) believed that the aliens’ ethical bearing was to take a role as “[[tough love]]” [[gurus]] trying to impart wisdom. [[James Harder]] says [[abductee]]s predominantly report positive interactions with aliens, most of whom have benevolent intentions and express concern about human survival.
+
===Hoaxes===
  
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An interesting 1970s-era development was a renewal and broadening of ideas associating UFOs with [[supernatural]] or [[preternatural]] subjects such as [[occultism]], [[cryptozoology]], 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]] movement came to believe in alien contact, both through mediumistic [[channeling]] and through literal, physical contact. A prominent [[spokesperson]] for this trend was [[actor|actress]] [[Shirley MacLaine]], 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.
+
When dealing with [[paranormal]] occurrences, it is common to run across hoaxes, and this is the case with UFOs. Most often, hoaxes come in the form of [[photograph]]ic evidence, which is the easiest to fake (and subsequently, the easiest to debunk). Often times, UFO sightings are faked in order to receive public attention; sometimes books are written and documentaries are made, claiming to have certain incontrovertible evidence that was merely manufactured in order to help the product's sales. However, since UFO sightings exist over such a long expanse of time, geography, and culture, it is unlikely that even a considerable proportion of all these sightings are hoaxes.
  
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Another key development in 1970s UFO [[folklore]] came with the publication of [[Erich von Däniken]]’s book ''[[Chariots of the Gods]]''. The book argued that aliens have been visiting [[Terra|Earth]] for thousands of years, which he used to explain UFO-like images from various [[archaeological]] sources as well as unsolved mysteries. Such ideas were not exactly new. For example, earlier in his career, astronomer [[Carl Sagan]] in ''Intelligent Life in the Universe'' (1966) had similarly argued that aliens could have been visiting the Earth sporadically for millions of years. “[[Ancient astronauts]]” proposals inspired numerous imitators, sequels, and fictional adaptations, including one book ([[Barry Downing]]'s ''The Bible and Flying Saucers'') which interprets miraculous aerial phenomena in the [[Bible]] 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 ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.
+
===Psychosocial Hypothesis===
 +
 +
[[Carl Jung]], the famous [[psychologist]], theorized that UFOs might have a primarily [[spirit]]ual and psychological basis. In his 1959 book ''Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen In The Sky,'' he pointed out that the round shape of most saucers corresponds to a [[mandala]], a type of [[archetyp]]al shape seen in [[religion|religious]] images. Thus the saucers might reflect a projection of the internal desires of viewers to see them. However, he did not label them as delusion or [[hallucination]]; rather he suggested something in the nature of a shared spiritual experience. 
 +
 +
French UFO researcher, Jacques Vallee, noted an almost exact parallel between UFO and "alien" visitations and stories from [[folklore]] of [[fairy|fairies]] and similar creatures. He documented these findings in his 1969 book ''Passport to Magonia,'' and explored them further in his later works. The significance of these parallels is disputed by mainstream scientists, who contend that they merely show both phenomena to be fanciful. Vallee and others maintain that some underlying, poorly understood, phenomenon is actually interacting with humans to cause both kinds of sightings.<ref> Jerome Clark, Exclusive Interview: Vallee Discusses UFO Control System. </ref>
  
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UFOs constitute a widespread international [[popular culture|cultural]] phenomenon of the last half-century. [[folklore|Folklorist]] [[Thomas E. Bullard]] writes, “UFOs have invaded modern consciousness in overwhelming force, and endless streams of [[book]]s, [[magazine]] articles, [[tabloid]] covers, [[movies]], [[TV]] shows, [[cartoon]]s, [[advertisement]]s, [[greeting card]]s, [[toy]]s, [[T-shirt]]s, even alien-head salt and pepper shakers, attest to the popularity of this phenomenon.” [[Gallup poll]]s 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]] [[Gerald Ford]] in a 1977 poll taken just nine months after he left the [[White House]]. (Bullard, 141) A 1996 Gallup poll reported that 71 percent of the [[United States]] population believed that the [[government of the United States|government]] was covering up information regarding UFOs. A 2002 [[Roper poll]] for the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.scifi.com/ufo/roper/ | title = The Roper Poll | work = Ufology Resource Center | publisher = [[SciFi.com]] | date = September 2002 | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}</ref>
+
===Spirituality===
 +
The UFO phenomenon took on new dimensions in the latter part of the twentieth century, becoming combined with [[spirituality]]. These UFO [[religion]]s commonly believe that [[ET|alien]] beings exist. UFO religions have predominantly developed in [[technology|technologically]] advanced societies, particularly the [[United States]], but also in [[Canada]], [[France]], and the [[United Kingdom]]. They have often emerged at times of particular social and cultural stress.
  
 +
Such religions state that aliens have played, or continue to play, a key role in human history; and that at some point in the future, humankind will become part of a wider [[galaxy|galactic]] community. The arrival or rediscovery of alien [[civilization]]s, technologies, and [[spirituality]] will enable [[human being]]s to overcome their current [[ecology|ecological]], spiritual, and social problems. Issues such as hatred, [[war]], [[bigotry]], [[poverty]], and so on are said to be resolvable through the use of superior alien technology and spiritual abilities.
  
 +
The [[Aetherius Society]] is such a group, founded in the [[United Kingdom]] in the 1950s. Its founder, [[George King (Aetherius Society)|George King]], claimed to have been contacted [[telepathy|telepathically]] by an alien intelligence called Aetherius, who represented an "Interplanetary Parliament." According to Aetherians, their Society acts as a vehicle through which "Cosmic Transmissions" can be disseminated to the rest of humanity.
  
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==Ufology==
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The [[Heaven's Gate (cult)|Heaven's Gate]] group achieved notoriety in 1997 when one of its founders convinced 38 followers to commit mass [[suicide]]. Members reportedly believed themselves to be aliens, awaiting a spaceship that would arrive with [[Comet Hale-Bopp]]. They underwent elaborate preparations for their trip; for a time, group members lived in a darkened house where they would simulate the experience they expected to have during their long journey in outer space. The suicide was undertaken in the apparent belief that their [[soul]]s would be transported onto the spaceship, which they thought was hiding behind the [[comet]].  
−
'''Ufology''' is the study of [[unidentified flying object]] (UFO) reports, sightings, alleged physical evidence, and other related phenomena.
 
  
−
===Background and legitimacy===
+
Since the 1970s, alien contact became a common belief in the [[New Age Movement]], both through [[mediumistic chaneling]] and physical contact. A prominent spokesperson for this trend was actress [[Shirley MacLaine]] in her book ''Out on a Limb.''
−
While many ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons. Despite involvement of some respected scientists, the field has seen very little attention from mainstream science. Most critics still consider ufology a [[pseudoscience]] or a [[protoscience]]. <ref>(For more on applications of science to UFO phenomena, see "Science and UFOs" in [[Unidentified Flying Objects]].</ref>
 
  
−
One cannot obtain a "ufology" degree from any [[college]] or [[university]], though there have been a few college or university courses on the subject, often from a [[folklore]] perspective. Many ufologists are amateurs (or alternatively, individuals in search of fame and fortune), and however well intentioned, are often unfamiliar with generally accepted research standards, thus often rendering their own research useless even to sympathetic mainstream experts. Many amateur ufologists have been criticised for accepting as true stories or tales without demanding supporting evidence or conducting even cursory research.
+
===Hallucinations===
  
−
Ufologists embrace a wide spectrum of approaches, beliefs, and attitudes, from those regarded by some as [[quack]]s (e.g. [[David Icke]]); to respected mainstream scientists like [[Peter A. Sturrock]], [[J. Allen Hynek]], [[Jacques Vallee]], [[James E. McDonald]], or [[Auguste Meessen]], some of whom argue that UFO reports are as worthy of study as any topic, and deserve [[case-by-case analysis]] using the [[scientific method]]. [[Debunk]]ers (such as [[Philip Klass]] or Dr. [[Donald Menzel]]) have offered their opinions on UFOs, and though their conclusions have been disputed, they too represent an influential perspective in UFO studies.  
+
Some have suggested that UFOs are mere tricks of the mind, [[hallucination]]s that may be distortions of real object. Reasons for these wrong [[perception]]s include [[mental illness]], food shortages forcing people to eat [[mold]]y food where the mold [[fungus]] had made hallucinogenic chemicals, non-[[alcoholism|alcoholic]] [[delirium tremens]] caused by chronic [[magnesium]] deficiency, the [[brain]] being affected by electric effects caused by [[ball lightning]], exposure to [[hallucinogenic drug]]s, [[dream]]s confused with reality, following the area's general local belief, [[delirium]] caused by heat and [[dehydration]], and false or implanted [[memory]].  
 +
 +
The route followed by these misperceptions can be influenced by the environment that the perceiver was brought up in as a child: [[fairy tale|Fairy stories]], [[religion]], or [[science fiction]] may influence one's perception. For example, one perceiver may see [[fairy|fairies]] where another sees "[[ET|Greys]]."
  
−
However, this classification (sometimes presented as "skeptics" vs. "believers") is something of a [[false dichotomy]], as there are other opinions on the subject: [[Carl Sagan]], for example, was quite skeptical of any extraordinary answer to the UFO question, but in 1969, he co-organised a [[symposium]] on the subject, thinking that science had unfairly neglected the UFO question.  
+
==Pop culture==
 +
 +
UFOs have become prevalent in popular culture. The "flying saucer" has reached an almost iconic significance, while the [[ET|alien]]s that allegedly fly them appear in everything from [[television]] and [[movie]]s, to commercial products. UFOs have become a staple in the [[science fiction]] genres of television, movies, and [[literature]], with ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind,'' ''ET,'' ''The X-Files,'' [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''Taken,'' and so forth becoming classics in the field.
  
−
Overall, Ufology might be seen as an [[interdisciplinary]] field, as people have examined UFO reports from a number of perspectives. In her critique of the [[Condon Report]], Diana Palmer Hoyt notes that "The UFO problem seems to bear a closer resemblance to problems in [[meteorology]] than in [[physics]]. The phenomena are observed, occur episodically, are not reproducible, and in large part, are identified by [[statistical]] gathering of data for possible organization into patterns. They are not experiments that can be replicated at will at the [[laboratory]] bench under controlled conditions." (see external links below)
+
==Notes==
 +
<References/>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
* Eden, Jerome. 1989. ''Scavengers From Space''. Careywood, Idaho, PPCC.
 +
* Eden, Jerome. 1981. ''The Desert Makers''. Careywood, Idaho, PPCC.
 +
* Litsak, Sergery. ''Explanatory UFO Dictionary''. ETS Publishing House and Polyglossum, Inc. ISBN 5864550639 
 +
* Roth, Christopher F. "Ufology as Anthropology: Race, Extraterrestrials, and the Occult." in Battaglia, Debbora. 2005. ''E.T. Culture: Anthropology in Outerspaces.'' Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
 +
* Sturrock, Peter A. 1999. ''The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence''. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0
 +
* Vallee, Jacques. 1993. ''Passport to Magonia: On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds''. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0809237962
  
−
Along these lines, [[Peter A. Sturrock]] suggests that UFO studies should be compartmentalized — as are most scientific endeavors — into at least "the following distinct activities:  
+
==Further Reading==
 +
====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 (revised edition), 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, ''The UFO Experience: A scientific inquiry'', 1972, Henry Regnery Co. 
 +
*J. Allen Hynek, ''The Hynek UFO Report'', 1997 (new edition), Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0429-5. Analysis of 640 high-quality cases through 1969 by UFO legend Hynek. 
 +
*MacLaine, Shirley. 1986. ''Out on a Limb''. Bantam. ISBN 0553273701
 +
*Carl Sagan & 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 (1999). ''The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence.'' New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0
  
−
#Field investigations leading to case documentation and the measurement or retrieval of physical evidence;
+
====Debunkery====
−
#Laboratory analysis of physical evidence;
+
*Philip Plait (2002). ''Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax”''. John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-40976-6. (Chapter 20: ''Misidentified Flying Objects: UFOs and Illusions of the Mind and Eye.)
−
#The systematic compilation of data (descriptive and physical) to look for patterns and so extract significant facts;
+
* Michael A. Seeds. (1995). ''Horizons: Exploring the Universe'', Wadsworth Publishing, ISBN 0-534-24889-6 and ISBN 0-534-24890-X. (Appendix A)
−
#The analysis of compilations of data (descriptive and physical) to look for patterns and so extract significant facts;
 
−
#The development of theories and the evaluation of those theories on the basis of facts.” <ref>Sturrock, 163</ref>
 
  
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Study of UFO sightings ''has'' yielded results applicable to other fields, such as in weather phenomena (see [[Hessdalen]]) and in human perception, such as the study lead by the [[SOBEPS]] for the Belgian flap in 1989-'90 or the studies of the [[GEPAN/SEPRA]] in [[France]]. 
+
====Psychology====  
−
 
+
*Carl G. Jung, “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies” (translated by R.F.C. Hull); 1979, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-01822-7
−
Some argue this rejection by mainstream science is part of the problem: anyone can declare themselves a "UFO researcher," and completely bypass the sorts of [[consensus]] building and [[peer review]] that otherwise shape and influence scientific [[paradigm]]s. This has allowed many to stake out territory and disseminate claims, information and analysis of widely varying rigor and quality.
+
−
 
+
====Histories====
−
Some ufologists consider the general attitude of mainstream academics as arrogant and dismissive, or bound to a rigid [[World view]] that disallows any evidence contrary to previously held notions, despite the fact that the history of science is replete with discarded notions. {{fact}} Others charge that mainstream rejection of UFO evidence is a classic case of [[pathological science]]. {{fact}} [[Astronomy|Astronomer]] and ufologist [[J. Allen Hynek]]'s famous comment regarding this subject is, "Ridicule is not part of the [[scientific method]] and people should not be taught that it is."  Another comment by Hynek regarding the frequent dismissal of UFO reports by astronomers was, "Close questioning revealed they knew nothing of the actual sightings... and therefore cannot be taken seriously. This is characteristic of scientists in general when speaking about subjects which are not in their own immediate field of concern."
+
*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.
−
===UFO categorization===
+
*Lawrence Fawcett & Barry J. Greenwood, ''The UFO Cover-Up'' (Originally ''Clear Intent''), 1992, Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster), ISBN 0-671-76555-8. Many UFO documents.
−
Some researchers recommend that observations be classified according to the features of the phenomenon or object that are reported or recorded. Typical categories include:
+
*Timothy Good, ''Above Top Secret'', 1988, William Morrow & Co., ISBN 0-688-09202-0. Many UFO documents.
−
*Saucer, toy-top, or disk-shaped “craft” without visible or audible propulsion. (day and night)
+
*Kevin Randle, ''Project Blue Book Exposed'', 1997, Marlowe & Company, ISBN 1-56924-746-3
−
*Rapidly-moving lights or lights with apparent ability to rapidly change direction.
+
*Edward J. Ruppelt, ''The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects'', 1956, Doubleday & Co. [http://www.nicap.org/rufo/contents.htm online]. A UFO classic by insider Ruppelt, the first head of the USAF Project Blue Book
−
*[[Black triangles|Large triangular “craft” or triangular light pattern]]
+
−
*Cigar-shaped “craft” with lighted windows (Meteor fireballs are sometimes reported this way).
+
====Technology====
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*Other: chevrons, equilateral triangles, spheres, domes, diamonds, shapeless black masses, eggs, and cylinders.
+
*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 aerospace engineer.
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−
====Hynek system====
 
−
[[J. Allen Hynek]] developed another commonly used system of description, dividing sightings into six categories. It first separates sightings into distant- and close-encounter categories, arbitrarily setting 500 feet as the cutoff point. It then subdivides these close and distant categories based on appearance or special features. The three distant-encounter categories are:
 
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*Nocturnal Lights (NL): Anomalous lights seen in the night sky.
 
−
*Daylight Discs (DD): Any anomalous object, generally but not necessarily “discoidal,” seen in the distant daytime sky.
 
−
*Radar/Visual cases (RV). Objects seen simultaneously by eye and on radar.
 
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−
Subgroups of the distant category of sightings correlate with evidentiary value. RV cases are usually considered to have the highest value because of radar corroboration, whereas NL cases have the lowest because it is so easy to mistake lights seen at night for prosaic phenomena such as meteors, bright stars, or aircraft. RV reports are also fewest in number, while NL are most common.
 
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−
Hynek also defined three “[[close encounter]]” (CE) subcategories:
 
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−
*CE1: Strange objects seen nearby but without physical interaction with the environment.
 
−
*CE2: A CE1 case that leaves physical evidence (e.g. soil depressions, vegetation damage) or causes [[electromagnetic interference]] (see below).
 
−
*CE3: CE1 or CE2 cases where “occupants” or entities are seen. (Hence the title of [[Steven Spielberg]]’s movie ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.)
 
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−
'''From [[UFO Casebook]]:'''
 
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*CE4+: aliens communicate with the observer, even abduct, experiment on the observers, others. [[UFO Casebook]] lists additional catagories, in which the UFO and/or alien is captured/destroyed by military forces and/or civilians.
 
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Like the RV cases, CE cases are considered higher in evidentiary value because they include measurable physical effects, and because objects seen up close are less likely to be the result of misperception. Like the RV cases, these tend to be relatively rare.
 
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−
Hynek’s CE classification system has since been expanded to include such things as alleged [[alien abductions]] and [[cattle mutilation]] phenomena.
 
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−
====Vallee System====
 
−
[[Jacques Vallee]] has devised a UFO classification system which is preferred by many UFO investigators over Hynek’s system as it is considerably more descriptive than Hynek’s, especially in terms of the reported behavior of UFOs.
 
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'''Type - I''' (a, b,c, d)- Observation of an unusual object, spherical discoidal, or of another [[geometry]], on or situated close to the ground (tree height, or lower), which may be associated with traces - thermal, luminous, or mechanical effects.
 
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*a - On or near ground.
 
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*b - Near or over body of water.
 
−
*c - Occupants appear to display interest in witnesses by gestures or luminous signals.
 
−
*d - Object appears to be “scouting” a terrestrial vehicle.
 
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'''Type - II''' (a, b,c) - Observation of an unusual object with vertical cylindrical formation in the sky, associated with a diffuse cloud. This phenomenon has been given various names such as “cloud-cigar” or “cloud-sphere.”
 
−
*a - Moving erratically through the sky
 
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*b - Object is stationary and gives rise to secondary objects (sometimes referred to as “satellite objects”)
 
−
*c - Object is surrounded by secondary objects
 
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'''Type - III''' (a, b,c, d,e)- Observation of an unusual object of spherical, discoidal or elliptical shape, stationary in the sky.
 
−
*a - Hovering between two periods of motion with “falling-leaf” descent, up and down, or [[pendulum]] motion
 
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*b - Interruption of continuous flight to hover and then continue motion
 
−
*c - Alters appearance while hovering - e.g., change of luminosity, generation of secondary object, etc.
 
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*d - “[[Dogfight]]s” or swarming among several objects
 
−
*e - Trajectory abruptly altered during continuous flight to fly slowly above a certain area, circle, or suddenly change course
 
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'''Type IV''' (a, b,c, d) - Observation of an unusual object in continuous flight.
 
−
*a - Continuous flight
 
−
*b - Trajectory affected by nearby conventional aircraft
 
−
*c - Formation flight
 
−
*d - Wavy or zig-zag trajectory
 
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'''Type V''' (a, b,c)- Observation of an unusual object of indistinct appearance, i.e., appearing to be not fully material or solid in structure.
 
−
*a - Extended apparent diameter, non-[[point source (light)|point source]] luminous objects (“fuzzy”)
 
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*b - Starlike objects (point source), motionless for extended periods
 
−
*c - Starlike objects rapidly crossing the sky, possibly with peculiar trajectories <ref>Jacques and Janine Vallee: ''Challenge To Science: The UFO Enigma,'' LC# 66-25843</ref>
 
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=== Funding issues ===
 
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Astrophysicist [[Peter A. Sturrock]] suggests that a lack of funding is a major factor in the institutional disinterest in UFO’s: "If the [[U.S. Air Force|Air Force]] were to make available, say, $50 million per year for ten years for UFO research, it is quite likely that the subject would look somewhat less disreputable ... however, an agency is unlikely to initiate such a program at any level until scientists are supportive of such an initiative. We see that there is a chicken-and-egg program. It would be more sensible, and more acceptable to the scientific community, if research began at a low level." <ref>Sturrock, 155</ref>
 
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===Hypotheses involving the objective existence of UFOs===
 
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−
These hypotheses speculate that the phenomena derives wholly or in part from a phenomena, rather than the mind of the observer.
 
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====The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis====
 
−
The '''[[Extraterrestrial hypothesis]]''' ('''ETH''') theorizes that some UFO sightings are [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] [[spacecraft]].
 
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−
=====The Staging Hypothesis=====
 
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* A sub-set of the ETH, the '''Staging Hypothesis''', prevalent up until the 1980s, speculated that extraterrestrials have "stage-managed" encounters as a deliberate policy to "educate" humanity. This theory has fallen out of favor, as its proponents then moved on to even less literal-minded interpetations.
 
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=====The Hostility Hypothesis=====
 
−
* [[Wilhelm Reich]] and [[Jerome Eden]] have the hypothesis that UFOs - or at least some of them - or the beings traveling in the UFOs - are hostile. They claim that the ''waste product'' of the UFO engines is what they call "Deadly Orgone" (DOR) which ruins the atmosphere, dries it out, and is one, if not the most important cause of the development of [[desert]]s. They found this during their operations with the Cloudbuster.
 
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−
See [[Wilhelm Reich#Orgone accumulators and cloudbusters]].
 
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−
Eden, just like several other researchers, attributes the [[Cattle mutilation]]s, cases such as '''Snippy the horse''', to aliens, and claims that these beings abduct persons, manipulate their feelings and thoughts, cause military aircraft to crash or disappear, but they do not make open contact to government or military. That they even try to "educate" mankind in the way that the human beings develop a spiritual attitude towards aliens and UFOs, hoping that the aliens arrive as the saviors for the big problems of mankind and earth, when, in fact, their agenda involves exploiting Earth's natural resources and destroying its water and atmosphere.
 
−
 
 
−
====The advanced human aircraft hypothesis====
 
−
This is a theory that all or some UFO sightings are advanced, secret or experimental aircraft of earthly origin.
 
−
*During the 1980s, there were reports of "[[black triangles|black triangle]]" UFOs. Some of these were the secret [[F-117 Nighthawk]], which became known to the public in November 1988.
 
−
*[[Nazi Germany]] is known to have experimented with circular jet planes using the [[Coanda effect]]. At least one of the scientists involved was taken to the USA after [[World War II|WWII]]. Experiments with these designs and their descendants down the years may explain many sightings of circular UFO's. See [[Military flying saucers]].
 
−
 
 
−
There is a theory that the secret groups developing these aircraft in the USA, have been encouraging ufology to follow the "alien spacecraft" line of thought, to cover up for sightings.
 
−
 
 
−
====The Interdimensional Hypothesis (a.k.a. "Cosmic Trickster," "Ultraterrestrial" Hypothesis)====
 
−
 
 
−
The '''Interdimensional Hypothesis''' has two meanings here. See [[Interdimensional hypothesis]].
 
−
*That some UFO sightings are alien spacecraft who have come from a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel dimension]] or similar.
 
−
*The theory, related to the [[Psychosocial Hypothesis]], that [[angel|angelic]], [[demons|demonic]] and other [[supernatural]] manifestations down the centuries were caused by [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] trying to control human destiny, and that or some UFO sightings are part of this process. (This overlaps considerably with the Staging Hypotheis.)
 
−
 
 
−
====Atmosphere Beast Hypothesis====
 
−
 
 
−
The theory of [[Trevor James Constable]] (a.k.a. Trevor James) speculated that UFO sightings involve the sighting of exotic unknown life otherwise known as '''[[Sky Critters]]''', creatures similar or identical to [[Rod (cryptozoology)|Rods]], a theory also held by [[cryptozoology|cryptozoologist]] [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].
 
−
 
 
−
Constable also worked with the [[Wilhelm Reich#Orgone accumulators and cloudbusters|cloudbuster]]. However, some have claimed that he does not understand what the DOR ("Deadly Orgone") means. There is the possibility that the infrared photos of the critters in his book are artifacts.
 
−
 
 
−
====Aliens as supernatural beings====
 
−
 
 
−
There has been a fair amount of crossover between [[paranormal]] events and [[Unidentified Flying Objects]]. Both are sometimes seen as dubious fields of study by mainstream science, and generally, have seen little support.
 
−
 
 
−
=====Mystics, Extraterrestrials and Contactees=====
 
−
 
 
−
In his 1758 book '''Earths in the Solar World''', [[Emanuel Swedenborg]] reported a number of visions where he was escorted around various planets. He regarded these visions as genuine. (Of course, UFO's may not emanate from other planets.)
 
−
 
 
−
Among [[Madame Blavatsky]]’s writings were her descriptions of “The Lords of the Flame,” who resided on [[Venus (planet)|Venus]]. [[Guy Ballard]] - one of Blavatsky's disciples - popularised her teachings in the United States. He founded an offshoot, “The Great I AM,” which made contact with extraterrestrials a vital part of its teachings.
 
−
 
 
−
Though early [[contactee]]s spoke of extraterrestrial contact, but the general tone and the sort of messages imparted by extraterrestrials seemed almost interchangeable, in many accounts, as those offered by [[mediums]] and mystics. As early as the [[17th century]], the [[polymath]] [[John Dee]] and his assistant [[Edward Kelley]], working together, communed with superior and unearthly beings (which he called [[angels]]) who imparted to them a strange language, [[Enochian]], and imparting to them "wisdom" and knowledge.
 
−
 
 
−
Heavily inspired by the writings of [[H.P. Lovecraft]], the [[Left Hand Path]] [[occultist]]s [[Kenneth Grant]] and [[Michael Bertiaux]] have formed [[magical order]]s devoted to using [[tantra|tantric]] and [[ceremonial magic]] as a means to contact extraterrestrial (and/or extradimensional) entities.
 
−
 
 
−
=====Theorists and Popularizers=====
 
−
 
 
−
[[Carl Jung]], the famous psychologist, also theorized that UFOs might have a primarily spiritual and psychological basis. In his 1959 book "Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen In The Sky," he pointed out that the round shape of most saucers corresponds to a [[mandala]], a type of archetypal shape seen in religious images. Thus the saucers might reflect a projection of the internal desires of viewers to see them. However, he did not out rightly label them a delusion or [[hallucination]]; it was more in the nature of a shared spiritual experience.
 
−
 
 
−
However, Jung seemed conflicted as to possible origins. At other times he asserted that he wasn't concerned with possible psychological origins and at least some UFOs were physically real, based primarily on indirect physical evidence such as photographs and radar contact in addition to visual sightings.  He also considered the [[extraterrestrial hypothesis]] to be viable. One such quote from Jung in 1958 from [[Associated Press]] had him stating, "A purely psychological explanation is ruled out...  If the extraterrestrial origin of these phenomena should be confirmed, this would prove the existence of an intelligent interplanetary relationship... That the construction of these machines proves a scientific technique immensely superior to ours cannot be disputed."
 
−
[http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1204.htm][http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc734.htm]
 
−
 
 
−
[[John Keel]] and [[Brad Steiger]] promulgated various paranormal/UFO theories in a series of modestly successful paperback books in the 1960s and 1970s. Keel in particular, speculated that UFO's might have their origins not in space and time as we know it, but outside of it. He advocated that we may not do well to trust superior beings but to regard them as quite often deceptive or manipulative if not parasitic. Dr. [[Jacques Vallee]] followed on with more serious studies taking a similar tack.
 
−
 
 
−
Vallee, a French UFO researcher, has noted an almost exact parallel between UFO and "Alien" visitations and stories from [[folklore]] of [[Fairies]] and similar creatures. This was documented in his 1969 book "Passport to Magonia" and explored further in his later works. The significance of these parallels is disputed between mainstream scientists, who contend that they show both to be fanciful, and between Vallee and others who feel that some underlying, poorly understood, phenomenon is actually interacting with humans to cause both kinds of sightings. Incidentally, Vallee was the inspiration for the French scientist depicted by [[Steven Spielberg]] in his film ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Terence McKenna]], in contrast, believed that UFOs are manifestations of the human soul, or collective spirit. He thought they appeared to individuals and groups in order to exert psychological influence over the course of history and might preside, in the year 2012, over history's end.
 
−
 
 
−
In the 1980s, this point of view had formalized into a paradigm in and of itself. Researcher [[Hilary Evans]] published two well-researched studies, ''Gods, Spirits, Cosmic Guardians: Encounters with Non-Human Beings'' and ''Visions, Apparitions, Alien Visitors: A Complete Study of the Entity Enigma'' trying to examine phenomena ranging from "[[ghost]]s" to "aliens" using similar principles, seeming to conclude that entities may have originated in the minds of the experiencers, with, paranormal components. Since that time, discussion has stalled, with no one as of this writing having much of substance to offer and writing tends to consist of repetitions of old theories.
 
−
 
 
−
The U.S. Government Printing Office issued a publication compiled by the Library of Congress for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research: UFOs and Related Subjects: An Annotated Bibliography. In preparing this work, the senior bibliographer, Lynn E. Catoe, read thousands of UFO articles and books. In her preface to this 400-page book she states:
 
−
 
 
−
"A large part of the available UFO literature is closely linked with mysticism and the metaphysical. It deals with subjects like mental telepathy, automatic writing and invisible entities as well as phenomena like poltergeist (ghost) manifestations and possession. Many of the UFO reports now being published in the popular press recount alleged incidents that are strikingly similar to demonic possession and psychic phenomena."
 
−
 
 
−
=====UFO's and mainstream religions=====
 
−
 
 
−
An example of this overlap is the miracle at [[Fátima, Portugal|Fátima]] which occurred in [[Portugal]] in 1917. This involved over 70,000 witnesses observing strange aerial phenomena, which might well be considered as UFOs today.
 
−
 
 
−
A few [[Protestant]] [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalists]] regard UFO's as inherently [[demons|demonic]] and part of a [[Satan|Satanic]] plan to undermine Christianity, which may involve the [[supernatural]] [[Nephilim]] as pilots of the UFO's. Some [[Muslims|Islam]] have identify UFO's as [[jinn]]s.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
===UFOs as perception or illusion===
 
−
====The natural explanation hypothesis====
 
−
 
 
−
This is a theory that most UFO sightings are misunderstood phenomena such as [[ball lightning]] or by a [[visual illusion]]s. See [[Identified Flying Objects (IFOs)]].
 
−
 
 
−
====Psychosocial Hypothesis====
 
−
 
 
−
This is a theory that some UFO sightings are [[hallucination]]s or fantasies and are caused by the same mechanism as various [[occult]], [[paranormal]], [[supernatural]]. or [[religion|religious]] experiences (compare alleged sightings of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]]). See article, [[Psychosocial Hypothesis]].
 
−
 
 
−
The hallucination may be a distortion of a real object.  Reasons for these wrong perceptions include:
 
−
 
 
−
*[[Hallucination]]s caused by mental illness.
 
−
*[[Hallucination]]s in former centuries caused by food shortage forcing people to eat [[mold|moldy]] food, where the mold [[fungus]] had made [[Psychedelics, Dissociatives and Deliriants|hallucinogen]]ic chemicals.
 
−
*[[Hallucination]]s caused by non-[[alcoholic]] [[delirium tremens]] caused by chronic [[magnesium]] deficiency.
 
−
*[[Hallucination]]s caused by the brain being affected by electric effects caused by ball lightning.
 
−
*[[Hallucination]]s caused by exposure to [[hallucinogenic]] [[drugs]].
 
−
*[[Dreams]] confused with reality.
 
−
*Following the area's general local belief.
 
−
*[[Delirium]] caused by heat and [[dehydration]].
 
−
*False or [[implanted memory]]
 
−
*Inevitably, some UFO reports likely to be hoaxes or lies.
 
−
 
 
−
The route followed by these misperceptions can be influenced by the environment that the perceiver was brought up in as a child: [[fairy tale|fairy stories]], or one or other [[religion]], or [[science fiction]], or whatever: for example, one perceiver may see [[fairy|fairies]] where another sees [[Greys]].
 
−
 
 
−
[[Carl G. Jung]], the Swiss analytical psychologist, published a book about UFOs in 1957 (Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies). In it, he approached them, without addressing the question of their existence, as objects of the collective unconscious and modern archetypes.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
==Notes==
 
−
<div class="references-small">
 
−
<references/>
 
−
</div>
 
−
 
 
−
==Sources==
 
−
* [[Sergey Litsak]], Explanatory UFO Dictionary with Equivalents in Russian, English and German. [[ETS Publishing House]] and [[Polyglossum]], Inc; ISBN 5-86455-063-9. Dictionary contains 853 articles.
 
−
*Roth, Christopher F., "Ufology as Anthropology: Race, Extraterrestrials, and the Occult."  In ''E.T. Culture: Anthropology in Outerspaces,'' ed. by Debbora Battaglia.  Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2005.
 
−
*Peter A. Sturrock; The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence; Warner Books, 1999; ISBN 0-446-52565-0
 
−
* [[Jerome Eden]]; "The Desert Makers," Careywood, Idaho, PPCC, 1981, available from [http://www.flatlandbooks.com Flatlandbooks].
 
−
* [[Jerome Eden]]; "Scavengers From Space," Careywood, Idaho, PPCC, 1989, at present time out of print.
 
−
 
 
−
==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.
 
−
*{{cite journal
 
−
| author=J. Deardorff, B. Haisch, B. Maccabee, [[Harold E. Puthoff]]
 
−
| title=Inflation-Theory Implications for Extraterrestrial Visitation
 
−
| journal=[[Journal of the British Interplanetary Society]]
 
−
| year=2005 | volume=58 | pages=43–50
 
−
| url= http://www.ufoskeptic.org/JBIS.pdf
 
−
}} (''links to pdf file'')
 
−
*Douglas Curran, ''In Advance of the Landing: Folk Concepts of Outer Space'', 2001 (revised edition), 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]], ''The UFO Experience: A scientific inquiry'', 1972, Henry Regnery Co.
 
−
*J. Allen Hynek, ''The Hynek UFO Report'', 1997 (new edition), Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0429-5. Analysis of 640 high-quality cases through 1969 by UFO legend Hynek.
 
−
*[[Carl Sagan]] & 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]] (1999). ''The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence.'' New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0
 
−
 
 
−
====Debunkery====
 
−
*[[Philip Plait]] (2002). ''Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax”''. [[John Wiley & Sons]], ISBN 0-471-40976-6. (Chapter 20: ''Misidentified Flying Objects: UFOs and Illusions of the Mind and Eye.)
 
−
* [[Michael A. Seeds]]. (1995). ''Horizons: Exploring the Universe'', [[Wadsworth Publishing]], ISBN 0-534-24889-6 and ISBN 0-534-24890-X. (Appendix A)
 
−
* {{cite web | url = http://www.larryhatch.net/DISCRED.html | title = A Short List of DISCREDITED UFO SIGHTINGS | date = June 2006 | work = *U* UFO DATABASE | accessdate = 2006-08-19 }}
 
−
 
 
−
====Psychology====
 
−
*[[Carl G. Jung]], “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies” (translated by R.F.C. Hull); 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'' (Originally ''Clear Intent''), 1992, Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster), 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]], ''The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects'', 1956, Doubleday & Co. [http://www.nicap.org/rufo/contents.htm online]. 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]] 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 [http://www.nicap.dabsol.co.uk/ufology.htm online]. Another analysis by former NASA and nuclear 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 [http://www.nicap.dabsol.co.uk/ufology.htm online]. Another analysis by former NASA and nuclear engineer.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved May 2, 2023.
  
−
<!-- ATTENTION!  DO NOT ADD LINKS WITHOUT DISCUSSION ON THE TALK PAGE.  THEY WILL BE REMOVED. —>
 
−
*[http://narcap.org/ National Aviation Reporting Center on anomalous phenomena]
 
−
*[http://www.mufon.com/ Mutual UFO Network homepage] - [[Mufon]]'s website
 
−
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5594744703753734741&q=out+of+the+blue Out Of The Blue] video documentary of the UFO Phenomenon (2003), 1.5hr 353MB (GoogleVideo)
 
−
*The Disclosure Project Witness Testimony video (2hrs), [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6552475158249898710&q=disclosure+project  part 1 of 2] (59min 230MB) and [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4694075066240662837&q=disclosure+project  part 2 of 2] (1hr 240MB).
 
−
*[http://www.ufo-movies.com/ UFO-Movies.com] - Documentations and short movies about UFOs
 
−
*[http://www.actualaliens.com/ Actual Aliens] - Current news about UFO sightings
 
−
*[http://www.ncas.org/condon/ [[Condon Report]], Dr. Edward U. Condon, Scientific Director, Daniel Gilmor, Editor (1968)
 
−
*[http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/articles/ufo_reports/sturrock/toc.html Claimed physical evidence related to UFO reports], [[Journal of Scientific Exploration]], Workshop Proceedings, New York, Oct-1997
 
−
*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/ufo/fsar/index.htm Flying saucers are real] Full-text of Major [[Donald Keyhoe]]'s 1953 book
 
−
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6550923926784564779&q=ufo+navy Lt Col Wendelle C Stevens, US Air Force (Ret) video interview] (7min, 18MB) about USAF monitoring operations of UFOs over the Arctic in 1947 (very poor video quality). Earlier [http://www.galactic2.net/video/ufo31.avi video interview] by the same.
 
−
*[http://www.nicap.org/babylon/missile_incidents.htm UFO sightings at ICBM sites and nuclear weapons storage areas] by R. Hastings, [[NICAP]]
 
 
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3707057.stm BBC article on Mexican Air-force videotape]
 
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3707057.stm BBC article on Mexican Air-force videotape]
−
*[http://www.bluebookarchive.org Project Blue Book Archive] Online version of USAF Project Blue
+
*[http://www.cufos.org/ Center for UFO Studies] (CUFOS)
−
*[http://www.artilife.no/ufo/index.php UFO Pictures Database]
+
*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/ufo/fsar/index.htm Flying saucers are real] Full-text of Major Donald Keyhoe's 1953 book.
−
*[http://nanoworld.org.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3&p=126 Inertial Engine]
+
*[http://narcap.org/ National Aviation Reporting Center on anomalous phenomena]
−
*[https://www.cia.gov/csi/studies/97unclass/ufo.html CIA educational summary on UFO]
+
*[http://www.nicap.org/babylon/missile_incidents.htm UFO sightings at ICBM sites and nuclear weapons storage areas] by R. Hastings, NICAP.  
−
*[http://www.csicop.org Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal] ([[CSICOP]])
 
−
*[http://www.cufos.org/ Center for UFO Studies] ([[CUFOS]])
 
−
*[http://www.earthfiles.com www.earthfiles.com] - [[Linda Moulton Howe]]'s website
 
−
*[http://www.freedomofinfo.org/ The Coalition for Freedom of Information]
 
−
*[http://www.niac.usra.edu/ NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts]
 
−
*[http://www.nidsci.org National Institute for Discovery Science]
 
−
*[http://www.ufocasebook.com Homepage] of [[UFO Casebook]]
 
−
*[http://www.unknowncountry.com www.unknowncountry.com] - [[Whitley Strieber]]'s website.
 
−
*[http://www.ufoskeptic.org ufoskeptic.org] — a non-commercial website directed to scientists, hosted by an astronomer.
 
−
*[http://www.mysteries-megasite.com UFO websites]
 
−
*[http://www.breakingufonews.com www.breakingufonews.com Latest UFO related news]
 
−
*[http://www.alienadvice.com www.alienadvice.com: Advisory and support group for those claiming a UFO/Alien experience]
 
−
<!-- ATTENTION!  DO NOT ADD LINKS WITHOUT DISCUSSION ON THE TALK PAGE.  THEY WILL BE REMOVED. —>
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://www.artilife.no/ufo/index.php UFO Pictures Database]
 
−
*[http://www.ets.ru/udict-ufo-e.htm Free on-line Explanatory UFOlogy Dictionary With Equivalents inRussian, English and German]
 
−
*[http://www.ufopsi.com/articles/ufomethodology.html How to investigate UFO cases]
 
−
*[http://www.flamelcollege.org/paranormal.htm#UFO%20Investigator%20Certification UFO Investigator Certification] from [[Flamel College]]
 
−
*[http://www.projetoportal.org.br Projeto Portal - Ufology and Paranormality]
 
−
*[http://ufologie.net/htm/stupid.htm UFO stupidities]
 
−
*[http://www.pararesearchers.org/Alien_Abduction/aa_4/aa_4.html The Political Sociology of Alien Encounters] by [[Eric Ouellet]], [[Ph.D.]]
 
−
*[http://ufologie.net/books/ruppeltbook.htm The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects]
 
−
*[http://www.ufo.no/ UFO Norge official webpage]
 
−
*[http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8 Ufology forum at forteantimes.com]
 
−
*Diana Palmer Hoyt, "UFOCRITIQUE: UFO's, Social Intelligence and the Condon Committee"; Master's Thesis, [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute]], 2000 [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05082000-09580026/unrestricted/UFOCRITIQUE.pdf read it online]
 
−
* Peter Robbins: [http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=7602609578301856050 Google Video]: an illustrated lecture from Ufocongress, he does not only talk about UFOs but all of [[Wilhelm Reich]]'s life. (1 h 17 min, '''approx. 300 MB''', DSL or Cable Connection is recommended)
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/UFOs/UFOs_Aliens_Contactees.htm UFOs & the Cult of ET: The Phantasmagorical Manipulation]
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://www.michaelsheiser.com Michael S. Heiser, Presbyterian Semitic scholar and author of ''The Facade'']
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://www.echoesofenoch.com Christian ministry dealing with UFO's, abductions, Paperclip and the Roswell incident, Based in Roswell, NM.]
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
  
  

Latest revision as of 01:37, 3 May 2023


Artist's depiction of the commonly described triangle UFO

The acronym UFO, Unidentified Flying Object, refers to any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after investigation. If a UFO is identified as a known object (for example an aircraft or weather balloon), it ceases to be a UFO and becomes an "identified" object. Sightings of unusual aerial phenomena date back to ancient times, but reports of UFO sightings only became fashionable after the first widely publicized American sighting in 1947. Many thousands of such claimed observations have since been reported worldwide. Often UFOs are linked to extraterrestrials, aliens in control of flying saucers being the popular explanation for UFOs. Despite so many reports, and significant scientific investigation of the claims, no resolution as to the true nature of all such phenomena has been achieved. Some have suggested religious or spiritual meaning to the occurrences, often with a connection to the ultimate destiny of humanity.

Description

Although there are hundreds of different types of Unidentified Flying Objects or UFOs observed all over the world, a majority of the sightings can be grouped into five common categories:

  • Saucer, toy-top, or disk-shaped “craft” without visible or audible propulsion.
  • Rapidly-moving lights or lights with apparent ability to rapidly change direction.
  • Large triangular “craft” or triangular light pattern
  • Cigar-shaped “craft” with lighted windows (Meteor fireballs are sometimes reported this way)
  • Other: chevrons, equilateral triangles, spheres, domes, diamonds, shapeless black masses, eggs, and cylinders.

While different in appearance, reports of these objects share certain unusual characteristics. UFOs are often alleged to be able to go from a dead stop to high velocities and maneuver in ways that defy the known laws of physics, which is one reason that certain reports are ruled out as manned aircraft. Some have reported that UFOs interfere with the local electro-magnetic field, interrupting electrical devices in close contact to the UFO. They are also said to give off heat and possibly radiation. All evidence in support of these claims is at best circumstantial.

History

Ancient accounts

Unusual aerial phenomena have been reported throughout history. Some of these strange apparitions may have been phenomena such as comets, bright meteors, or atmospheric optical phenomena such as parhelia. These sightings were usually treated as supernatural portents, angels, and other religious omens. Some contemporary investigators believe them to be the ancient equivalent of modern UFO reports.

Ancient Chinese and Indian texts talk of flying vehicles that are driven by either deities or people from far off lands.[1] Some researchers even believe that sections of the Bible, such as the "pillar of fire" that led the Jewish exodus out of Egypt and the vision of God seen by the prophet Ezekiel, fit the description of modern day UFOs. Such ideas are difficult to verify: While every ancient society does report mysterious phenomena that appears to be concurrent with modern day reports, it must be taken into account that the ancients had a radically different outlook on life than contemporary times; more often than not, metaphorical and supernatural explanations were given to occurrences that science has since explained.

Numerous UFOs over Nuremberg, Germany. April 14th 1561. Hans Glaser wood-cut from 1566, 5 years after the event.

Much of the speculation regarding the UFO connection to ancient times comes from Erich Von Daniken's 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods? in which it was argued that aliens, using UFOs as their transportation, had been visiting and influencing the evolution of Earth for centuries. However, much of Von Daniken's work has been found inaccurate and too broad to be taken seriously.

There is, however, some compelling artistic evidence. Cave paintings by tribal groups, such as the Native Americans of the United States and the Aborigines of Australia, produced works that seem similar to the popular conception of what gray aliens look like. Several Renaissance paintings show what appear to be small crafts flying in the background sky, deliberately made by the artist.

UFOs in the modern era

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 centuries, and range from farmers in Europe, to whole cities in California, and the entire Northeastern region in the early twentieth century. During World War II, both Axis and Allied airplanes reported strange lights that would trail them during flight. These lights were later given the name Foo Fighters.[2] As widespread and unsettling as these reports were, there was no context into which to place them until 1947.

The post-World War II UFO phase in the United States began with a reported sighting by American businessman Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947, while flying his private plane near Mount Rainier, Washington. He reported seeing nine brilliantly bright objects flying across the face of Rainier towards nearby Mount Adams, which he calculated as traveling at at least 1200 miles per hour, based on timing their travel between Rainier and Adams. His sighting subsequently received significant media and public attention. Arnold’s reported descriptions caught the media’s and the public’s fancy and gave rise to the terms flying saucer and flying disk.

The next major event in the UFO story happened less than a month later in Roswell, New Mexico, in which a farmer discovered fragments of what some claimed to be pieces of a crashed UFO. Once word broke, the attention of the entire world focused on Roswell, only to have the U.S. military claim later that the sensation was misled; the wreck was that of a weather balloon. The "Roswell Incident," as it has come to be known, can be seen as the genesis of many aspects of the current beliefs in UFOs. It marks the first direct involvement of the U.S. government and military with UFOs and aliens, and is one of the earliest reputed cover-ups and conspiracies in U.S. history. It also marks the first time out of literature that UFOs are defined as extraterrestrial space crafts.

Ufology

Photo of a UFO taken in New Hampshire in 1870

Since the mid-twentieth century, many individuals have spent their time researching the many different aspects of the UFO phenomenon. Over the years, the term Ufology has been used as an umbrella term for sociologists, journalists, physicists, psychologists, amateur investigators, and anyone else who spent time investigating physical evidence, talking to eyewitnesses, and evaluating photographs and videotapes claiming to have captured images of UFOs.

While many Ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, Ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community. Despite involvement of some respected scientists, the field has seen very little attention from mainstream science. Most critics still consider Ufology a pseudoscience or a protoscience. Some argue this rejection by mainstream science is part of the problem: Anyone can declare themselves a "UFO researcher," and completely bypass the sorts of consensus-building and peer review that otherwise shape and influence scientific paradigms. This has allowed many to stake out territory and disseminate claims, information, and analysis of widely varying rigor and quality.

The course of Ufology has been taken in a more rigorous direction by the work of J. Allen Hynek. Hynek developed a commonly used system, dividing sightings into six categories. It first separates sightings on the basis of proximity, arbitrarily using 500 feet as the cutoff point. It then subdivides these into divisions based on viewing conditions or special features. The three distant sighting subcategories are:

  • Nocturnal Lights (NL): Anomalous lights seen in the night sky.
  • Daylight Discs (DD): Any anomalous object, generally but not necessarily "discoidal," seen in the distant daytime sky.
  • Radar/Visual cases (RV): Objects seen simultaneously by eye and on radar.

The distant classification is useful in terms of evidentiary value, with RV cases usually considered to be the highest because of radar corroboration, and NL cases the lowest because of the ease in which lights seen at night are often confused with identifiable phenomena such as meteors, bright stars, or airplanes. RV reports are also fewest in number, while NL are largest.

In addition were three "close encounter" (CE) subcategories, again thought to be higher in evidentiary value, because they include measurable physical effects and the objects seen up close are less likely to be the result of misperception. As in RV cases, these tend to be relatively rare:

  • CE1: Strange objects seen nearby but without physical interaction with the environment.
  • CE2: A CE1 case but creating physical evidence or causing electromagnetic interference (see below).
  • CE3: CE1 or CE2 cases where "occupants" or entities are seen.

Since Hynek's groundbreaking work, large organizations sharing manpower and resources have formed to study UFOs. Some of the most influential and authoritative groups include National Investigators on Aerial Phenomenon (NICAP), International Committee of UFO Research (ICUR), and Fund For UFO Research (FUFOR), all of which seek to answer the UFO question scientifically.

Governments have occasionally joined the investigation. While the U.S. government may have denied the retrieval of a UFO at Roswell, it could not deny what was happening in the U.S. and around the world. In 1947, as a response, the U.S. Air Force began investigating the phenomena under "Project Blue Book." Thousands of UFO reports were collected, analyzed, and filed. The final report rejected the extraterrestrial hypothesis. In the second paragraph of his introductory "Conclusions and Recommendations," Condon wrote:

Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge. Careful consideration of the record as it is available to us leads us to conclude that further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby.[3]

As the result of the Condon Report, Project Blue Book was ordered shut down in December 1969. This project was the last publicly known UFO research project led by the USAF.[4] Most of the investigations were concluded to be hoaxes or misidentification, however several hundreds were left unexplained.[5] While most governments deny such investigations, it has been alleged that the KGB of Russia had detailed files on UFOs, as well as Britain and France, while Belgium has publicly acknowledged interest in UFOs.[6]

Alien abductions

The development of the highly controversial alien abduction stories is perhaps the most bizarre phenomenon of the UFO culture. The incident in New Hampshire in 1961, involving Betty and Barney Hill was the first reported abduction of humans by extraterrestrials for the purpose of medical experiments and testing. The tenacity of the couple, their desire to keep the incident a secret, and the recognition of their psychologist that something traumatic had happened to them all lent a sense of credibility to their story when it was revealed some years later. Since then, thousands of people around the world have made similar claims.

Usually the individual has no idea they have been abducted, but begins to experience a series of psychological symptoms, such as nightmares, amnesia, unaccountable gaps of time, sudden flashes of images, and unexplained anxiety. Eventually, memories begin to surface of an abduction that had either been so traumatic the person has forcibly forgotten it, or, as some claim, the memory was removed by the aliens. Some people claim to have had a single experience, while others claim to have been abducted periodically throughout their whole lives. Some "contactees" (persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials) have typically reported that they were given messages or profound wisdom by aliens, regarding them as benevolent toward them and humankind in general. Beyond firsthand testimony and some strange scarring on a few "abductees," there remains no evidence to support their claims. Yet, many in the psychology field claim that the very real psychological damage these people suffer is proof enough.

Other phenomena attributed to UFOs

Crop circles and cattle mutilations are two other very different phenomena attributed to UFOs in the latter part of the twentieth century. The large, intricately geometric patterns caused by the bending of crop stalks have been reported since the mid-twentieth century. They are often attributed to the work of UFOs as the patterns are apparently too large and complicated for a human hoaxer to pull off. Others point out that the patterns contain mathematically precise messages encoded in their design. However, this phenomenon has remained controversial since it has been proven that several of the patterns were, in fact, hoaxes.

Likewise, the mutilation of cattle and other domesticated stock has also received attention in connection with UFOs. The animals are reportedly killed at night, without noise, the blood drained from their bodies, and the tongue and genitalia removed with a precision that appears unworldly. Yet, beyond the dead animal, there is no evidence that UFOs are in any way involved. Nevertheless, it has become an essential part of UFO lore, and is often studied by Ufologists who specialize in these tangential, but possibly essential, phenomena.

Explanations

The terms "skeptic" and "believer," often used in regards to UFOs, are somewhat misleading. Those that would be called believers do not necessarily agree on what UFOs actually are, but rather agree that people are actually seeing something. On the other hand, those classified under skeptics range from those who dismiss the idea outright as ridiculous and just hoaxes, to those who consider sightings to be psychologically based. Listed below are some of the most popular theories, from both believers and skeptics.

The Advanced Human Aircraft Hypothesis

This theory proposes that some or even all UFO sightings are advanced, secret, or experimental aircraft of earthly origin. During the 1980s, there were reports of "black triangle" UFOs. Some of these could have been the (at the time) secret F-117 Nighthawk, B1 Stealth Fighter, or B2 Stealth Bomber. An alternative version of the theory proposes that the government created these and other advanced craft from recovered UFOs. While such planes may account for certain UFO observations, it is doubtful they account for every UFO ever seen. There is also the issue of whether any man-made aircraft could have been capable of maneuvering in the ways attributed to UFOs.

The Inter-dimensional Hypothesis

Some have argued that, since it is unlikely that any craft could successfully navigate the vast and dangerous vacuum of space, UFOs are more likely from parallel dimensions or universes. Quantum physics has for a while suggested the existence of alternate dimensions, and some theorists think it a more likely origin for UFOs.

This theory is related to the "psychosocial hypothesis," that angelic, demonic, and other supernatural manifestations throughout history were caused by aliens trying to control human destiny, and that UFO sightings are part of this process.

Natural occurrences

Skeptics have claimed that certain events of nature, including meteorites, meteors, comets, stars, planets, ball lightning, the Aurora Borealis, cloud formations, even the release of methane from swamps igniting in the air, are possible causes for UFO sightings. While some maintain that human misinterpretation of such phenomena, in conjunction with overactive imaginations and the subconscious knowledge of UFO sub-culture, could have led to many alleged sightings of UFOs, this theory falls short of explaining a wide range of sightings.

Hoaxes

When dealing with paranormal occurrences, it is common to run across hoaxes, and this is the case with UFOs. Most often, hoaxes come in the form of photographic evidence, which is the easiest to fake (and subsequently, the easiest to debunk). Often times, UFO sightings are faked in order to receive public attention; sometimes books are written and documentaries are made, claiming to have certain incontrovertible evidence that was merely manufactured in order to help the product's sales. However, since UFO sightings exist over such a long expanse of time, geography, and culture, it is unlikely that even a considerable proportion of all these sightings are hoaxes.

Psychosocial Hypothesis

Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, theorized that UFOs might have a primarily spiritual and psychological basis. In his 1959 book Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen In The Sky, he pointed out that the round shape of most saucers corresponds to a mandala, a type of archetypal shape seen in religious images. Thus the saucers might reflect a projection of the internal desires of viewers to see them. However, he did not label them as delusion or hallucination; rather he suggested something in the nature of a shared spiritual experience.

French UFO researcher, Jacques Vallee, noted an almost exact parallel between UFO and "alien" visitations and stories from folklore of fairies and similar creatures. He documented these findings in his 1969 book Passport to Magonia, and explored them further in his later works. The significance of these parallels is disputed by mainstream scientists, who contend that they merely show both phenomena to be fanciful. Vallee and others maintain that some underlying, poorly understood, phenomenon is actually interacting with humans to cause both kinds of sightings.[7]

Spirituality

The UFO phenomenon took on new dimensions in the latter part of the twentieth century, becoming combined with spirituality. These UFO religions commonly believe that alien beings exist. UFO religions have predominantly developed in technologically advanced societies, particularly the United States, but also in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. They have often emerged at times of particular social and cultural stress.

Such religions state that aliens have played, or continue to play, a key role in human history; and that at some point in the future, humankind will become part of a wider galactic community. The arrival or rediscovery of alien civilizations, technologies, and spirituality will enable human beings to overcome their current ecological, spiritual, and social problems. Issues such as hatred, war, bigotry, poverty, and so on are said to be resolvable through the use of superior alien technology and spiritual abilities.

The Aetherius Society is such a group, founded in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. Its founder, George King, claimed to have been contacted telepathically by an alien intelligence called Aetherius, who represented an "Interplanetary Parliament." According to Aetherians, their Society acts as a vehicle through which "Cosmic Transmissions" can be disseminated to the rest of humanity.

The Heaven's Gate group achieved notoriety in 1997 when one of its founders convinced 38 followers to commit mass suicide. Members reportedly believed themselves to be aliens, awaiting a spaceship that would arrive with Comet Hale-Bopp. They underwent elaborate preparations for their trip; for a time, group members lived in a darkened house where they would simulate the experience they expected to have during their long journey in outer space. The suicide was undertaken in the apparent belief that their souls would be transported onto the spaceship, which they thought was hiding behind the comet.

Since the 1970s, alien contact became a common belief in the New Age Movement, both through mediumistic chaneling and physical contact. A prominent spokesperson for this trend was actress Shirley MacLaine in her book Out on a Limb.

Hallucinations

Some have suggested that UFOs are mere tricks of the mind, hallucinations that may be distortions of real object. Reasons for these wrong perceptions include mental illness, food shortages forcing people to eat moldy food where the mold fungus had made hallucinogenic chemicals, non-alcoholic delirium tremens caused by chronic magnesium deficiency, the brain being affected by electric effects caused by ball lightning, exposure to hallucinogenic drugs, dreams confused with reality, following the area's general local belief, delirium caused by heat and dehydration, and false or implanted memory.

The route followed by these misperceptions can be influenced by the environment that the perceiver was brought up in as a child: Fairy stories, religion, or science fiction may influence one's perception. For example, one perceiver may see fairies where another sees "Greys."

Pop culture

UFOs have become prevalent in popular culture. The "flying saucer" has reached an almost iconic significance, while the aliens that allegedly fly them appear in everything from television and movies, to commercial products. UFOs have become a staple in the science fiction genres of television, movies, and literature, with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, The X-Files, Steven Spielberg's Taken, and so forth becoming classics in the field.

Notes

  1. ↑ The UFO Phenomenon (Alexandria: Time-Life Books 1988). ISBN 0809463245
  2. ↑ David Ritchie, UFO:The Definitive Guide to Unidentified Flying Objects and Related Phenomena (New York, NY: MJF Books 1994).
  3. ↑ Edward Uhler Condon, Final Report of the scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects Conducted By the University of Colorado Under Contract to the United States Air Force (Bantam Books 1969).
  4. ↑ The Computer UFO Network, "USAF Fact Sheet 95-03: Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book." Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  5. ↑ United States Air Force Unidentified Flying Objects and Air Force Project Blue Book. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  6. ↑ UFO Evidence, Belgium UFO Sightings. Retrieved May 8, 2007
  7. ↑ Jerome Clark, Exclusive Interview: Vallee Discusses UFO Control System.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Eden, Jerome. 1989. Scavengers From Space. Careywood, Idaho, PPCC.
  • Eden, Jerome. 1981. The Desert Makers. Careywood, Idaho, PPCC.
  • Litsak, Sergery. Explanatory UFO Dictionary. ETS Publishing House and Polyglossum, Inc. ISBN 5864550639
  • Roth, Christopher F. "Ufology as Anthropology: Race, Extraterrestrials, and the Occult." in Battaglia, Debbora. 2005. E.T. Culture: Anthropology in Outerspaces. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
  • Sturrock, Peter A. 1999. The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0
  • Vallee, Jacques. 1993. Passport to Magonia: On UFOs, Folklore, and Parallel Worlds. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0809237962

Further Reading

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 (revised edition), 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, The UFO Experience: A scientific inquiry, 1972, Henry Regnery Co.
  • J. Allen Hynek, The Hynek UFO Report, 1997 (new edition), Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0429-5. Analysis of 640 high-quality cases through 1969 by UFO legend Hynek.
  • MacLaine, Shirley. 1986. Out on a Limb. Bantam. ISBN 0553273701
  • Carl Sagan & 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 (1999). The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52565-0

Debunkery

  • Philip Plait (2002). Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax”. John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-40976-6. (Chapter 20: Misidentified Flying Objects: UFOs and Illusions of the Mind and Eye.)
  • Michael A. Seeds. (1995). Horizons: Exploring the Universe, Wadsworth Publishing, ISBN 0-534-24889-6 and ISBN 0-534-24890-X. (Appendix A)

Psychology

  • Carl G. Jung, “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies” (translated by R.F.C. Hull); 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 (Originally Clear Intent), 1992, Fireside Books (Simon & Schuster), 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, The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects, 1956, Doubleday & Co. online. 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 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 online. Another analysis by former NASA and nuclear engineer.

External links

All links retrieved May 2, 2023.


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