Unidentified flying object

An Unidentified Flying Object is any unexplained object that is traveling through the sky. However, in today's culture, the majority of people when thinking about UFOs only consider extraterrestrial beings flying around the earth in their space vessels. Despite this misconception, there are still a great multitude of people who believe in UFOs. In fact, polls show that presently 57% of Americans believe in the existence of UFOs, 15% claim to have seen a UFO, and 5% say they have been abducted by aliens onto a UFO. UFOs are undefined and mysterious aerial phenomena that continue to baffle the scientific community even to this day.

What is a UFO
The term “UFO” (Unidentified Flying Object) originated from the U.S. Air Force’s previous chief of Project Blue Book, Captain Edward J. Ruppelt. Even though UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object, the common definition of the phrase is a “flying saucer” that contains extraterrestrial life. However, no portion of an alien vessel has ever been recovered throughout the course of history to verify the theories of extraterrestrial life in UFOs. Most of peoples’ misconceptions on the definition and origin of UFOs come from their exposure to science fiction in movies, television, and novels. The term UFO encompasses all unknown aerial objects traversing the skies.

Of the thousands of UFO sightings reported annually and about 150 reported a day, approximately 90-95% are explainable through natural phenomena or man-made technology. Below is a list of different natural and human made phenomena that could explain what people might have observed instead of a UFO.


 * Venus
 * satellites
 * The International Space Station
 * space shuttles
 * rockets
 * man-made aircraft
 * meteors
 * balloons
 * fireflies
 * birds
 * ball lightning
 * Iridium flares
 * internal reflections
 * aurorae
 * lenticular clouds
 * parhelia
 * noctilucent clouds
 * car headlights
 * streetlights
 * kites
 * parachutes
 * insect swarms

The History of UFOs
For centuries people all over the planet have claimed to see “fiery globes”, “flaming chariots”, and “flying shields” in the sky, but it was not until 1947 that the first major UFO sighting occurred. Kenneth Arnold was navigating his aircraft near Mt. Rainier in Washington when he observed nine curve-shaped objects rapidly moving through the sky. He predicted that these entities were traveling at speeds over a thousand miles per hour. Their movement through the sky he compared to a saucer skipping along on water. From this description of the unidentified aircraft, the term ‘flying saucer’ was originated.

Over the next year, sightings of flying phenomena increased, which resulted in the United States Air Force opening an investigation in 1948 entitled Project Sign. The military investigators primarily believed that these unknown objects were Soviet in origin, possibly some sophisticated aircraft. However, some researchers claimed the reports were evidence of spaceships from other worlds. This belief founded the basis for the extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH). In the coming years, Project Sign was replaced by Project Grudge, which in turn was succeeded by Project Blue Book. Of the official inquiries, Project Blue Book lasted the longest from 1952-1969 based out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base located in Dayton, Ohio.

During the existence of Project Blue Book, officials received 12,618 sightings or encounters involving unidentified aerial phenomena. All theses reports were classified into two categories: identified and unidentified. The majority of these occurrences were labeled ‘identified’ as known phenomena of an atmospheric, astrological, or artificial (man-made) nature. Of the reports, 701 (5%) were declared ‘unidentified’ due to lack of information or because they were unexplainable.

Following the dismantlement of Project Blue Book, a selective group of scientists, researchers, and astronomers, namely J. Allen Hynek, an astronomer at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois, formed the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) to investigate these unexplained reports. J. Allen Hynek had participated in Projects Sign, Grudge, and Blue Book during the 1950s and 60s. Hynek founded CUFOS because he believed that there was reliable evidence pointing towards the existence of alien life.

Other than Project Blue Book, the only other organized and complete records of aerial phenomena in the 1950s and 60s was in Canada. During this time period, the Canadian Department of National Defense logged approximately 750 sightings of unidentified aerial entities. Other nations to successfully keep some record of UFO sightings include Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Greece, and the United Kingdom. In the United Sates, the sightings by the public are still to this day recorded by the CUFOS and the Mutual UFO Network based in Bellvue, Colorado.

The Roswell Incident
On July 4, 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico, an unidentified aerial projectile crashed landed on a remote country farm. This farm, about 75 miles northeast of Roswell, was operated (not owned) by W.W “Mac” Brazel. When he discovered the wreckage on June 14th, Brazel took note of the debris and took some of this wreckage into town a few days later. (Bates 180) After he presented these pieces of the debris to Sheriff George Wilcox, Sheriff Wilcox felt it necessary to contact the Roswell Army Air Base concerning this unidentified debris.

Sheriff George Wilcox’s news reached Colonel William Blanchard who, as a result, ordered Major Jesse Marcel and counterintelligence officer Sheridan Cavitt to go and inspect the wreckage out on the farm. After observing the crash site, Cavitt felt the rubble was merely a weather balloon, but Marcel was speculative. Major Marcel reported to Colonel Blanchard that they had recovered the remains of a “flying disk”. This information Colonel Blanchard passed on to the media, which in turn triggered the questions concerning UFOs landing on earth.

Following the initial inspection, Brigadier General Roger Ramey, Commander of Eighth Air Force based at Forth Worth Army Air Field in Texas, personally viewed the UFO crash site. He immediately issued a statement claiming the wreckage on the Brazel farm was merely a weather balloon and that the original report was incorrect. Marcel protested this second statement that challenged his views, but his beliefs were not acknowledged, that is not until some 30 years later.

During the 1980s, Charles Berlitz and William Moore coauthored a book entitled The Roswell Incident. This book addressed the mysterious events on the Brazel farm in 1947. These writers presented the theory that the crash debris at Roswell was in fact an extraterrestrial UFO spacecraft, not a weather balloon as stated by the authorities. These authors also claimed to have interviewed over 75 witnesses of the Roswell wreckage of 1947. However, a later investigation uncovered only 25 testimonies and of those only 7 were eyewitnesses. Despite the shaky evidence presented in their novel, Charles Berlitz's and William Moore's views had successfully rekindled an interest in UFOs.

Project Mogul
For over 40 years, the information concerning Project Mogul was “TOP SECRET 1A”. Project Mogul was a highly secretive program being developed during the post-World War II technology surge. During this period in history, the United States had developed the atomic bomb and was seeking to improve their technological warfare to combat the Soviets. Project Mogul was a balloon array created to monitor audio emission and reflect radar all across the planet. This project consisted of 23 high altitude balloons positioned strategically across the globe to overhear Soviet communications. These balloons possessed hefty radar reflectors, which looked similar to large metal foil kites, and were made mainly of neoprene rubber. These highly advanced balloons also possessed low-frequency microphones, aluminum tubing, battery packs, rings, a sonobuoy, and were reinforced with tape. All of these items mentioned describe the appearance of the debris in the Roswell incident.

Mogul flight 4 was launched from Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico on June 4, 1947. However, due to exposure to the sun, some of the equipment’s balloons popped. With the battery packs running low and the aerial array already malfunctioning, the military lost contact of the apparatus 17 miles from the Roswell, New Mexico crash sight. From this evidence it is clear that the rubble observed on the Brazel farm in Roswell, New Mexico was the remains of a dysfunctional weather balloon array belonging to the U.S. military, not an alien spaceship.

Area 51
Area 51, also known as Groom Lake, is a top-secret military base located 90 miles outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. This facility has received extensive attention from UFO believers for multiples reasons. According to popular myths, Area 51 has been and still is involved in test operations involving alien technology. The UFO community claims that the Air Force has been collecting and reconstructing flying saucer technology, that the military is working with the extraterrestrials, and that the government is allowing aliens to use Area 51 as an earth hideout. These bold claims come as a result of multiple UFO sightings around the base and due to the facilities increase in size and security. These enlarged conspiracies have also been fueled by the false testimony of Robert Lazar, who claims to have witnessed the military’s involvement with alien technology while employed at Area 51. However, it has been uncovered that Robert Lazar did not in fact work at the top-secret facility and that all his information was falsified.

It is a known fact that Area 51 serves as military base where secret defense and weapons technology is developed. Since the creation of Groom Lake, they have been known to test many top-secret devices that are later made known to the public. During the 1950, when UFOlogy was on the rise, Area 51 took part in military tests on the U-2 spy plane. This facility also commenced operation involving stealth technology. From this the U.S. military developed the F-117 stealth fighter and stealth bomber. The SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane is believed to have also been tested at Groom Lake. There are rumors spreading that claim the military is currently underway on a secret project called ‘Aurora’. This project is thought to include delta-shaped aircraft, like the shape of many UFO sightings. Also, it is a recently known fact the Air Force has been experimenting with flying saucer-shaped aircraft. From this evidence, the reports of alien spaceships around Area 51, the high level security, and the mysteriousness of this military base is explainable.

Crop Circles
Crop circles are a frequently discussed topic in the UFO community. These magnificent and complex designs created by circular indentations in fields across the globe have triggered much debate over the existence of UFOs. People who claim to believe in extraterrestrial life and UFOs see crop circles as factual evidence of ETs landing on earth in their spacecraft. Many believe these circular patterns are flying saucer nests or perhaps signs or messages by the aliens to the people on earth.

Crop circles began to appear in abundance around the 1970s to 1980s, mainly in the regions of southern England. Their numbers began to quickly rise and sightings spread from England into other European countries and the rest of the world. As the number of crops circles increased, so did the complexities of their designs. Simple circle impressions in English wheat fields had turned into a global show of dazzling and intricate crop circle illustrations in farmer’s fields. In the past 25 years, there have been an estimated 10,000 reports of crop circles across the planet.

Crop circles vastly vary in size and variety. However, there are some ideas that cereologists claim are accurate in all crop circle designs.

•	One belief presented by Dr. Terence Meaden teaches that crop circles are formed by “ionized plasma vortices”. These ionized plasma vortices are thought to be eddies of wind that place downward pressure on crops in a circular fashion, thus creating crop circles. However, this shaky theory is highly speculative.

•	The formation of crop circles results in radioactive remains. However, soil sample taken from fields with crop circles show that not radioactivity is present.

•	There is a belief that cellular changes occur inside plants affected by crop circles. Research has proven that no known cellular differences have been recorded in vegetation following the formation of a crop circle.

UFO and alien believers also conjure up reasons that crop circles must have originated from extraterrestrial life, including the following…

•	The designs of crop circles are too complex and too precise to have been created by humans. They must have been made with advanced technology than is unknown to man. However, it has been documented on numerous occasions that intricate crop circles can be formed by humans with the use of nothing but rope and planks. Humans have also been known to design elaborate crop circles advertising products and companies including Weetabix and Mitsubishi.

•	The stalks of the crops were bent, but not broken and that is not physically possible for humans.

•	Humans could not have created such elaborate designs without other people seeing their work. However, in a timed experiment, a group of well-experienced crop circle creators, known as the Circlemakers, constructed 100 circles in 100 minutes. This proves that even the most complicated crop circle designs can be formed quickly and without detection.

In regards to the mysterious origin of crop circles in England, new information was discovered. After 15 years of silence, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley confessed in 1991 to being the masterminds and creators of the original crop circles in southern England. These two British gentlemen from Southampton, England had crafted over 250 designs after being inspired by recent UFO sightings in Australia. However, some investigators (renowned UFO supporters) were speculative of these two gentleman’s claims. To prove their skills, Bower and Chorley filmed themselves creating a complex crop circle under the cover of night. Later, the investigators inspected their work and declared it as a UFO sighting and thought it as valid proof of aliens and UFO existence. That is until Bower and Chorley released the video of them constructing that very crop circle.

Crop circles are diverse, intricate, and a continual mystery in regards to how they are exactly formed, but it has been proven that man is capable of creating such magnificent displays.

UFOs in the Bible
Throughout the course of history, there have been numerous sightings of unexplainable flying phenomena occurring all across the planet. Due to all these tales of UFO in ancient history, some have speculated that UFOs were present during biblical times and are present within in the Holy Bible. ET and UFO believers will frequently draw attention to specific portions of Scripture that speak of the “sons of God” (Genesis 6:1-7), the Nephilim, or Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:1-28). These people also may claim aliens and UFOs were responsible for the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6), the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16-40), or Elijah’s rapture (2 Kings 2:11-12). However, these ET and UFO believers will frequently manipulate a Biblical account in an attempt to verify their theories. Such people take the Word of God too lightly and only refer to its information as an encyclopedia, not a sacred piece of God-inspired writing.

Ezekiel’s Wheel
One of the most frequently brought up and debated topics concerning UFOs in the Bible occurs in Ezekiel 1:1-28. In this passage, God provides Ezekiel, his anointed prophet, with a vivid vision. In his dream, Ezekiel beheld a “windstorm coming out of the north – an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light”(NIV). Ezekiel compares the appearance of the fire to be like that of metal, and within this stood four figures. Each figure was a man, but he possessed four faces, four wings, and an arm on the bottom side of each wing. Their feet appeared “like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze”. These creatures’ faces were similar in appearance to those of a lion, ox, and eagle. Ezekiel compared these figures to “burning coals of a fire or like torches”. In between these four creatures was a spinning wheel that moved and responded in relation to the four figures lightning fast movements.

UFO believers will point to the spinning wheel claiming it to be some form of extraterrestrial space vessel. Those who believe in aliens frequently see these four graphic figures to be aliens or some form of unearthly life (supernatural or not). However, when analyzing the contents of this vision one must remember that it is just that, a dream. God effectively used dreams and visions to give a message to his prophet Ezekiel. Later in Ezekiel 37, the prophet receives another vision that describes a valley filled with the dry bones that resurrect into a mighty army. Through such dreams, the Lord could make a point, explaining his intentions to his anointed prophet Ezekiel. It is vitally important that Christians correctly interpret Scripture and the messages and council it provides to us as believers.