World UFO Day, July 2, was established back in 2001 when a group of UFO enthusiasts, believed to be led by UFO researcher Haktan Akdogan, proposed establishing a day dedicated to the study and exploration of UFOs to raise awareness about their existence and their potential implications.
Image Source: wallpapercave.com/world-ufo-day
The observation day is celebrated by some on June 24, the date of pilot Kenneth Arnold reported what is generally considered to be the first widely reported UFO sighting in the United States. Most people celebrate the event on July 2, the date of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.
Whichever you choose to celebrate, the day is set aside as a time for people throughout the globe to come together to share experiences and knowledge of this international phenomenon. In the past it has offered an opportunity to consider the government's role in UFO sightings and cover-ups, as well as the impact of UFOs on popular culture and media. But the stated goal is “to raise awareness of ‘the undoubted existence of UFOs’ and to encourage governments to declassify their files on UFO sightings.”
THIS AIN’T YOUR GRANDMA’S UFO
“Poppycock!” you say ‒ or maybe something more colorful ‒ but UFOs are very real.
Image Credit: CNN
Image Source: edition.cnn.com/2023/china-russia-partnership
“Unidentified” only means that the person viewing the object doesn’t know what it is, not that it isn’t real. Also, it doesn’t mean the object is question is alien, in the sense of “not of this earth.” There is a whole lot of stuff in the atmosphere around earth that we need to be worried about, and not all of it originates in the United States.
UAP IS THE NEW UFO
“It’s a bird!”
“It’s a plane!”
“Nope. It’s a UAP!”
The old term Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) was coined in 1953 by writer Donald Keyhoe in an issue of Air Line Pilot. The term became more widespread during the 1950s, after the Roswell Incident, at first in technical literature, but later in popular use.
The less popular term Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) was first used by the United States Air Force in 1953 to replace the term “flying saucers” which had become associated with reports of extraterrestrial spacecraft. To be consistent with the recent changes in the National Defense Authorization Act, NASA now will be calling UAPs Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena instead of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. In the 21st century, the new name is more accurate as the photo shows. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena - Image source: youtube.com/watch?v=QIdjitjnT2c
Humans have been intrigued with the idea of other world civilizations since ancient times, but the idea became a big deal in about the mid-20th century.
The interest is believed to have sparked with a pilot named Kenneth Arnold who was flying a small plane near Mount Rainier in Washington state in June 1947. As he was flying, he spotted a glint or shine that made him think he might be headed for a collision with another aircraft. According to his report, when he looked carefully he saw what he described as nine very odd-shaped vessels flying in formation.
After landing, he reported his sightings to authorities at a nearby airport and eventually talked to some reporters. When a reporter asked Arnold to describe how the things moved, he said, “they flew like a saucer would if you skipped it across water.” The journalists came up with a headline about “flying saucers” even though Arnold never uttered the phrase himself. pbs.org/newshour/nation/history-of-ufos
THE ROSWELL INCIDENT
A month later, the Roswell, New Mexico incident brought “flying saucers” again into the public eye. Britannica.com describes the Roswell incident as beginning when rancher W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel, discovered some unusual debris near Roswell. He took it to the Sheriff who informed the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF).
“After collecting the wreckage, the RAAF issued an extraordinary press release that stated that a ‘flying disc’ had been retrieved from a local ranch. The Roswell Daily Record immediately picked up the press release, and on July 8 the story was printed with the headline ‘RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch in Roswell Region.’”
In less than twelve hours the Air Force changed its story to recovery of a weather balloon carrying a radar target. By then, no one believe the Air Force announcements, and K-Boom!
Cover up! What would you expect? The event fueled a nationwide conspiracy theory involving UFOs and extraterrestrials.
Material gathered from ruins of crash
However, the outcome remains a connection in people’s minds between flying saucers and dead aliens, and unidentified objects in our heavens…i.e. not taken seriously by most. But in this day of space travel, drones, artificial intelligence, space debris, etc. we need to adopt a new attitude.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
So, what is the truth? “Not of this earth” aliens we don’t know about yet, although that possibility has not been discarded by serious scientists or military personnel, but there is a lot we do know about.
Long after the Roswell incident disappeared from the rearview mirror, sighting reports continued to come in from around the world on a consistent basis and there are people and programs who monitor these and identify ‒ at least attempt to identify, using modern technology ‒ the “unidentified.” While most sightings have a logical explanation, if not a positive identification, there are still a few which remain mysteries.
A report released by the Pentagon in 2021 identified over 140 instances that showed inexplicable events in the sky, and Navy test pilots testified they had frequently had encounters with strange craft off the US Coast. theguardian.com/world/whistleblower-ufo
The 2022 Annual Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, released by Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence (ODONI), shows 366 UAP incidents newly reported by credible sources.
● 163 were characterized as being sightings of balloons or “balloon-like entities”
● 26 were found to be “unmanned aircraft systems” (drones)
● 6 were attributed to pilots misidentifying airborne clutter, such as plastic bags, which is a constantly growing problem for another discussion.
● 171 UAP reports remain "uncharacterized", as the AARO artfully describes it, and some were found to demonstrate “unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis.”
Government reports fail to mention alien visitors or spaceships from other worlds when referencing the unexplained sightings. Instead, the driving force behind the continued need to examine the phenomena is an understandably serious concern that the sightings could be linked to the intelligence gathering capabilities of foreign countries.
WE ARE NOT ALONE
Humans on earth have a lot of company in their sky in the form of at least a zillion satellites of our own making for many uses including spying, drones, space junk including whole ships down to lost wrenches and gloves, plastic bags, kites, satellites that are ready to fall out of orbit, one moon, and perhaps, among the other traffic, an alien or two.
Finally, government is taking the matter seriously ‒ or at least letting the public know they are taking it seriously ‒ and has appointed an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) to keep an eye on our skies, whether the threats be man-made, natural phenomena or alien. Removal of some of the stigma of reporting a UAP has resulted in more credible sources making such reports. Following is a small sampling of sightings and incidents.
● 1966: The Muscarello Exeter incident
In 1965, Norman Muscarello, a hitchhiker, was in Exeter, New Hampshire when he saw five strange red flashing lights in the woods. “TV station WMUR recounts, the source of the lights suddenly came towards him at a frightening speed. Muscarello dove into a ditch to avoid being hit before flagging down a motorist. The police investigated the area, and they, too, saw the same aircraft with the same bright red lights speed off out of sight. Today, the event is celebrated with a yearly Exeter UFO Festival. This sound pretty iffy to me. Any excuse for a party!
● 1978: Frederick Valentich Disappearance
Image Source: sott.net/article/Frederick-Valentich
Then air control lost contact and Valentich was never heard from or seen again. This sighting was investigated but this remains one of those unexplained events.
● 1986: Japanese Airlines Flight 1628
On November 17, 1986 Japan Airlines cargo flight 1628 took off from Paris headed for Japan, transporting a cargo of Beaujolais wine.
Over Alaska the Japanese crew witnessed two unidentified objects to their left. “These abruptly rose from below and closed in to escort their aircraft. Each had two rectangular arrays of what appeared to be glowing nozzles or thrusters, though their bodies remained obscured by darkness. When closest, the aircraft's cabin was lit up and the Japanese captain could feel their heat on his face.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_1628
After the two craft departed, a larger third aircraft appeared and followed. The pilot reported the incident to the Anchorage Air Traffic Control who requested an incoming United Airlines flight to confirm the unidentified traffic, but when it and a military craft sighted JAL 1628, no other craft was visible. The sighting lasted 50 minutes. The Japanese aircraft made an emergency landing at Anchorage. The ground crew there corroborated the sighting the third craft. A three-month FAA investigation of the incident ascribed the sighting to a “split radar image.” However, the sighting and report findings have been controversial ever since.
● 2004: The USS Nimitz Encounter (San Diego, CA)
On November 14, 2004, the USS Princeton, part of the USS Nimitz carrier strike group, encountered an unknown craft on radar 100 miles off the coast of San Diego. The crew had been tracking objects that appeared at 80,000 feet and then plummeted to hover right above the Pacific Ocean. It had been a routine operation but soon emerged as one of the best documented UFO sightings of the 21s century.
“When two FA-18F fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz arrived in the area, they first saw what appeared to be churning water, with a shadow of an oval shape underneath the surface. Then, in a few moments, a white Tic Tac-shaped object appeared above the water. It had no visible markings to indicate an engine, wings or windows, and infrared monitors didn't reveal any exhaust. When an attempt was made to intercept the craft, it accelerated away, reappearing on radar 60 miles away. It moved three times the speed of sound and more than twice the speed of the fighter jets.” history.com/news/ufo-sightings-credible-modern
At the time, the Navy did little to investigate the incident, and although a lot of military personnel knew about it, it was “swept under the rug.” At least there is no government explanation of the event for public consumption.
● 2006: O’Hare International Airport
While preparing for Flight 446 to depart from Chicago, twelve United Airlines employees ‒ and a few witnesses outside the airport ‒ noticed a dark grey metallic craft hovering over gate C17 at around 4:15 pm.
Image Credit: https://i.pinimg.com/
Image Source: trueactivist.com/legitimate-ufo-sightings
● 2019: California
Image Credit: Salvatore Giusa
Image Source: salvatoregiusa24.blogspot.com
● 2021: New Mexico
The pilot of American Airlines flight 2292 from Ohio to Arizona reported “a long cylindrical object” flying over his plane. American Airlines and the FAA confirmed that the report was genuine but had no further information. The FAA reported they didn’t see any object on their radarscopes. There were no military tests being conducted in the area at the time. According to MetaBunk, this "missile type of thing" was most likely a Leer jet.
Sightings of a strange string of lights in the night sky were reported by the hundreds of people from Texas to Wisconsin during the first week of May 2021. Image Source: youtube.com/watch?v=pU0YRBUUwEc
According to the press officer for the American Astronomical Society, Dr. Richard Fienberg, these
objects are Starlink Satellites. He told Associated Press that, "The way you can tell they are Starlink satellites is they are like a string of pearls, these lights travelling in the same basic orbit, one right after the other."
A Starlink Satellite - Image Source: teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-satellite
● 2021 - New Jersey
On July 14, 2021, about a quarter after midnight, drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike were awed by the sight of strange orange-and-yellow lights in a V formation over the Arthur Kill Waterway.
Image source: ufo-sightings-weekly.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for an excuse, or opportunity, to go slip off...
● to a conference and be challenged by serious discussion about UAPs…
JUST SAYIN’!
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/paranormal/history-of-ufos
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/whistleblower-ufo-alien-tech-spacecraft
https://www.rd.com/list/most-chilling-ufo-sightings/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/nasa-panel-hold-first-public-meeting-ufo-study-ahead-report-2023-05-31/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Roswell-incident
https://trueactivist.com/the-most-recent-legitimate-ufo-sightings-t2/19/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-brief-cultural-history-of-ufos-from-secret-soviet-weapons-to-alien-visitors
https://cleverjourneys.com/2021/05/28/10-most-interesting-facts-about-ufo-crash-from-roswell/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU0YRBUUwEc
https://www.starlink.com/technology
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-upgrade-more-bandwidth-more-beams/
Photos only
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/exopolitica/esp_exopolitics_ZZZZI.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrW0PKahSXo
https://www.sott.net/article/321640-Frederick-Valentich-disappearance-Inspiration-for-new-TV-drama-in-Australia
https://salvatoregiusa24.blogspot.com/2021/04/la-us-navy-fa-trapelare-il-filmato-di.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-celebration-mos-eisley-cantina-2015-4
https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-09-17-navy-confirms-ufo-videos-show-unidentified-aerial-phenomena/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Cargo_Flight_1628_incidenthttps:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Cargo_Flight_1628_incident
https://www.narcap.org/blog/definition-of-uap#:~:text=A%20simple%20review%20of%20the%20internet%20archives%20will,term%20%E2%80%9CUAP%E2%80%9D%20has%20been%20in%20use%20ever%20since.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasa-team-begins-study-of-ufos-180980997/#:~:text=A%20team%20of%20NASA%20researchers%20has%20just%20begun,in%20mid-2023%2C%20according%20to%20a%20statement%20from%20NASA.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/teacher-reveals-creepy-details-of-aussie-ufo-sighting-in-rare-audio/news-story/134d4d8c78eba477b460e97241fb26bb
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2314065/establishment-of-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-task-force/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Defense%20established%20the%20UAPTF%20to,potentially%20pose%20a%20threat%20to%20U.S.%20national%20secur
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/02/china/china-russia-partnership-one-year-blinken-intl-hnk-mic/index.html?bt_ee=A1Wn4z+srS/F14KQN9/4BbbH4TBmeq7P
https://www.history.com/news/ufo-sightings-credible-modern#The%20Lights%20Above%20The%20New%20Jersey%20Turnpike
https://www.bdebate.org/en/news/international-center-scientific-debate-becomes-bdebate-boost-projection-its-international