6-12 Aliens and UFOs

Aliens and UFOs

  The first "flying saucer" was reported in 1947.  A pilot saw some strange disks in the sky.  He told reporters that they looked like "saucers" and the name "flying saucers" caught on.  Since then 40 million UFO sightings have been recorded.  The most common sightings are of balls of light which move quickly.  There have been reports of crash landings by mysterious objects and of alien abductions.  In 1948, the United States Air Force set up an investigation into the sightings of UFO's.  By 1969, when the project ended, about 12,000 incidents were recorded.  It was determined that a quarter of these occurrences were caused by natural phenomena or known objects.  The rest remained unidentified.  Most ufologists (people interested in UFOs) believe that aliens visit Earth from distant galaxies which technology and human science are not yet advanced enough to find.

  UFO sightings are called Close Encounters.  A Close Encounter of the First Kind is seeing a UFO.  The Second Kind includes evidence such as landing marks.  The Third Kind is when a witness sees or meets alien beings.  Everyone has seen imaginary UFOs in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and television shows like the X-Files.  Ufologists investigate UFO sightings by real-life witnesses.  Hi-tech equipment is used to measure radio waves and magnetic effects which might be caused by UFOs and track mysterious craft on radar screens.  Amateur ufologists watch the skies using cameras and telescopes.  If they spot a UFO, they record its position, color, shape, and movement.  This data is sent to UFO organizations.  Permanent observers keep watch for UFOs around the world.