What Is A UFO?

It’s a rare case when someone does not know that the letters UFO stand for unidentified flying object. The UFO phenomenon started in the late 1940s and early 1950s and continues today, in locations all around the world.

But what is a UFO, really?
The simplest definition states that a UFO is an aircraft or object that is flying through the air but cannot be identified as an airplane or other object of human creation. In most cases, even the so-called experts cannot tell just what he objects are, where they come from or how they manage to move through the atmosphere.

In the early 1950s the United States Air Force began conducting a project to learn more about these unknown objects, coining the term unidentified flying object or UFO in the process. The project started its investigations based on reported sightings of such objects in approximately 1947. The Air Force program called Project Blue Book continued for almost two decades before it was closed down.

When the Air Force reported that no UFO seemed to be a threat to U.S. security and that no craft left evidence of “extraterrestrial” life, the craft became widely known as unidentified. However, the interest in these objects did not diminish when the Air Force lost interest. In fact, interest and curiosity among citizens may have actually increased over the years.

In addition to peaking the curiosity of private citizens, some conspiracy theorists have continued to propose the objects were constructed by the United States government, perhaps by the Air Force. The reason for beginning and then shutting down Project Blue Book, according to the conspiracy theories, was that the government wanted to give the appearance of being interested, while all along knowing the source of the UFOs.

Even when the military leaders and government officials in the United Kingdom allowed classified materials to be reviewed, there seemed to be no definite conclusions as to the source of the objects, the materials they were made of or the possibility of life forms operating a UFO.

UFO reports have been documented for centuries, but the apparent increase in sightings in the late 1940s increased interest in the objects. Increased coverage of the events by newspapers and television also put fuel on the UFO fire. Those who follow this subject closely report that the majority of reports of unidentified flying objects are changed to identified-flying-object events. In fact, many UFO reports are made in reference to what turns out to be a plane, a balloon or other known object.

This helps cool the conspiracy theories somewhat. But the treatment of the now-famous Roswell incident and the reports from English soldiers add to the strength of the conspiracy argument. Some of the increase in sightings can be attributed to the number of experimental planes and other objects that are built by government or military personnel. However, some of the objects and moving lights reported by private citizens are realistic enough to keep the interest up. In the end, no one knows the truth just yet.

 Print This Page