Are UFO Sightings Just Misidentified Natural Occurrences?

  • Thread starter MotoH
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In summary, the conversation discusses the prevalence of UFO sightings in civilized nations and the potential for individuals to mistake natural occurrences for UFO sightings due to the popularity of the idea. The conversation also touches on the lack of communication from potential alien visitors and the potential for genuine sightings in less developed countries. The speakers also address the issue of misidentifying known objects as UFOs.
  • #1
MotoH
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It seems like the UFO craze is mostly with civilized nations, and I have not seen much apart from crackpottery on an indigenous peoples claims for seeing UFOs.

My question being, since we see UFO claims nearly every day, and practically everyone has heard about, and has saw pictures of a "UFO." Does that make us more susceptible to claiming a UFO sighting when it is really just a natural occurrence?
 
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  • #2
MotoH said:
It seems like the UFO craze is mostly with civilized nations, and I have not seen much apart from crackpottery on an indigenous peoples claims for seeing UFOs.

Not sure what you mean by "civilized" nations. Assuming that you mean industrial or post-industrial nations, then your statement would be incorrect. Note also that you dismiss indigenous people's claims without any references. Crackpottery generally refers more to failed logic, pseudoscience [invalid methodology or assumptions], or faith-based beliefs, rather than claimed observations by a people. Some clarification here would help.

My question being, since we see UFO claims nearly every day, and practically everyone has heard about, and has saw pictures of a "UFO." Does that make us more susceptible to claiming a UFO sighting when it is really just a natural occurrence?

By definition, a UFO could be a natural phenomenon. Assuming that you mean flying saucers, or ET crafts, then of course any idea like this that is popular in the mind of the public can result in misinterpretations of real events.

If you mean to suggest that A implies B in all cases, good luck. UFO and even ET reports go back at least centuries. Even some stories from the Bible might be considered ET in nature. Consider for example, Ezekiel's Wheels.
 
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  • #3
MotoH said:
It seems like the UFO craze is mostly with civilized nations, and I have not seen much apart from crackpottery on an indigenous peoples claims for seeing UFOs.

My question being, since we see UFO claims nearly every day, and practically everyone has heard about, and has saw pictures of a "UFO." Does that make us more susceptible to claiming a UFO sighting when it is really just a natural occurrence?

I think what you're talking about is the psychological phenomenon of "availability heuristic".

I can say this only for myself, but I know that a certain % of these cases are not "crackpottery", as me and a group of friends all saw the same UFO, totally unexplainable by any known phenomenon. 0 feasible alternative explanations exist, so until more variables come my way I am happy to say that I probably saw an alien spaceship.
 
  • #4
What would make these "aliens" not want to talk with us water filled meat sacks? Couldn't they just tell the worlds governments to F off and go "here we are!" I mean they did come from lightyears away, it's not like we have greater technology than they do.
 
  • #5
If aliens are visiting earth, that is a very pertinent question. I think that we cannot assign P(they're not vising) or P(they're visiting) based on their lack of communication, as we cannot possibly assume their point of view which is most likely beyond our comprehension.
 
  • #6
imiyakawa said:
If aliens are visiting earth, that is a very pertinent question. I think that we cannot assign P(they're not vising) or P(they're visiting) based on their lack of communication, as we cannot possibly assume their point of view which is most likely beyond our comprehension.

Totally agree.

It is folly to try to draw any conclusions based on our suppositions about an ET motives.
 
  • #7
There are more things in the sky in 'civilized nations' so it's hardly surprising.

I can look up and fail to identify all sorts of flying objects. It could be kites, weather balloons, jets, helicopters, satellites, blimps etc. I see things in the sky and so does my neighbour. He sees what I see and also can't identify it, but he chooses to believe he is seeing flying saucers from another world.

Obviously, the answer to your question is yes.
 
  • #8
Chimps said:
There are more things in the sky in 'civilized nations' so it's hardly surprising.

I can look up and fail to identify all sorts of flying objects. It could be kites, weather balloons, jets, helicopters, satellites, blimps etc. I see things in the sky and so does my neighbour. He sees what I see and also can't identify it, but he chooses to believe he is seeing flying saucers from another world.

Obviously, the answer to your question is yes.
This entire argument is based on the premise that all sightings are misidentifications of known flying man-made objects.

In fact, you highlight the opposite problem: in a less developed country, genuine sightings of UFOs should be higher, since they will stand out against a stark landscape of empty sky. i.e. we should get a higher-than-average quality of reports since there's no background noise of bad reports.
 
  • #9
DaveC426913 said:
This entire argument is based on the premise that all sightings are misidentifications of known flying man-made objects.

In fact, you highlight the opposite problem: in a less developed country, genuine sightings of UFOs should be higher, since they will stand out against a stark landscape of empty sky. i.e. we should get a higher-than-average quality of reports since there's no background noise of bad reports.

The OPs question was regarding susceptibility to claiming a UFO sighting when it is might be a natural occurrence and that is the question to which I responded. I would appreciate if you could try to avoid taking my posts out of context because it can become tedious having to clarify things which should be obvious.

Anyway, your post is nonsense. Any unidentified object is obviously a 'genuine' UFO. If it's not a 'quality' UFO then presumably it is because it can be identified and therefore it is not a UFO at all.
 
  • #10
Chimps said:
...avoid taking my posts out of context...
Out of context?? You might want to check out what that phrase means. You are using it inappropriately.

Chimps said:
it can become tedious having to clarify things which should be obvious.
Yes, how silly that someone should have to spend time clarifying a comment they posted on the internet.

See http://www.cracked.com/funny-3809-internet-argument-techniques/".
 
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  • #11
Chimps said:
Anyway, your post is nonsense. Any unidentified object is obviously a 'genuine' UFO. If it's not a 'quality' UFO then presumably it is because it can be identified and therefore it is not a UFO at all.
I am not disagreeing with any of this. I am only distinguishing between mistaken reports (oftendue to observer ignorance) and genuine reports (a genuine UFO report does not mean it is an ET, it simply means it is difficult to explain away by conventional means).

The point is that, in a nation with relatively few objects in the sky, there is less "noise"; because of this, what UFO reports there are should actually be more genuine.
 
  • #12
DaveC426913 said:
This entire argument is based on the premise that all sightings are misidentifications of known flying man-made objects.

In fact, you highlight the opposite problem: in a less developed country, genuine sightings of UFOs should be higher, since they will stand out against a stark landscape of empty sky. i.e. we should get a higher-than-average quality of reports since there's no background noise of bad reports.

Even if they are higher, third world countries have nowhere to report them to. Half these people don't have electricity let alone a local news station with a motive for publicity.
 
  • #13
bassplayer142 said:
Even if they are higher, third world countries have nowhere to report them to. Half these people don't have electricity let alone a local news station with a motive for publicity.

So, even if accurate representations of facts, UFO stories would be indistinguishable from legends and myths.
 
  • #14
Ivan Seeking said:
So, even if accurate representations of facts, UFO stories would be indistinguishable from legends and myths.

No, not quite. Legends and myths are by definition from the past. It's not legend or myth if the witness is still around to interview.
 
  • #15
DaveC426913 said:
No, not quite. Legends and myths are by definition from the past. It's not legend or myth if the witness is still around to interview.

I was alluding more to the many historical accounts found in societies all over the world. As for modern eyewitness accounts, those have little to no weight unless they come with corroborating evidence in the form of photos, and or RADAR tracks, and or official radio communications between airborn observers and ground stations, and or trace physical evidence. And even then it doesn't prove anything.

It is also noteworthy that many countries not typically associated with UFO fame have released their own official UFO files from military sources. The last time I checked, probably a dozen countries had released such files.
 
  • #16
MotoH said:
It seems like the UFO craze is mostly with civilized nations, and I have not seen much apart from crackpottery on an indigenous peoples claims for seeing UFOs.

My question being, since we see UFO claims nearly every day, and practically everyone has heard about, and has saw pictures of a "UFO." Does that make us more susceptible to claiming a UFO sighting when it is really just a natural occurrence?

You might be interested in a short story by William Gibson called 'The Gernsback Continuum'.
 
  • #17
MotoH said:
It seems like the UFO craze is mostly with civilized nations, and I have not seen much apart from crackpottery on an indigenous peoples claims for seeing UFOs.

There are many factors at play here:

-How much exposure do you get to indigenous people?
-How often are indigenous people's claims covered by media to which you have access?
-How accurate is such coverage by said media?
-What is lost and/or distorted in translation?
-What claims are we not hearing from indigenous people?

MotoH said:
My question being, since we see UFO claims nearly every day, and practically everyone has heard about, and has saw pictures of a "UFO." Does that make us more susceptible to claiming a UFO sighting when it is really just a natural occurrence?

I believe this is based purely on the individual. Some people make an effort to think critically while others do not.

Here is an alternate point of view to consider; what about those who have decided that UFOs (when they are considered to be alien) cannot possibly exist? Instead of asking "what are the data," they simply deny the claim right off the bat. This type of person may also see UFO claims everyday.
 
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  • #18
Isn't the primary characteristic of a UFO that it's unidentified?

As somebody said, a statement is either tautology or conjecture, so it seems we are dealing with A) something unidentified which is airborne, and B) a wish, or a need, to "explain" either the phenomenon itself or the psychology which caused the observation to happen. In both cases the person making the statement is asserting a specific world hypothesis, which is conflicting with another world hypothesis.

I personally don't "believe" either way. Had there been enough data to form a scientifically sound hypothesis, this would have existed by now. In lieu of this, we have to just make do with the scariest thing of all: The human mind's very limited capacity for understanding reality.
 
  • #19
DaveC426913 said:
Out of context?? You might want to check out what that phrase means. You are using it inappropriately.


Yes, how silly that someone should have to spend time clarifying a comment they posted on the internet.

See http://www.cracked.com/funny-3809-internet-argument-techniques/".

Actually, I am fully aware of that article and find it amusing that you should quote it, since it clearly applies more to your posts than it does to mine.
 
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  • #20
maybe in the 3rd world countries peoples faith in Christ or their religion is strong, compared to people who live in some rich nation. that's why they don't care of UFO's they see religious signs instead of flying saucers.
 
  • #21


NASA - Ask an Astrobiologist recently answered a question regarding a UFO.

1.Question
Reading all the questions that you anser on alian life and ufos you come across quite rude thousands of people see ufos each year. If one land in my back yard what should I do? Who would i go to for help? (I am 12 years old)

[Answer below]
If a UFO lands in your backyard, you should get good photos of it and call your family and neighbors to see it too. So far, in spite of millions of claims over the past 60 years of people seeing UFOs, no one has ever come up with credible photos or other evidence. That is why scientists do not believe these are alien spacecraft . Without evidence, such claims will not convince anyone. If UFOs interest you, I recommend that you read "The UFO Invasion: The Roswell Incident, Alien Abductions, and Government Coverups" by Kendrick Frazier, Barry Karr, and Joe Nickell to find our how UFO claims are investigated.

David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
April 8, 2010
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist/question/?id=10725 [Broken]

I just love David's answer! lol! He answered another one. David is very passionate about this issue.

Question

Has NASA any had UFO problems ?(i'm doing a school project on them)

[Answer below]
No, I can't imagine that NASA would have any problems with something that doesn't exist. The sad thing about UFO reports is that they distract so many people from understanding and enjoying real science. (There is a lot of nonsense on the Internet about UFOs, but I do recommend the website http://skepdic.com/ufos_ets.html).

David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
June 2, 2006
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist/question/?id=1510 [Broken]
 
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  • #22
A typical nonsense debunking. For example, he specified that there are no credible photos of UFOs [I assume that he means alleged alien spacecraft s. Someone should inform him that one is not automatically the other]. According to whom? There are plenty of photos that the academic community simply rejects based on the demand that extraordinary claims require extraodinary evidence. It took far less evidence for ball lightning to enter the mainstream - just a few fuzzy photos and unsupportable stories! Ask him for a photo of ball lightning. He also fails to address the far more compelling reports found in military files; likely because he doesn't even know they exist. I also wonder if he has reviewed the cases in which cops chased these things all over the countryside. Are the cops all crackpots and conspiring to tell tall tales? Note for example that the police chase scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was based on a real episode that involved the police from I believe several counties. The most recent example of something like this occurred in Illinois, in 2000.

His answers are pedantic at best. I'm not claiming that ET is here, but the UFO story is far more interesting that he wants to believe or cares to learn.
 
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  • #23
Ivan Seeking said:
A typical nonsense debunking.
[snip]
His answers are pedantic at best. I'm not claiming that ET is here, but the UFO story is far more interesting that he wants to believe or cares to learn.

Ivan, I don't think my previous message inclusive of David Morrison, NAI Senior Scientist is nonsense nor would I wish to mislead people into thinking he isn't aware of the lack of evidence to support UFO's.

I am sorry you are upset but I must agree with a scientist, especially if he is more than educated in advising children and adults. He obviously has the sources available from the scientific community so I would expect him to be aware of what is going on. I sure wouldn't wish for youngters to go around saying what you have to their parents after a NASA Senior Scientist has clearly and most recently responded. Perhaps you would like to present to "NASA - Ask an Astrobiologist" your concerns then share with us what an astrobiologist replies to you.

Note for example that the police chase scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was based on a real episode that involved the police from I believe several counties.

Ivan, I thought the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was fiction.
 
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  • #24
ViewsofMars said:
Ivan, I thought the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was fiction.
The segment he mentioned was based on a real incident. His point is that various law enforcement officers have reported seeing unidentified flying objects.

When I lived in Minnesota many years ago there was a police officer who was crashed into by some unidentified flying object. It came up the highway flying in the opposite direction he was driving and it grazed his cruiser as it passed, bending his antenna and denting the vehicle. There were photos of the vehicle with the article about it in the paper. The point is, he could not identify what the flying object was: it did not look like any conventional air plane or helicopter.

Stories like this have convinced me that there are, indeed, unidentified things flying around out there. I don't believe for a second they are from another planet, but they are, non-the-less, intriguing.
 
  • #25
zoobyshoe said:
The segment he mentioned was based on a real incident. His point is that various law enforcement officers have reported seeing unidentified flying objects.
Zoobyshoe, it would be nice if Ivan could give us the information by way of a link that will tell me as you have stated that Steven Spielberg "based on a real incident" used an account that "various law enforcement officers have reported seeing unidentified flying objects (UFO's)" in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Zoobyshoe, getting back to the movie, this is what I found out about it.
The genesis of Close Encounters of the Third Kind started when Steven Spielberg and his father saw a meteor shower in New Jersey when the director was a young boy. As a teenager, Spielberg completed the full-length science fiction film Firelight. Many scenes from Firelight would be incorporated in Close Encounters on a shot-for-shot basis. In 1970 he wrote a short story called Experiences about a lovers' lane in a Midwestern United States farming community and the "light show" a group of teenagers see in the night sky.
http://exclusivemovienews.blogspot.com/2010/02/close-encounters-of-third-kind.html
 
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  • #26
zoobyshoe said:
Stories like this have convinced me that there are, indeed, unidentified things flying around out there. I don't believe for a second they are from another planet, but they are, non-the-less, intriguing.

This is a question I've wanted to ask Ivan and you.

What, in your considered but private opinion, do you think is the perpetrator? I'm not asking you to defend your opinion; I'm asking what - if you had a chance to a peek into the future to where these mysteries were conclusively solved - would you put your money on?

It could be anything from ET (which I believe you've both dismissed) to secret projects, to mis-identified objects (large birds, weather balloons) to false reports or hoaxes or anythiong else. And of course mixed ratios of the above.

I'm asking what you believe is the likely cause of the more interesting and inexplicable reports.
 
  • #27
ViewsofMars said:
Zoobyshoe, it would be nice if Ivan could give us the information by way of a link that will tell me as you have stated that Steven Spielberg "based on a real incident" used an account that "various law enforcement officers have reported seeing unidentified flying objects (UFO's)" in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I'm sure he can dig up a link or two. I recall having read an account of the specific incident he's referring to.
 
  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
This is a question I've wanted to ask Ivan and you.

What, in your considered but private opinion, do you think is the perpetrator? I'm not asking you to defend your opinion; I'm asking what - if you had a chance to a peek into the future to where these mysteries were conclusively solved - would you put your money on?
I would say:

1.) Eloraborate hoaxes (by the same people who brought you crop circles).

2.) Eloraborate hoaxes designed both by our government and foreign governments. I have this idea that the US and Soviet Union were in a clandestine UFO War for years during which each was trying to convince the other they had extra-terrestrial technology reverse engineered from crashed flying saucers.

3.) As yet unknown natural phenomena. It's been suggested, for example, that swarms of glowing insects might be swept high into the atmosphere and present as inexplicable lights. Then there are things like the Marfa lights that seem to be caused by city lights from miles and miles away being "piped" through the atmosphere via unusual channels caused by discrete air currents differing in temperature from the surrounding air. That sort of thing.
 
  • #29
To the OP: The industrialized regions of the world are under greater scrutiny by extraterrestrial civilizations. If a technological threat to them develops here, that's where it will happen, not in the rain forest.
 
  • #30
Antiphon said:
To the OP: The industrialized regions of the world are under greater scrutiny by extraterrestrial civilizations. If a technological threat to them develops here, that's where it will happen, not in the rain forest.

They have space ships that can travel extremely fast. We have a glorified V2 rocket. I am positive they aren't scoping out our technologies.

(and I am also positive aliens are not visiting us. They have interstellar space craft, they wouldn't be didly dadling around in the atmosphere when they can just scan us from orbit.)
 
  • #31
Ivan Seeking said:
A typical nonsense debunking. For example, he specified that there are no credible photos of UFOs [I assume that he means alleged alien spacecraft s. Someone should inform him that one is not automatically the other].
We can do our regular dance here...

You point out that a "UFO" by definition isn't necessarily an alleged alien spacecraft and denigrate a skeptic for treating "UFOolog" is if it were 'did-you-just-see-an-alien- spacecraft -ology' and nog giving the appropriate level of respect or attributing the appropriate level of scientific rigor to the pursuit. As always, I respond: whether you really believe that to be true or just want that to be true is irrelevant. It just plain isn't true. UFOology really is 'did-you-just-see-an-alien- spacecraft -ology'. That's what the people reporting the sightings are talking about and that's what most of the people investigating them - particularly the most scientifically rigorous among them - are looking for. The most credible and scientifically rigorous investigations are about. By that, I mean military investigations. Project Blue Book is the archetype of this and it was all about looking for alien spacecraft , started not long after the initial "flying saucer" craze of the late 1940s. When a military investigation revels "no threat to national security", it means: 'this was not an alien spacecraft '.

Investigation of interesting scientific explanations for the sightings exist only as a subset of 'not an alien spacecraft ' judgements. Whether swamp gas, Venus or an Iridium flare, figuring out if any natural (or pseudo-natural/unexpected man-made) explanation has interesting scientific implications is secondary -- and nonetheless also judged not worthy of study by reputable scientific studies.

Indeed, when a "credible" or "compelling" sighting is publicized, it is always a 'this looks like a real alien spacecraft !' type of event. And a big part of why the reputation of UFOology is so bad is because of this stance and because of the excitement generated by such events...and the let-down when such events are figured-out as being mundane. The Mexican Air Force oil rig fiasco is a perfect example of the black-eye the field can get by overhyping the 'alien spaceship!' angle.

Of course, Morrison knows all of this and his dismissiveness is a reflection of his clear understanding of the issue.
According to whom?
According to reputable scientists in reputable scientific fields.
There are plenty of photos that the academic community simply rejects based on the demand that extraordinary claims require extraodinary evidence.
Correct - and correctly. You seem to be attempting to criticize the scientific community for acting in a maner that is absolutely the proper way to act! The cold fusion fiasco is a great example of what happens when that rule of thumb is forgotton or bypassed. Yeah, extrordinary claims really do require extrordinary evidence in order to be worthy of serious consideration. If such a bar was not set, scientists would be buried by the necessity to investigate huge numbers of relatively obviously (to scientists) crackpot claims.
It took far less evidence for ball lightning to enter the mainstream - just a few fuzzy photos and unsupportable stories! Ask him for a photo of ball lightning.
Uh, attempting to denigrate a potential real scientific finding does not by corollary promote an unscientific one to legitimacy - even if you were correct to denigrate ball lightning in that way: Try googling it for your pictures: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS311US311&q=ball+lightning

Besides the pictures, the proposed effect has been demonstrated in a lab. So while that doesn't make the explanation certain, it does provide an absolutely certainly credible explanation that might be attributable to the observations in nature. By contrast (and I've pointed this out before), until the generic explanation "alien spacecraft are real" is proven, it cannot be credibly applied to individual sightings.
He also fails to address the far more compelling reports found in military files; likely because he doesn't even know they exist.
Unlikely. More likely: when it comes to this issue, what UFOologists consider "compelling" is much different from what reputable/mainstream scientists consider "compelling".
I also wonder if he has reviewed the cases in which cops chased these things all over the countryside. Are the cops all crackpots and conspiring to tell tall tales? Note for example that the police chase scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was based on a real episode that involved the police from I believe several counties. The most recent example of something like this occurred in Illinois, in 2000.
No. People who report they've seen UFOS are almost always telling the truth. It's just that (by definition), they just don't realize what they are seeing has a mundane explanation. Pilots and air traffic controllers have been known to chase Venus, so why should cops be any better at identifying it?

"“Do you know how many times we have cleared Venus to land?” (Hendry 27) - The words of an Air Traffic Controller in Detroit" http://home.comcast.net/~tprinty/UFO/Venusufo.htm [Broken]

His answers are pedantic at best. I'm not claiming that ET is here, but the UFO story is far more interesting that he wants to believe or cares to learn.
Only if the story is about alien spacecraft !
 
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  • #32
DaveC426913 said:
This is a question I've wanted to ask Ivan and you.

I'm asking what you believe is the likely cause of the more interesting and inexplicable reports.
In addition, I'm interested in what UFOologists and laymen observers are looking for. I don't believe for a second that by-and-large they are searching for natural phenomena: people would not be studying the issue if not for the possibility that what was being seen is alien spacecraft .
 
  • #33
zoobyshoe said:
I would say:

1.) Eloraborate hoaxes (by the same people who brought you crop circles)...

2.) Eloraborate hoaxes designed both by our government and foreign governments...

3.) As yet unknown natural phenomena...
Just for clarity, would "unidentified, mundane phenomena" also make the list? Ie, did you just leave it off because it was too obvious/mundane? From Venus to birds to fireflies to oil rigs, the vast majority of sightings that are initially called "UFOs" are later identified as perfectly mundane things that the observer just didn't recognize. It stands to reason that even most of the ones that are never positively identified are also such perfectly ordinary things.
 
  • #34
russ_watters said:
Just for clarity, would "unidentified, mundane phenomena" also make the list? Ie, did you just leave it off because it was too obvious/mundane? From Venus to birds to fireflies to oil rigs, the vast majority of sightings that are initially called "UFOs" are later identified as perfectly mundane things that the observer just didn't recognize. It stands to reason that even most of the ones that are never positively identified are also such perfectly ordinary things.

Obviously a lot of reports are of misidentified mundane phenomena and outright hallucinations. Dave asked for personal opinion about "the more interesting and inexplicable reports".
 
  • #35
People who claim to see space aliens in our sky are mocked.
Government agencies participate in the mocking.
Religious people who claim that there is an invisible man living in the sky are not mocked.
Government agencies support the invisible man delusion.
Why is this?.
Seems to be a huge conspiracy to me.
Soon to be reversed I think.
 
<h2>1. What is the definition of a UFO sighting?</h2><p>A UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) sighting refers to the observation of an object or light in the sky that cannot be identified as a known or natural phenomenon.</p><h2>2. Are all UFO sightings just misidentified natural occurrences?</h2><p>No, not all UFO sightings can be explained as misidentified natural occurrences. While some sightings may be attributed to natural phenomena such as weather balloons or meteors, others remain unexplained and could potentially be extraterrestrial in nature.</p><h2>3. What are some common natural occurrences that are often mistaken for UFOs?</h2><p>Some common natural occurrences that are often mistaken for UFOs include weather balloons, aircrafts, meteors, and astronomical events like planets or comets.</p><h2>4. How do scientists determine if a UFO sighting is a misidentified natural occurrence?</h2><p>Scientists use various methods to investigate UFO sightings, such as analyzing witness testimonies, collecting physical evidence, and conducting scientific experiments. They also compare the sighting to known natural occurrences and use critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning to determine if it can be explained by a natural phenomenon.</p><h2>5. Why do some people believe in UFO sightings despite scientific explanations?</h2><p>There are a variety of reasons why some people may continue to believe in UFO sightings despite scientific explanations. These reasons may include cultural beliefs, personal experiences, and a desire to believe in something beyond our current understanding of the universe.</p>

1. What is the definition of a UFO sighting?

A UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) sighting refers to the observation of an object or light in the sky that cannot be identified as a known or natural phenomenon.

2. Are all UFO sightings just misidentified natural occurrences?

No, not all UFO sightings can be explained as misidentified natural occurrences. While some sightings may be attributed to natural phenomena such as weather balloons or meteors, others remain unexplained and could potentially be extraterrestrial in nature.

3. What are some common natural occurrences that are often mistaken for UFOs?

Some common natural occurrences that are often mistaken for UFOs include weather balloons, aircrafts, meteors, and astronomical events like planets or comets.

4. How do scientists determine if a UFO sighting is a misidentified natural occurrence?

Scientists use various methods to investigate UFO sightings, such as analyzing witness testimonies, collecting physical evidence, and conducting scientific experiments. They also compare the sighting to known natural occurrences and use critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning to determine if it can be explained by a natural phenomenon.

5. Why do some people believe in UFO sightings despite scientific explanations?

There are a variety of reasons why some people may continue to believe in UFO sightings despite scientific explanations. These reasons may include cultural beliefs, personal experiences, and a desire to believe in something beyond our current understanding of the universe.

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