Unknown flying objects, or UFOs, are celestial objects that have been spotted but cannot be explained. The term “flying saucer” originated from Kenneth Arnold’s description of seeing the crescent-shaped objects moving through the air “like saucers skipping on water”. A newspaper report incorrectly stated that the objects themselves were saucer-shaped, giving rise to the idea of a flying saucer. As a result, they are also known as flying saucers.
Later, it was discovered that many UFOs were Venus, which is frequently exceedingly brilliant. Although there are a few that haven’t yet been identified, other things such as aeroplanes, city lights, satellites, weather balloons, and other known items are also seen. There are some who believe they could be extraterrestrial spacecraft, although there is no evidence to support this.
American folklore includes UFOs as well. The mythos of America includes notions of aliens and flying saucers. Folklife collections contain documentation of these kinds of encounters. A possible UFO sighting is described in an interview with Howard Miller about hunting and hound hounds that was part of the collection Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia.
Businessman Kenneth Arnold claimed to have seen a group of fast, crescent-shaped flying objects in 1947 while operating his own aircraft close to Mount Rainier in Washington. This was the first publicly reported UFO sighting.
The scientific investigation of unidentified flying objects and aerial phenomena, or UFOs and UAPs, has been frowned upon for far too long. The information gap that unscientific assertions are filling as a result of a lack of scientific study is a significant contributor to that taboo.
After World War II, there was a surge in popular interest in UFOs that may have been prompted by the advancement of rocket technology. Some people view UFO sightings as proof that alien life exists and has come to Earth.
Content for this question contributed by Lorraine Martin, resident of Cranford, Union County, New Jersey, USA
