UFO myths, checked
Things everyone “knows” about UFOs, and what the records say.
MythUFO means alien spaceship.
FactTo the military, a UFO means something in the sky that can be seen but not recognised. It does not mean something from another world. The National Archives Britannica defines a UFO as any object or light in the sky that the person watching can’t readily identify. Britannica
MythKenneth Arnold said he saw flying saucers.
FactHe said they moved like a saucer skipping on water. The National Archives A newspaper report then wrongly said the objects were saucer-shaped, which is how we got the phrase “flying saucer”. Britannica In a report he sent to the US Air Force that July, Arnold drew a shape rather like the heel of a shoe, not a round saucer. Smithsonian Air and Space
MythThe military found a crashed flying disc at Roswell.
FactAlmost at once, the military said the “saucer” was really a weather balloon carrying a radar target, a kind of box kite made of foil-covered paper on a balsa wood frame. Britannica, Roswell The 1994 Air Force report concluded that the debris came from a balloon-borne research project code-named Mogul. US Air Force No records even hinted at the recovery of alien bodies or materials from space. US National Archives
MythProject Blue Book proved some UFOs came from space.
FactThe unidentified cases included ones where there wasn’t enough information to match a known cause. Britannica Its conclusions: no UFO was ever a threat to US security, and there was no evidence that the “unidentified” sightings were beyond known science or were vehicles from space. US National Archives No physical evidence of anything from another world was collected during the project. Britannica, Blue Book
MythRadar tracked the Rendlesham craft.
FactMoD records from the time show no evidence of unusual radar returns. Hansard
MythThe Navy videos show objects moving impossibly fast.
FactNASA’s study team used the numbers on the display to work out that the object was at about 13,000 feet, more than four miles above the sea behind it. NASA UAP study The object moved about 390 metres in 22 seconds, roughly 40 mph: a typical wind speed at that height. NASA UAP study The object was colder than the ocean, so there was no sign of heat from an engine. It was most likely drifting with the wind. NASA UAP study
MythThe government has alien technology and is hiding it.
FactAsked whether it has found any evidence of extraterrestrial technology, the US Defense Department’s AARO answers: “No.” It says examination of sightings is ongoing. AARO FAQ It found no verifiable evidence that the US government or private companies ever had access to alien technology. US Defense Dept, 2024 It put claims of hidden alien-technology programmes down largely to “circular reporting”: a small group repeating inaccurate stories heard from others over decades. US Defense Dept, 2024
MythA pilot would never mistake satellites for a UFO.
FactWhen the first trains appeared in May 2019 they were often reported as UFOs, including by airline pilots. Skeptical Inquirer, Starlink In 2022, pilots reported pulsing “racetrack” lights circling far away; amateur investigators matched every video they could date and place to Starlink satellites. Skeptical Inquirer, Starlink
MythA bright light that follows your car must be a craft.
FactA bright light such as Venus often seems to move, and can even seem to “follow” a car. Britannica Venus is the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and the Moon. NASA, Venus
Myth“Unidentified” means it can’t be explained.
FactAARO, the US government’s UAP office, says many cases are labelled “unidentified” simply because the sensors didn’t collect enough information to say what they were. AARO FAQ More than 900 reports lacked enough scientific data to analyse, and are kept in case new information turns up. US Defense Dept, 2024 report
MythA photo or video is proof.
FactCamera lenses can turn a single point of light into something that looks saucer-shaped. Britannica Some photo “UFOs” are lens flare or other camera artefacts. NASA Night Sky Network Some cases stay unresolved simply because the footage is too poor, such as 30 seconds of mobile phone video. AARO imagery
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