It's not a UFO: scientists name human factors that confuse alien fans

Most, if not all, UFO sightings have nothing to do with extraterrestrial civilizations. Scientists have found that reports of alien space saucers are usually closely associated with light pollution, open space, and proximity to airports and military installations.

This is stated in a study by scientists from the University of Utah (USA), which was published in the ScientificReport journal. They studied 98,000 UFO reports collected between 2001 and 2020 and stored at the National UFO Research Center (USA).

As you know, UFOs became a hot topic again last year when David Grush, a veteran of the US Air Force and former employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office, made several sensational statements. In particular, he claimed that the U.S. government has alien vehicles in its possession, as well as the dead non-human bodies of "pilots."

Despite the fact that scientists have called his sensationalist claims nonsense, Grush's revelations have raised many questions about the secrecy of the government's work on UFOs, as well as the fact that claims of UFO sightings from the public are often not even investigated.

It got to the point where government officials had to justify themselves by saying that 650 UFO reports analyzed by the Pentagon turned out to be empty.

Now, scientists say they have a very earthly explanation for UFOs and conspiracy theorists. They believe that all sightings can be linked to geographical and human factors.

"The idea is that if you have a chance to see something, you're more likely to see unexplained phenomena in the sky," said Richard Medina, an associate professor of geography at the University of Utah and lead author of the study.

It turned out that people report more UFO sightings where they have a better view of the sky. This explains why most of the sightings occurred in the western United States, which is known for its fairly flat landscape that offers a good view of the sky. It is also a region where outdoor recreation is very common, with little city light.

"The West has a historical connection with UFOs - Area 51 (a military base where UFOs are allegedly hidden - Ed.) in Nevada, Roswell (the alleged site of a 1947 UFO crash - Ed.) in New Mexico," Medina said.

The study also confirmed that UFOs are suspiciously frequently observed near airports and military installations. So, according to scientists, there is simply a situation where people see aerial phenomena, but do not associate them with human activity.

At the same time, the researchers do not rule out that certain observations may still be more than a misidentification, but there is simply no solid evidence of this.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that NASA admitted that UFOs could be hovering in the Earth's atmosphere, but there is one "but".

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