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If you’re hunting for aliens, you might want to back off.
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Western states seem to have the best conditions for finding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UNP).
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But don’t roll out the welcome mat just yet, there is no evidence that aliens have visited Earth.
The best place to see a UFO in the US may be out west – that’s where most sightings in the US between 2001 and 2020 seem to have come from, a study has found.
But don’t put on your tinfoil hat just yet – there’s a lot more people might see than a little green man.
Here’s a map from the study of where it’s hot for UFO sightings:
Wide open western skies and low cloud cover offer a great viewing opportunity to spot any foreign visitors dropping by.
The downside, however, is that spots are likely to be damaged by activity from nearby military installations and airports, the report found.
That’s not to say that these reports should be dismissed entirely, and that’s exactly what scientists are trying to figure out with this research: what could help them filter out the new spots from the ocean of misrepresentation and confusion.
“The US government – the military, intelligence and civilian agencies – need to understand what is in the operational areas to ensure the safety and security of the nation and its people,” said Sean Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of physics at the University of Georgia. and former head of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), in a statement.
“Unknowns are unacceptable in this age of ubiquitous sensors and data availability. The scientific community has a responsibility to investigate and educate,” per Kirkpatrick, who is an author of the study.
Have you seen an alien or an ordinary satellite?
If you were in Los Angeles on Tuesday you could be forgiven for thinking you saw an alien. An ethereal jellyfish-shaped blob reached the sky as the sun set, traveling at an alarming speed.
What many didn’t know was that a SpaceX rocket touched down nearby, leaving behind a vapor trail that looks strange to the untrained eye.
That’s a great example of what NASA and AARO are struggling to deal with.
The US government’s National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) takes unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — its new term for UFOs — seriously.
These reports could be vital evidence for tracking enemy technology flying under the radar in US airspace, for example. And yes, if aliens were flying around the Earth, this is one place scientists would be looking for them as well.
But the vast majority of reports can easily be explained by something else, like a passing satellite or rocket, or clouds distorting the light. NUFORC even has a standardized response form that explains how Venus is often mistaken for an alien ship, according to the study.
So how can they trust what you see?
PIN reports are valuable information, but only if they are credible
In an effort to tackle this question, Kirkpatrick and his colleagues surveyed where most sightings come from.
Scanning 98,724 sightings logged by NUFORC between 2001 and 2020, they found that the majority of reports were hyperlocalized in the West.
Knowing where the reports come from can help scientists pick out common environmental factors that may be influencing the flood of reports.
For example, if there is a strong culture of looking for foreigners, this can influence the reports. In short, “if your goal is to see a UAP, you might see one given the chance,” according to the study.
More people are also outdoors, giving them more opportunities to look up at the sky, the scientists said.
However, some data surprised the scientists. One thing they expected was that regions with more cloud cover might be behind the sites of activity. Clouds can distort a flash of light. That was not the case.
California also has far fewer reports, they said, and they couldn’t find a good reason.
“There are many factors that could contribute to the report of anomalous objects,” said Simon Brewer, associate professor of geography at the University of Utah and co-author of the study.
“By examining the spatial distribution of the reports and their relationship to the local environment, we hope to provide some geographic context that may help resolve or understand reports from the public and in military settings.”
While you’re waiting for the undeniable evidence that our extraterrestrial neighbors are watching us, you can also use this data.
Hotspots for alien reports are places where the skies are wide open and the stars are easy to see. They offer precious stargazing opportunities – with the added bonus of the occasional alien thrill.
The results were published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports in December 2023.
Read the original article on Business Insider
