| What comes to mind when someone talks about | | | | may not be so common in our language, in our |
| a UFO? Do you think about the cover of a | | | | experiences and in novels, television programming |
| science fiction novel and the image of mysterious | | | | and films. How common is it for people to see a |
| bluish lights beaming down from it? Do you think | | | | UFO? |
| about a time when you were out late at night and | | | | It's hard to say, really, because many people who |
| you saw a flash of light, wondered what it was | | | | see an unidentified flying object in the sky are |
| only to realize a moment later that what you saw | | | | reluctant to report it. Either the person who saw |
| wasn't a UFO - it was just the lights of a plane | | | | a UFO believes that there is a far more logical |
| that was beginning its descent. Do you think of | | | | explanation or merely thinks that no one would |
| movies, or little green men, cartoons, or do you | | | | believe them if they were to say anything about |
| just turn away shaking your head? | | | | it. And yet, there are UFO sightings that are |
| A lot of people discuss UFOs as flying saucers - it | | | | shared and that become the topic of conspiracy |
| seems to be the best description that they can | | | | theories by those who believe that beings from |
| come up with. Others suggest, rather dismissively, | | | | other planets and galaxies have visited the earth. |
| that UFO simply means unidentified flying object | | | | One such incident occurred in 1980 in Rendlesham |
| and that the light that someone saw flashing in | | | | Forest in Suffolk, England. Those who saw the |
| the sky was either a plane, a helicopter or a | | | | UFO all claimed to have seen flashing lights coming |
| reflection of light off of a cell phone tower or | | | | from an unidentified flying object that was |
| another metal object. | | | | descending towards the woods - a UFO that was |
| Reflections of light from a cell phone tower do | | | | roughly the size of a car and seemed to float on |
| little to explain away "mysterious materials" found | | | | a beam of light. After reports were made about |
| in Roswell, New Mexico in the late 1940s. While | | | | the object, it was discovered that trees were |
| the United States military has always stood their | | | | damaged, radio frequencies became nothing but |
| ground that these materials were merely | | | | static and soil samples later showed radioactive |
| fragments of a research balloon, a top secret | | | | activity. |
| test that ended badly, others offer another | | | | Similarly, in Gulf Breeze, Florida in 1987 tales of a |
| explanation. They assert that the materials were | | | | UFO began to circulate when a man saw a |
| fragments of a UFO, an alien craft that crashed | | | | strange light coming from his lawn. When he saw |
| rather than safely landing. They believe that the | | | | the flying saucer, he grabbed a camera and |
| "flying disc" - as it was called by military personnel | | | | started shooting photos as proof of what he had |
| - that was recovered could not be something | | | | seen. Of course, in this situation, the story was |
| from this world, and so began one of the most | | | | not just of a UFO sighting, but about repeated |
| talked about UFO encounters in the world. | | | | experiences and of the man's being beamed up |
| Many who believe that the UFO in Roswell, New | | | | onto the craft. |
| Mexico deserved more attention than it was being | | | | Though discussions of these UFO sightings |
| given, believe that it wasn't something that could | | | | continue, and there has been audio recordings and |
| just be dismissed. In part, this is likely to have | | | | photo documentation, it is still difficult to know |
| something to do with other stories surrounding | | | | whether or not the unidentified flying objects |
| the flying saucer. A farmer talked about having | | | | were indeed from space. Many claimed, in regard |
| found materials miles away from Roswell, and the | | | | to the Gulf Breeze, Florida UFO sightings, that the |
| story was picked up by newspapers, | | | | man had manipulated the photographs and |
| accompanied by photos of the strange find - | | | | fabricated the story. |
| strips of rubber, something like aluminum foil, | | | | In each case, both sides - the believers and the |
| sticks. It's a story that has gained so much | | | | skeptics - find evidence to support their claims. |
| attention around the world that it has influenced | | | | Those who believe in UFOs and alien visitations |
| many people's sense of alien life and alien | | | | cite facts that they claim cannot otherwise be |
| visitations to earth. | | | | explained. Those who are skeptical offer their |
| If the Roswell, New Mexico story had never | | | | own explanations along with their own supporting |
| become so widespread, UFO and flying saucer | | | | evidence. Which side is right? |