Are UFOs Real

UFO stands for any "unidentified flying object". However, the term generates most interest when it is used in reference to the spaceships that are believed to come from outside this world...literally. There have been a lot of reports of unexplained huge saucer shaped or triangular objects flying in the air. Most say that these vehicles travel at incredible speed and some have even reported to have been kidnapped by these spaceships. But what are these vehicles? Where do they come from?

The Sightings

The belief that extraterrestrials exists has been around since antiquity. People coming from the stars, this and somewhat similar beliefs have found mention in most of the ancient civilizations and cultures. What triggered such a belief? Just imagination? Or was it some common occurrences that led people across different cultures that varied in space and time, with no technology to communicate with each other, weave beliefs of people being there in outer space? This raises the question are there aliens?

The early probable UFO sightings reported date back to 1504-1450 B.C. This evidence comes from the inscriptions on an Egyptian papyrus that depicted a chain of flying saucers flying the sky. Variably termed as 'rings of fire' or 'fire spewing giants', there are mentions of quite a few such mysterious phenomenon that date to the earliest civilizations. These are believed to be references to UFOs. Another early mention of UFO comes from the account of Julius Obsequens, a Roman writer, in 100 B.C. He is believed to have seen 'things like ships' in the sky over Italy. Some believe that Book of Ezekiel which chronicles the period from about 593 B.C. to about 573 B.C also has mentions of UFO sightings! Throughout history there have been literary references and depictions in paintings, of formation of moving bright lights in the sky. For many of the recent occurrences, photographs have been provided as proofs. While some have been found to be phony, for some others there is no evidence to discredit their authenticity. Here are two convincing yet the most controversial incidents of UFO sightings in the recent years:

Rendlesham Forest Sightings: During the month of December 1980, a number of unexplained lights and UFO sightings had been reported in the Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk England. There was a reported landing of an extraterrestrial spacecraft as well. To the north and south of the forest were American bases of Bentwaters and Woodbridge. Radar screens at Bentwaters and RAF Walton in Norfolk showed an unidentified flying object in the area. Investigation of the incident indicated landing of an alien spacecraft. Three servicemen who went to investigate the spot thinking that it was some downed aircraft found that instead there was a brightly lit triangular object hovering a little above the ground. One of them is even said to have touched the object and copied the markings on the body of the 'object'. Variously colored lights were said to be emanating from the object. As per the report of these men, the object flew back into the air after their brief encounter. When the three returned to the sight the next day, they found triangular markings on the spot where they had seen the strange object the previous night. The police however dismissed them as having been created by some animals. Although many of the primary witnesses and who were working with the government claim that they were sworn to secrecy and made to sign documents stating that what they saw wasn't any alien craft, the incidents get credibility from the memorandum known as the Halt's Memo made by Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt the deputy base commander of the Bentwaters base.

Roswell Incident: Sometime around July 8, 1947, some unidentified flying object was reported to have crashed in a ranch close to Roswell, New Mexico, USA. The incident lost interest with public and media. However, in an interview conducted almost 30 years later, Major Jesse Marcel who was personally involved in the recovery of debris from the crash site said that he was sure that the military hushed up crashing of an alien spacecraft in Roswell that night. With the revival of the subject, more witnesses came up about real and dead aliens being recovered and autopsies being carried out on the corpse of aliens, at the Roswell base. Although later reports by the government stated that the debris collected belonged to high altitude air balloons which were a part of a secret government program called Project Mogul, the nature of sightings and testimonials of other witnesses make this claim seem improbable.

People Who Believe They are Real

Some dismiss sightings of UFOs as the work of imagination of a few simpletons in awe at the prospect of life out in the space. For such people here is a list of some very credible individual who believe that we are not alone:

Jimmy Carter: He promised that if elected, he would make government files on UFOs public. He claimed that he had seen one himself!

Ronald Reagan: President Reagan is himself said to have seen strange lights in the sky while on a flight. He ordered his pilot to follow the lights. They followed the bright light for several minutes up to Bakersfield from where, in his own words it rose straight up into heavens.

Richard Nixon: In an interview, President Nixon conceded that he was not at liberty to discuss UFOs and that he was still being briefed about the subject.

J Edgar Hoover: Hoover, who headed the FBI from 1935 to 1972 once spoke of an incident when flying saucers flying over Los Angeles were allegedly shot at. But he claims that the military confiscated all the disks that were recovered and did not let the FBI to carry out even a cursory examination of the disks.

Monsignor Corrado Balducci: Balducci, a Vatican theologian was quoted as saying that through its embassies in various countries, the Vatican was getting evidence of contact between human beings and the extraterrestrials. So what should we conclude? Are aliens real?

Other than the sightings and testimonials, there have been many cases of human beings being kidnapped by aliens riding in their spaceships. Although most of the victims consciously can't recall anything of what happened during the time that they were kidnapped, through hypnosis, accounts have been gathered from different sources belonging to different time and place. These accounts are intriguingly similar to each other!

Do UFOs Really Exist?

If we all see something or if there is hard evidence of some entity, then it is real. By this parameter, existence of UFOs becomes questionable. Role of the governments in covering up such incidents does make it probable that what people witness as they are indeed part of secret projects. But then what about the testimonials of those who have been part of teams that have investigated incidents of UFO landings or have held responsible posts within the governments itself? But if they really did exist, why are they reported only over and close to developed nations?

Another point of consideration is the fact that the reports of UFO sightings were at all time high in 1996, the year when Agent Mulder and Scully appeared in X files with their famous line The truth is out there! A similar spurt in sightings of UFOs was reported to the MoD in the year 1978 when Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released. Some attribute such a trend to the awareness in public about UFOs while others discredit these incidents as being sparked off by people's hyperactive imagination fueled by such shows. But is there life on other planets? We do not have any conclusive answer to this question!

Are UFOs real or fake, this is a debate that has evoked awe as well as fear in public. Some very reliable sources claim that government have proof of alien-human contacts and that they are also collaborating with aliens. However, till such reports are made public or some conclusive proof is available the question 'are UFOs real' will remain unanswered!