UFOs and Extraterrestrials

UFOs, or Unidentified Flying Objects, and extraterrestrials are perennial favorites in science fiction, but to date there have been no confirmed encounters on Earth. Still, strange sights in the night sky have been attributed to UFOs or aliens over the decades, most famously in Roswell, New Mexico, where many believers claim an alien craft crashed on a farm in 1947. In 2017, the existence of a secret U.S. government program that tracked "UFO" sightings by military pilots, which shut down in 2012, was brought to light in a New York Times report.

Related Topics: Alien Planets, Incredible Space Tech, Multiverse, Interstellar Travel

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The search for alien life

By Mike Wall last updated

Here's a look at where the hunt for aliens has been and where it's headed.

Jupiter's ocean moon Europa, as seen by NASA's Galileo probe.

A lander on Jupiter's icy moon Europa may have to dig at least 1 foot down to find signs of life

By Mike Wall published

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The new government report describes 144 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena.

US intelligence report on UFOs: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world

By Chris Impey last updated

On June 25, 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a much-anticipated report on UFOs to Congress.

An image of Saturn's moon Enceladus, taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Methane in plume of Saturn's moon Enceladus could be sign of alien life, study suggests

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The methane wafting from Enceladus may be a sign that life teems in the Saturn moon's subsurface sea, a new study reports.

An image showing a UFO was allegedly captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) in the United Kingdom in 2008.

Most Americans think intelligent aliens exist, and half think they have visited Earth

By Mindy Weisberger published

A new survey reveals that most Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life and do not feel threatened by the appearance of UFOs.

The new documentary "On The Trail of UFOS: Dark Sky" examines the UFO phenomenon and the U.S. military's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena reports. It will launch on streaming platforms Aug. 3, 2021.

Exclusive: Filmmakers hunt for the truth in new documentary trailer for 'On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky'

By Jeff Spry published

Small Town Monsters' latest paranormal project focuses on the connection between unidentified objects and energy sources.

A UFO spotted by a U.S. Navy jet.

Up in the air! US government's UFO report stirs range of reactions

By Leonard David published

The release of the U.S. government's highly anticipated UFO report has whipped up a blend of reactions, from UFO groups to individuals in military, academic and scientific circles.

Footage of a UFO captured by a U.S. Navy jet.

UFO sightings remain mysterious, US government report says

By Mike Wall last updated

The U.S. government needs some more time to get to the bottom of the UFO mystery.

ufo sighting

How to calculate the odds that an alien spaceship has been spotted

By Anders Sandberg published

The US military has released previously classified photos and films related to unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings, which mostly show something blurry moving strangely.

An artist's depiction of the sun and Earth as seen from another star system.

Aliens could have spotted Earth cross the sun from more than 1,700 star systems

By Charles Q. Choi published

E.T. could also potentially have detected life on Earth, scientists say.

This still is from a U.S. Navy jet's video of a UFO sighting.

Skies alive with UFOs? Government report on mysterious sightings due soon

By Leonard David last updated

The U.S. government is set to release a UFO report soon, perhaps sometime this week. What will it say?

Mushroom-like structures on Mars.

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This week on the Space.com forums: Parallel universes, the moon, UFOs and a solar quiz!

By Mohamed Mohammed published

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On July 16, 1952, Coast Guard seaman Shell Alpert took this photo of four roughly elliptical blobs of light in formation through the window of his photographic laboratory near Salem, Massachusetts. The U.S. Air Force's UFO task force, Project Blue Book, investigated the image and deemed it "unexplained."

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By Mindy Weisberger published

In a new report, Pentagon officials claim they lack evidence that UFOs are from worlds other than Earth.

This still is from a U.S. Navy jet's video of a UFO sighting.

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By Mike Wall published

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A government employee photographed a UFO that hovered for 15 minutes near Holloman Air Development Center in New Mexico, on Dec.16, 1957.

Pentagon's long-awaited UFO report to Congress due this month

By Mindy Weisberger published

U.S. lawmakers called for an official assessment of UFO sightings in December, and the six-month deadline is up.

The auction of this so-called evidence of extraterrestrials has an opening bid of $1 million or 450 Ethereum (a network for the cryptocurrency Ether).

1947 'alien autopsy' film frame is up for auction as an NFT

By Mindy Weisberger published

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The footage was allegedly filmed in the Combat Information Center of the USS Omaha on July 15, 2019.

Spherical UFO plunges into the ocean in US Navy footage

By Mindy Weisberger published

A clip of a mysterious spherical object hovers over the horizon, in footage released by a filmmaker who produces UFO documentaries.

microphone in lecture hall

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By Libby Plummer, All About Space magazine published

Be even more inspired by the universe and TED Talks with our top picks of ideas worth spreading.