unidentified flying object
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
|
Date: 2008
unidentified flying object or UFO, an object or light reportedly seen in the sky whose appearance, trajectory, and general dynamic and luminescent behavior do not readily suggest a logical, conventional explanation. Some of these phenomena have been photographed and others correlated with radar echoes. Throughout history there have been reports of strange objects in the sky. In the 20th cent. a number of observers claim to have seen vehicles, or "flying saucers," which some believe are space ships visiting the earth from other planets. Because the objects are often shining and in that part of the sky opposite the sun, most investigators, official and unofficial alike, tend to interpret them as reflections of the sun's rays from airplanes. Some UFOs, when pursued by planes, have proved to be weather balloons or other objects of unquestionably terrestrial origin. Fireballs, meteors, and other meteorological phenomena account for most of the relatively few UFOs that observers report seeing at night. However, there are some sightings that investigators are unable to explain in terms of known phenomena.
Bibliography: See D. Ritchie, UFO: The Definitive Guide to Unidentified Flying Objects and Related Phenomena (1994); B. Steiger, ed., Project Blue Book: The Top Secret UFO Findings Revealed (repr. 1995); J. Clark, The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial (1997); B. Saler et al., UFO Crash at Roswell: The Genesis of a Modern Myth; J. A. Hynek et al., Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings (2d ed. 1998); J. A. Hynek, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry (1999); N. Pope, Open Skies, Closed Minds: For the First Time a Government UFO Expert Speaks Out (1999).
Author not available, UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT.,
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
For permission to reuse this article, contact Copyright Clearance Center.
Related articles from HighBeam Research:
|
50 Years Ago, Unidentified Flying Objects From Way Beyond the Beltway Seized the Capital's Imagination
The Washington Post; 7/21/2002; Peter Carlson; 2970 words;
... Here's a fleet of flying saucers for you ... you believe in flying saucers, that ... seeing unexplained objects, radar at two ... searching for flying saucers. Then ... New York Daily News. "AERIAL WHATZITS ... know what was flying over his house ... they take the flying saucers." ...
|
&type=1 "Herald Express (Torquay UK)")
|
Unidentified furry objects identified Let's clarify things. There are two categories of UFOs - Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Furry Objects, like the Beast of Dartmoor.
Herald Express (Torquay UK); 8/28/2007; 832 words;
... of UFOs - Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Furry Objects, like the ... But the 'Unidentified' label is ... so-called Unidentified Furry Objects which I've ... This Furry Object has haunted ...
|
|
Phenomenon of unidentified flying objects continues to this day.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 6/21/1997; Merzer, Martin; 1565 words;
... SOMETHINGS flying in formation ... well, like flying saucers ... arrival of a flying saucer. Then ... phenomenon of unidentified flying objects continues ... myself an objective skeptic ... shaped ``flying saucers ... regarding the flying disc became ... Airlines crew ...
|
|
The war of the words: revamping operational terminology for UFOs.(unidentified flying object)
ETC.: A Review of General Semantics; 3/22/1999; Raimer, Mark A.; 1942 words;
... of the term Unidentified Flying Object in the first ... the fact that flying object implies qualities ... dictionaries, flying object signifies a ... the data on unidentified things in the ... definition. UAP - Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon ... the term UAP ...
|
|
If the truth is out there, the Feds aren't telling. (growing number of sightings of unidentified flying objects leads to pressure on Congress to investigate)
Insight on the News; 5/18/1998; Duin, Julia; 777 words;
... last summer, a television-news anchorwoman was delivering ... another UFO sighting. The unidentified flying object, according to government ... none of the unidentifiable objects were identified as an extraterrestrial ... reported seeing a huge V-shaped object approximately a mile ...
|
|
Ride New Mexico: UFOs aren't the only three-letter rides near Roswell.(ON THE TRAIL)(unidentified flying object)
ATV Magazine; 5/1/2005; Rolland, Mark A.; 917 words;
... potential government cover-up, an unidentified flying object and rumored aliens that turned Roswell into the countries' news epicenter in July 1947. Brazel ... government cover-up hiding aliens and flying saucers, or just a United States ...
|
|
|
Are those little green men still in the Roswell desert? (alleged crash of unidentified flying object in Mew Mexico in 1947)
Insight on the News; 5/26/1997; Judge, Mark Gauvreau; 1590 words;
... retrieved a flying saucer, only ... pieces of a flying saucer, he remembers ... thing was a flying saucer, he says ... emphasis on unidentified. There's a percentage ... Kenneth Arnold was flying near Mt. Rainier ... nine strange objects in the airspace ... described the objects as ...
|
|
Six unexplainable encounters: these UFO sightings continue to defy science and the skeptics.(Unidentified Flying Objects)(includes related article on government knowledge of UFOs)(Cover Story)
Popular Mechanics; 7/1/1998; Wilson, Jim; 2638 words;
... inverted pieplate flying machine was seen ... was circulated by news wires and printed ... disappeared. Found in a news wire photo archive ... Phantom jets and an object that failed to appear ... resemblance between the object that appeared in ... activity, including fast-flying disks. On the ...
|
|
The UFO's in Uncle Sam's closet. (government investigations of unidentified flying objects)
U.S. News & World Report; 10/23/1989; 253 words;
... government and the media treated unidentified flying objects as no laughing matter. It started ... story in 1952 concluded that the objects could be explained solely as ... oxygen, he crashed and died. The object of his pursuit was later revealed ...
|
|
Small town may build UFO site.(PUERTO RICO)(UFO landing)(UFO, unidentified flying objects)(extraterrestrial life)(Brief Article)
Caribbean Update; 11/1/2005; 395 words;
... southwestern Puerto Rico proudly displays a silhouette of a flying saucer and two words: Extraterrestrial Route : Most Puerto Ricans ... aerostat, a tethered blimp with a radar system, to detect low-flying drug smuggling planes. But many Lajans don't believe that. Even ...
|
|
|
Kidnapped by an alien: tales of UFO abductions. (Unidentified Flying Object) (Folklore: Maps and Territories)
ETC.: A Review of General Semantics; 3/22/1993; Bynum, Joyce; 3116 words;
... float above ground and pass through solid objects. Witnesses may report paralysis upon meeting ... parts of the head or brain removed, and objects injected or inserted. Similarly, some ... parts of their bodies were removed, and objects inserted. Initiations also may involve ...
|
|
|
The secret CIA UFO files(Central Intelligence Agency files reportedly indicate that some of the unidentified flying object sightings may have been secret intelligence-gathering aircraft)(Brief Article)
Popular Mechanics; 11/1/1997; Wilson, Jim; 910 words;
... plane was conceived in 1954 by CIA director Allen Dulles. The objective of this secret program, according to aviation historian Paul F. Crickmore, was to build a spyplane capable of flying higher and faster than the U-2. The secret development program ...
|
|
Is it real?(facts about crop circles and unidentified flying objects)(Brief article)
National Geographic; 6/1/2006; 54 words;
Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT Fact or fantasy? The answer is never simple. Is It Real? takes a high-spirited look at bizarre phenomena across the globe. Episodes include investigations of crop circles in England and UFO sightings in Mexico and Europe. Join experts, pranksters, and true believers as they
|
|
On UFO propulsion. (unidentified flying object)
R & D; 12/1/1993; Jueneman, Frederic B.; 660 words;
I rediscovered a note I made to myself, dated in March of 1968, which stated: Orientation of orbital electrons in a phased matrix may radically change the structure of the crystal array by altering the quantum effects of the binding energy. The crystal may become fluid in a quantum sense while
|
|
|
The unending search for UFOs.(Center for Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence to present case for unidentified flying objects to Congress)(Brief Article)
U.S. News & World Report; 4/14/1997; Lord, Mary; 310 words;
No alien mothership lurks in Comet Hale-Bopp's sensational tail, a glance at the nighttime sky will reveal. But UFOs enjoy a more down-to-earth following than last month's cult suicides may suggest. Indeed, many self-described ufologists fear the Heaven's Gate incident will only hurt efforts by
|
See all results from premium newspaper and magazine articles, images, maps and more at HighBeam Research.
Related articles from newspapers, magazines and other sources:
|
|