An unidentified flying object, or UFO, is any real or apparent flying object whi

ch cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after inv
estigation. The shape of a UFO can vary between a defined shape (sphere, equilat
eral triangle, or diamond shaped) and an undefined shape (black mass, moving lig
hts). Through the study of UFO's (called Ufology), various methods have been cre
ated to categorize the sightings.
Dr. J. Allen Hynek developed a commonly used system of description. He divided s
ightings into six distinct categories which separates the sightings based on pro
ximity up to 500 feet. The sightings are then divided into subcategories based o
n viewing conditions. The three distinct sighting categories are Nocturnal Light
s, Daylight Discs, and objects seen simultaneously by eye and radar.
Jacques Vallee devised a different UFO classification system which is preferred
by many UFO investigators over Hynek's system as it is considerably more descrip
tive. The Valle method divides the sightings into six categories with varying su
bcategories for each. The five main categories are based on the shape of the UFO
as well as its position, or movement through the sky (whether stationary or mov
ing).
Where were the first UFO's seen?
Throughout history there have been numerous sightings of UFO's. In fact the anci
ent Hindu Ramayana described the use of complicated flying machines. In Sumerian
culture the word annunaki means "those who came from heaven to earth." Annunaki
is found in the ancients Sumerian myths, and some believe that the annunaki wer
e visitors from the stars. Zecharia Sitchin claims that the anunnaki were extra-
terrestrials who came to earth in its infancy, and tampered with the genetic mak
eup of primitive mankind. The evidence of this according to Sitchin is the fact
that there are 223 non-human genes found within the human genome. Scientists bel
ieve these genes were horizontally inserted into the human genome by bacteria. H
owever, Sitchin believes that "...these 223 genes were horizontally inserted int
o the human genome by alien visitors, not bacteria."
The Mayans thought that their gods came from the star system "Pleiades." Inca ru
ins have been found at 13,000 feet, with one stone weighing 20,000 tons. There i
s an ancient Mayan legend which says that spaceships descended from the stars. T
here are some who believe that the stone could only have been put there with the
help of extra-terrestrials.
In Egypt during the reign of Pharoah Thutmose III around 1450 B.C. there is a de
scription of many "circles of fire" brighter than the sun and around 5 meters in
size. The Egyptians wrote that these UFO's appeared over multiple days and fina
lly disappeared after ascending higher into the sky.
A sighting was recorded by Julias Obsequens, a Roman writer in 99 BCE, "in Tarqu
inia towards sunset, a round object, like a globe, a round or circular shield, t
ook its path in the sky from west to east." On September 24th, 1235 General Yori
tsune and his army observed globes of light flying in odd patterns in the night
sky near Kyoto, Japan. Fearing for his army, Yoritsune asked his advisors what w
as happening. His advisors explained to him that there was nothing to worry abou
t - it was just wind causing the stars to sway.
The next recorded sighting was on April 14th, 1561 in the skies over Nuremberg,
Germany. There was a report that the skies were filled with a multitude of objec
ts engaged in an aerial battle. Small spheres were described as having emerged f
rom large cylinders. Another historical sighting of a UFO happened in the July o
f 1868. The investigators of this UFO define the first modern documented sightin
g as having happened in Copiapo City, Chile.
Theories of Extraterrestrial Life
There are multiple theories about the existence of extra-terrestrials. The two m
ain theories are called the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis and the Interdimensional
Hypothesis of unidentified flying objects. The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis, or
ETH, states that UFO's are best explained as being creatures visiting earth from
other planets using spacecraft. In 1969 physicist Edward Condon defined ETH as
the "idea that some UFOs may be spacecraft sent to Earth from another civilizati
on, or on a planet associated with a more distant star." The Interdimensional Hy
pothesis of unidentified flying objects, also known as IH, holds that these phen
omena are visitations from other universes or dimensions that coexist separately
alongside our own. It further proposes that they are a modern manifestation of
entities or phenomena which have appeared throughout and possibly before recorde
d history, and which were previously explained as mythological or supernatural c
reatures. IH was advanced by the astrophysicist Jacques Vallee, the same man who
thought up of the Vallee method of categorization.
In ufology, the psychosocial or psychocultural hypothesis (PSH or PCH) argues th
at at least some UFO reports are best explained by psychological or social means
. Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, also theorized that UFOs might have a prim
arily spiritual and psychological basis. In his 1959 book Flying Saucers: A Mode
rn Myth of Things Seen in the Sky, he pointed out that the round shape of most s
aucers corresponds to a mandala, a type of archetypal shape seen in religious im
ages. Thus the saucers might reflect a projection of the internal desires of vie
wers to see them. However, he did not out rightly label them a delusion or hallu
cination.
WHAT HAPPENED AT ROSWELL?
An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2006 World Almanac Educat
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