Sky Phenomena: If you saw a UFO in 2023, you are not alone, you are one of at least 1,400 lucky ones

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), close encounters of the third kind, and little green men are once again at the center of attention in the U.S., but this time not in Hollywood but in Washington. And there is no longer talk of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) but of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). At the end of last month, former intelligence officer David Grusch testified in the U.S. Congress that the government has been covering up a long-standing defense program that collects UFOs and is reverse engineering them, and that it has found non-human biological materials at alleged crash sites.

This long-awaited whistleblower testimony and that of a retired U.S. Air Force major regarding unidentified aerial phenomena is part of Congress’s efforts to pressure intelligence agencies for greater transparency regarding the existence of UFOs following an increase in reported sightings in recent years.

Americans have it

Although stories about extraterrestrial life have long been shrouded in stigma and secrecy and categorized as conspiracy theories, lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum in the U.S. are united in their efforts to initiate further investigations related to national security and UFO sightings, i.e., UAPs.

– Unidentified aerial phenomena, whatever they may be, can pose a serious threat to our military and our civilian aircraft, and this must be understood. We should encourage more reporting, not less. The more we understand, the safer we will be – said Congressman Robert Garcia on the subject.

Testifying under oath at a House subcommittee hearing, Grusch told lawmakers that based on interviews with 40 witnesses he conducted over four years, he believes that the U.S. government possesses UAPs, and he stated that he had been informed about ‘decades-long recovery of UAPs after crashes and reverse engineering programs’ during his time in the U.S. Air Force. However, the Pentagon has denied his claims.

The most common witnesses

No government official testified at that hearing, although Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the Pentagon office dealing with UAPs, told a Senate subcommittee in April that the U.S. government is tracking 650 potential cases of unidentified aerial phenomena, and he emphasized that there is no evidence of extraterrestrial life and that his office has not found ‘any credible evidence’ of objects defying known laws of physics.

Alongside Grusch, two former combat pilots of the U.S. Navy testified before the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Border, and Foreign Affairs, stating that they encountered aircraft of non-human origin, saying that such sightings are not rare and isolated, and that military aviation crews and commercial pilots are often witnesses to these phenomena.

By the way, July 2 is celebrated as World UFO Day, and belief in UFOs and beings from other planets has long been considered a fringe phenomenon. Those who ‘want to believe’ certainly received a boost in 2021 when U.S. intelligence agencies delivered an official report on ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’ to Congress. The report indicated, according to Statista data, that of a total of 143 unexplained sightings between November 2004 and March 2021, only one UFO was identified as a deflated balloon.

They are avoiding us

At the beginning of 2023, another unclassified report from the U.S. National Intelligence Agency revealed 171 unidentified flying objects out of 366 recorded between March 2021 and August 2022.

The National UFO Reporting Center in the U.S., which documents sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena worldwide, claims that sightings have been on the rise in recent years. Although there was a decline in reports in 2018 and 2021, there were about five thousand alleged UFO sightings last year, which is still below the peak of 8,800 in 2014 and 7,400 in 2020 when beliefs in conspiracy theories were very popular, primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, according to Statista data, 17 percent of Americans stated that they believe it is likely that extraterrestrials will visit Earth, which is slightly below the global average of 18 percent. Since May of this year, around 1,400 sightings have been recorded, which could signal a slower year for UFO reports, although additional reports are expected.

They are not the only crazy ones

What you are probably thinking now is ‘crazy Americans,’ but recently a rather strange encounter with a UFO was also recorded above neighboring Slovenia. Namely, a recording of a conversation between a TUI Airways pilot and the control tower arrived at the editorial office of the Slovenian portal 24ur.com, in which the pilot is heard contacting the air traffic controller to ask ‘if there are military aircraft flying clockwise from one to two, at a distance of about 40 or 50 miles.’

When the controller informed him that there was no data on military traffic, the pilot reported seeing a ‘bright light’ that had been shining towards the aircraft just before that conversation,’then it disappeared and started to flicker,’ and after that ‘it jumped in the sky and started shining continuously again.’ It is still unknown what exactly the pilot saw, but as reported by 24ur.com, it was an aircraft flying on July 29 in the evening from Greece to Great Britain.

So, Americans and Slovenians believe in UFOs. What about Croats? In a survey conducted in May of this year among a thousand respondents aged 18 to 65, only 28 percent stated that they do not believe in UFOs, and 15 percent have no opinion on the subject. In other words, as much as 57 percent believe in the existence of UFOs. Of course, this survey was not part of any scientific research but was conducted on the occasion of the premiere of the series ‘UFO: Investigating the Unknown,’ but the results are certainly interesting.

Why do they believe

Belief in beings from other planets has existed for centuries, but why do people believe that extraterrestrials exist? There are many answers to that question, and the people we are surrounded by play a significant role in belief and behavior. Clinical psychologist and author of the book ‘Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life’ John Mayer claims that over the years he has met and treated many people who believe in extraterrestrials and has discovered that these same people often surround themselves with like-minded individuals, which contributes to deepening their beliefs and a lack of further investigation.

In other words, if your family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances believe in extraterrestrials, you are likely to believe in them too. The media also significantly influence opinions because, although they may not always be aware of it, the way certain newspapers, television shows, and social media talk about extraterrestrials is extremely important in shaping public opinion. Therefore, if people often read reports about mysterious flying objects that scientists cannot explain, they are likely to turn to the paranormal and start believing in beings from another planet.

Legislative bodies can also play a role in increasing or decreasing belief in certain supernatural beings because, returning to the beginning of the story, if intelligence agencies were transparent (without compromising the national security of a given state) about their aerial activities, opinions about UFOs could be confirmed or refuted, meaning the general population could have more information to form their own stance on the subject.

Although many believe that ‘true believers’ in UFOs would never accept intelligence agency reports if they do not state that extraterrestrials regularly visit Earth and that the U.S. government is covering it up, about 95 percent of all UFO sightings can easily be explained by earthly phenomena.

Another reason why people believe in beings from other planets is that they need to believe in a higher power, so while for some ‘higher power’ means belief in deities, for others it means belief in extraterrestrials. Each of us has a need to believe in something beyond earthly reality, and that gives us meaning because life without it would be half empty. Because who else wants to believe that we are alone in the endless universe?

‘You were right’

Various conspiracy theorists, enthusiasts of supernatural phenomena, and other enthusiasts are now present on absolutely all social media, so surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals is really not difficult, and many YouTubers and TikTokers consider celebrities as ‘relevant sources of information.’ So, if a singer or actor has stated that they had a ‘close encounter of the third kind,’ that is certainly proof that ‘we are not alone.’

Therefore, these days on TikTok, in addition to various videos mocking the congressional hearing and the whistleblower testimony about UFO sightings, there are also ‘serious video clips‘ of famous musicians and actors talking about their supernatural experiences.

But to ensure that it does not all remain on social media, British pop singer, author, and television host Kim Wilde stated in a BBC radio show shortly after the congressional hearing that the whistleblower report aligns with her own experience with a UFO. Wilde claims that in 2009 she saw a ‘bright light’ in the sky above her garden in England after spending hours in the emergency room with her son.

The singer also stated that at the moment she saw the light, she felt a ‘presence of something’. Inspired by the supernatural experience, Wilde released an album in 2018 titled ‘Here Come the Aliens,’ and after the congressional hearing, reportedly everyone who had considered her crazy for years sent her messages and made calls telling her that she ‘was right.’

Are extraterrestrials real, are UFO sightings real, and what are U.S. intelligence agencies hiding? No one in the public knows yet, but if we are to believe what is happening in the U.S. Congress, this data may soon come to light. Of course, there are still issues such as high inflation, soaring prices, the war in Ukraine, gender inequality, hunger, and poverty, but it is important that Congress is finally talking about UFOs.