UFOS are popularly known as Unidentified Flying Objects. Some researchers have raised doubt regarding the link between the rise of UFO sightings and COVID-19 in a recent study. Chase Cockrell from the University of Vermont and, Mark Rodeghier and Linda Murphy from the Centre of UFO studies have conducted research to answer the question as to why there has been an increase in UFO sightings during the Pandemic and whether other social factors affect the sightings and published an article in The Journal of Scientific Exploration.
The image you see above is a picture taken from the Apollo 16 spacecraft of an unidentified object in the upper middle of the image that bears the resemblance to an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO). The scientists pondered whether the constraint from the pandemic to stay at home and an increase in stress and anxiety from the pandemic has increased the public’s attention to detail when any anomaly occurs in their surroundings due to which there has been an increase in reports of UFO sightings in the year 2020 compared to the previous year. These “Anomalies” that people observe in their surroundings, to absorb what they have experienced they have immediately connected it to UFOs.
The authors of the study have gathered resources for the study from various places like NUFORC National UFO reporting center and Mutual UFO Network MUFON which are two very well-known UFO reporting sites in the USA. They gathered the data from 2018 through 2020 before and after the pandemic and they also used Google community mobility reports which are accessible to the public to gain insight into the social factors and also gathered data on COVID-19 deaths and reported cases which are prominent factors for one’s stress and anxiety.
After the analysis of the data, the researchers did find an increase in UFO sightings by 600 reports the previous year in each database that have been reported in accredited and well-known UFO reporting centers throughout 2020. But, the analysis made by the researchers indicated that there is no visible link that can be made between the increase in the number of UFO sightings and the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States of America. The reason stated by the authors of the study for the reason as to why there was an increase in UFO sightings was the regular Lunches of Starlink satellites.
These launches send up to 60 satellites or more into low earth orbit and are often easily visible from the earth. Hence, the public connecting the satellites to UFOs is understandable. Taking this into account they analyzed the data again and led to no relationship between the social and public-health factors in the pandemic and, the UFO sightings, and also a decrease in reports reported to NUFORC is observed. The impact of Star link has the astronomical community worried and the same goes with the UFO reporting centers due to excessive satellites in low earth orbit that makes astronomical observations hard.
Mark Rodeghier, Scientific Director of the Center for UFO studies says “This study sheds light on the potential impact of social factors on UFO reporting,”. while no relation was observed between COVID-19 and UFO sightings, further research should be taken up to analyze other factors that affect UFO reportings.
