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What to do if You Have Seen a UFO

By: Paul Geraghty - Updated: 7 Jun 2020 | comments*Discuss
 
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If you think you have seen a UFO the first thing to do is to think long and hard about it. Are you sure it was something out of the ordinary? On investigation, the vast majority of reported UFO sightings turn out to be something else – something much simpler. Think of all the mundane explanations there might possibly be for what you saw: birds, conventional aircraft, meteors, balloons, astronomical bodies.

If, after careful assessment, you are absolutely certain that you witnessed something beyond the realm of the ordinary, you should make a written record of it while the events are still fresh in your mind. Get anyone else who witnessed it with you to do the same. If some of the witnesses are strangers, try and get their names and telephone numbers in case you need to confer with them in future. It’s best if written records from multiple witnesses are prepared separately. When the details tally, it bolsters the credibility of the claim.

Your written record should include the time and place, a detailed visual description of what you saw; a note of any military bases or airports nearby; and some words about the weather. You may also find it helpful to prepare a sketch or two.

Reporting a Sighting

Once you have made your written record, you should think about how and if you want to take it further. Do you want to go public with the claim that you have seen an alien spacecraft? Polls show that around one quarter of Britons believe in UFOs but there is still some degree of stigma attached to it. You may find yourself the object of ridicule in your local community. This may be something you can shrug your shoulders at but, particularly if you are a professional person who depends on your ability to be taken seriously, you may find it has real effects on your life and career.

If, after pondering this, you decide that you want to go public with what you have seen, you should probably contact the local police as a first step. The police will no doubt have a good smirk at you for reporting a UFO, and may be limited in their capacity or willingness to investigate it, but contacting them will at least leave some kind of official record.

If others in the area have seen the same thing, and reported it too, it will create an impressive weight of testimony in favour of something real having occurred. And not all policemen are close-minded. If, for example, the object is still visible and the police can witness it for themselves, their credibility as officers of the law will help bolster the case for further investigation. There is in fact a website dedicated to UFO sightings made by British police officers. You can visit it at The PRUFOS (Police Reporting UFO Sightings) Database.

As a next step, you may want to contact dedicated UFO research organisations who will have expertise in this area. They will have the experience to elicit the most useful description of what you saw, perhaps offering you guidance if there is a simple explanation, and will have the resources to undertake further investigation if they think it is warranted. Most UFO organisations will be able to guarantee anonymity to you, so this may well be the best option if you decide not to go public with your claim, but would still like to see it followed up in some way.

There are many local UFO societies around the UK. You may feel more comfortable speaking with people from your own area. Most now have websites. With a simple web search, you should be able to find the closest one to you.

There are also associations which cover the whole of the UK. One example is the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA). On their website you will find a form which you can download and use to report a sighting. Another option is the Anomalous Phenomena Research Agency.

As well as the police and dedicated UFO interest organisations, local newspapers and television stations may well be interested in hearing from you. Be aware that they often treat the subject humorously, however, and you may have to face some mockery.

Conclusion

If you do believe you have seen a UFO, there are many associations out there who would be interested in hearing your story. UFO research organisations will be able to guarantee confidentiality to you if that is important to you; if not, local media organisations may well be interested too!

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First time I have talked about this from very early age had strang encounters very strange lost time elevation lights to no imagination I’m scared for 50 years this has happened I’m In sound mind been a trucker all my life but strange things happen all the time to much to mention need help guys
Dink - 20-Jan-20 @ 11:03 PM
15 minutes ago, 2300 hrs, Sat 11th Jan, 2020. Dingwall, Scottish Highlands. Went out to my flat balcony for a cigarette, was looking towards the West when I saw a bright orange light emerge from the back of the hill about 2 miles away. I at first thought that it was an aeroplane but the light wasn't flashing just a pulsing glow. I was waiting to hear the sound of an engine but there wasn't any sound at all. It took about 30 seconds to a minute to pass my veiw point. I then came inside to view it from my East facing window for about another 10 to 15 seconds until it just disappeared as if to go behind a cloud, its a clear night and not a cloud in the sky. Really freaking me out!! Was very sceptical until now.
Highlander - 11-Jan-20 @ 11:33 PM
I was watching the sky and I saw 3 little bright lights in the sky or behind each other then there was another 10 following that and I've got my friends next door and we saw another 15 after that at what do I think they could have been they were all in a line and then all of a sudden one by one and disappeared they were so high in the sky why they weren't planes or lanterns.
Ste - 29-Dec-19 @ 6:34 PM
When I was 18 minute friend Kevin is it on the school field drinking beer looked up at the sky and never uses like no sound no external lights flashing sign it we kept staring at each other and then looking back at it and it was not moving and it started to freak at up a when I was 18 mean a friend Kevin are sitting on the school field and Cumbria looked up at the sky and loves this is like no sound notes done all lights flashing Simon we kept staring at each other and are looking back at it and it was not moving and is starting to freakus out I am now 48 and for the past week I’ve been watching At random intervals but this time I put my blinds and you started it then is that I come towards me and sounds no external flashing lights no nothing just an orange colour it was no more than 100 feet above me I’ve blinked and it was gone
Maverick - 29-Oct-18 @ 9:52 PM
I don’t know how to explain this when I was 18 a friend of mine Kevin and myself were sitting on the school field the number when I was a light just appeared out of nowhere no sound and nothing no movement know it’s downright on the back of my friend he looked at me then suddenly it was as if it was so fast & Silent we never saw it again I am now 48 and for the past week I’ve been watching somebody from my window in my front room and every time I look at it it shifts tonight I decided to pull my binder and yesterday it started moving towards me no external lights no noise no sound no nothing it that she was out of my house I blink and it’s gone
My I Phone - 29-Oct-18 @ 9:46 PM
Umm literally not sure what I've just seen but it's creeped me out. Having my last cigarette before bed being a clear night I turned off the garden lights. To look up and enjoy the night sky .looked above one of the near by houses there was like a see through clear blue horse shaped thing it was high up ..felt like it was looking at me incredibly starnge feeling then the thing started to move fast up and behind my house flying into the night sky to completely disappear in front of my eyes
Bigjimhenderson - 23-Sep-18 @ 11:01 PM
I don't know if anyone's going to read this. Couple of years ago now me and my mate was coming back from Games Workshop from Watford town centre we walked back to my house in Woodside. We got a giant woods where I live and we live in a Valley just a little bit of detail. So me and my mate we got back around about 11 and we were standing there chatting and always sudden a white flash. Now I thought it was coming from the woods but my mate was looking at the other direction you go na na na came from the houses over there and it was kind of weird because the wife flash surrounded us. So I looked up and I saw a red cigar shape flying in the sky pulse red it was flying quite slow my mates saw it I was like I'm I dreaming he said no and we watched it for like until you got out of her eyesight I was like Dude That's What UFO I've never seen anything like that but what the weirdest coin was it was 2 a.m. in the morning from 11 p.m. two 2 a.m. me and my mate literally lost time. I done some research and I wasn't the only one in the area who saw the red cigar object in the sky but what I would like to do is talk to someone about it see if I can get some more information.
Robo - 22-Sep-18 @ 11:42 AM
@sharky - I doubt it wll still be there, so there is no point in going to see where it was. We need to see this stuff now. It's odd in the era of instagram there are few reportings that look genuine. Did you record it?
Silver - 19-Jul-18 @ 12:28 PM
Hi. Not only me but several people saw the same object moving so massively quick it would have been late afternoon. From the bar looking towards the the mountains, it was moving up and down left and right. It was burning the air. I can give you directions if you get back. Steve
sharky - 18-Jul-18 @ 9:17 PM
I’ve seen a UFO when I was younger outside my parents back porch. I looked outside and saw a big round shape with lights hovering in the sky. I turned my head to shout my parents and it was gone. 10 years later (a few weeks ago) I was watching a film with my partner and we both looked out the window and saw something huge and bright shoot down in the sky. I was convinced it was a UFO I didn’t even question it. I then went upstairs a couple hours later and saw the same big light shoot back up. It was not a plane, or a drone. It was a UFO. I am 100%
Gemma - 2-Jul-18 @ 8:02 PM
My wife and I were outside in our hot tub around 10:10PM, 16 May 2018. We live in Aylmer, Ontario Canada. We were both looking up at the night sky and saw a massive crescent shaped object travelling in a SSW direction high above us and slightly to our east. The sky was mainly clear, with stars overhead. We could only see the leading edge of this massive crescent shaped object. The leading edge was dimly glowing with pale (almost subdued) white lighting.It was difficult to tell what altitude it was at, or if it was making any noise, as out hot tub was operating. It cleared our path of sight within seconds. We both were speechless and unsure about what we just saw, or what to do about it.Because it was dark, it was impossible to make out anything else but the leading edge. There's got to be a reasonable explanation, and somebody else had to have seen this. (We hope)
DMG2 - 17-May-18 @ 4:10 AM
I have pictures videos, research etc from Feb 17. Hours and texts to my friend who witnessed one night! I believe certain people can see them. Tonight was amazing and coming closer- my Dad and me see them June 2002: no one interested and paper made it a joke and laughed at!Now until now and a group on Facebook who all share and see with evidence. Don’t bother reporting. I’ve got files love it! I’m noticing a pattern now.
Gifted-kel - 15-May-18 @ 1:17 AM
@Tom - did you take a picture? It's weird how now we have mobile phones, you'd think we'd see more UFOs, or at least get proof of them.
Farrar - 9-Feb-18 @ 3:07 PM
Just seen 2 orange shapes flying parallel right above my head in Inverness Scotland, must have been 2-3 miles in the air don’t know what it was just whizzed past! Definitely something out of the ordinary!
Tom - 6-Feb-18 @ 11:18 PM
Saw a UFO outside our home at 5.30pm this evening. Both myself and my wife witnessed it in Tyrone, northern Ireland. It was low flying, it was slow for an aircraft. It had a very bright white light, travelling south to north. Suddenly it split in two and travelled eastwards at great speed. We live in a rural area, the sky is clear and not on a flight path.
Jstear - 31-Dec-17 @ 6:49 PM
Just seen green flying thing go right across sky fast but i could track it goin accross huyton a plane flew by the oppisite direction goin towards john lennon airport they must of seen it about 5.40 pm as they coming in to land very very real
Jay - 31-Dec-17 @ 6:22 PM
I live in Lehigh county PA and on September 21st, 2017 @ 12:03a.m. I was standing on my porch and randomly looked up over the building across the street and I seen what could have been a meteorite, yet it was pretty big. I've seen 'shooting star's before but never that big. Was moving decently fast but not as fast as ones I've seen before. Is there a way to check online somewhere if others in the area seen the same thing or of it was just a meteorite?
Kop105646 - 21-Sep-17 @ 5:14 AM
I saw something in the the sky at first I thought it was a Airplane or a jet but I was too high in going to fast. I been seeing this every night for like 2 weeks one night it was i just saw a huge white light in the sky hovering around my house,at first I really didn't believe in UFOs but now I do.This happen in Waco TX. Anthony M Go Baylor bears.
Antman - 10-Aug-17 @ 1:22 AM
i just saw a huge white light in the sky hovering around my house
Jai - 18-Jun-17 @ 2:07 AM
At 24 march 2017 time 1 am i wake up for drinking water I thougt let see out side I see in sky suddenly I saw a red light was coming slowly slowly blinking I thougt it was but suddenly it stops in se it for 15 sec I stops right in sky then I knew it was not a plane I rush to wake up my parents but they were late the light was gone ..
Amrit - 23-Mar-17 @ 7:42 PM
My ex partner and I saw seven flying objects in Llanfairfechan North Wales in 1996. They flew from the sea over the mountain in a moving formation. They separated and hovered at times over the A55 road. Despite RAF Valley being nearby these were not from there they flew way too close to the mountain at amazing speeds. I will go to my grave knowing what I saw that day.
Catrina - 2-Jan-17 @ 5:26 PM
Monday 5th December, -1, very cold semi clear night, a colleague and I driving to work, No natural light, very dark at 5.13am going across the moss, chatting away moaning about the Monday Blues, when all of a sudden something came across from the right of the car to the front, I slammed on the brakes, and we both just, opened mouths followed by a glance at each other then eyes front again, and we both said at the same time, what was that.we looked around, there was no other traffic, an aeroplane way up in the sky could be seen, Now I don't believe is spaceships, and all the pics you see are of a similar shape, this was so huge, right in front of us, at first we tried to explain it to each other, could it of been a meteorite, well no as it wasn't bright or flickering, it went really fast,it was slightly above eye level but filled the whole view. long fat oval shape with a long tail. we googled meteorite sightings but nothing. I drew it in work, but hey I wouldn't believe it either, but this will stay with me for ever.
MIM - 6-Dec-16 @ 6:42 PM
I had a experience that I need to talk about over the phone or in person. this phenomena I know it's real.please get back with me I can explain it in detail.I hope to hear from you soon.
David Bonilla Sr. - 25-Nov-16 @ 5:11 AM
I saw several UFOs Nov 15,2016 in Carrollton Tx. They were triangular and had many colorful lights. They hovered over in the sky and took off fast. My cousin also so many of them in Little Elm Tx. A huge one as big as an apartment building was seen in Fort Worth Tx. With so many people seeing them at one time, it's strange that this wasn't on the news or didn't interfere with planes. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
Juicey - 17-Nov-16 @ 6:59 PM
Thurs Sept 29 2016 around 9pm i seen three red lights which was triangular in the sky over a highschool. It didnt move and it was silent. It just stayed there in the exact spot for a couple of mins
Dillon - 30-Sep-16 @ 6:36 AM
On the 14th Feb 2016 I saw my first UFO a silent triangular light formation red in colour, silent very low passed directly above me and heading East over Hull, England near the River Humber, this was just before midnight. On the 5thSeptmeber 2016 whilst walking near the River Humber about 10pm I spotted another UFO it was still a triangular formation but they were in about 170degrees formation and white coloured again silent but heading West this time. That's two UFO's in a matter of months, I am not saying they were Extraterrestrial but whatever they are it was not a conventionally known engine and the whole experience was surreal.
UK - 6-Sep-16 @ 1:08 PM
so earlier tonight my friend and i were driving on a back road in my town. we saw these two bright lights a bit off in the distance and didn't think much of it. we have a base nearby so we assumed it had something to do with that but as we continued to drive down the road, the lights on the object got larger and we could now see that there were three lights on the object and that it was triangular in shape. at this point the object was flying to the left parallel us. it was decending as it was flying and got to about four feet above tree level. we were now seeing a very very large object that had about 15 gold glowing lights on the bottom of it, still triangular in shape. we were stopped at a stop sign that just happened to gain a few cars while we were stopped watching the craft. we were forced to continue with traffic and make a left at the stop sign. we turned around as soon as we could to go back and watch the craft, but after our 15 second turn around, it was nowhere in sight. we surveyed the area and drove in the direction it was heading and there was still no sign of it anywhere.
mizsplat - 6-Sep-16 @ 5:59 AM
I was standing on my back deck, looking at stars. 3 lights in a triangular shape caught my eye. It was slowly moving to the left. At this point a friend who was with me saw it as well. I thought it may have been a plane. Then it stopped and hung in mid air. A second later it began to slowly move upward in a rapid zigzag pattern. It stopped again, before shooting off towards the right. It was then that both me and my friend lost sight of it. Each light was about a thumb length apart. Earlier in the month a saw a similar ufo, also while stargazing. This one appeared much larger, about twice as large. It was to the west however, and was only visible for two seconds. No one else with me saw the first one, and I dismissed until a month later when me and a friend saw this newer one. It in itself did nothing to me psychologically, however the experience had a profound impact on me, and ever since I have seen life differently in some ways. You always see something, and wonder, is it something out of the ordinary? And you try and hope it is, hoping that there really are out of the ordinary things out there. But until you see something that really has no explanation, you don't know what it is truly like.
Ike - 28-Aug-16 @ 2:25 AM
I'm a little shaky after seeing a bright white object moving slowly before teleporting twice in front of it self and then moving forwards at speeds I can't even describe I hope there is some other explanation for this but I also don't see that many clouds, I saw this at 1:49
Cam - 16-Aug-16 @ 1:54 AM
Yesterday 14-08-16 I was in my front garden, and looked up as an easyjet was airborne and climbing , I believe fromStanstead Airport, I always look up at aircraft as we are on the flight path , although the airport is around 20 miles away, However a series of bright lights caught my eye 5-6 bright lights very bright as it was a sunny day with the odd cloud, The lights were to my left which was from the east, one of the lights went across the sky at incredible speed, and went behind the clouds on its way, it then stopped dead no slowing down just stop. The other Five lights then shot across the sky. and stopped a short distance back, At this point I shouted for my son (32)to come and look, By the time he arrived the lights were all together but you could still see 6 separate lights, Prior to his arrival I saw the lights traveling fast and stopping at once almost like they were getting in position for somthing, about 5 seconds after my son came out of the house the lights vanished
kevin123 - 15-Aug-16 @ 3:21 PM
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