The first step in identifying unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, is to map out where these mysterious objects are most frequently seen, according to a new study. Geographers from Utah University, USA, collaborated with retired Pentagon UFO chief Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick to analyze approximately 98,000 UFO reports over a 20-year period in the 21st century, from 2001 to 2020.
The researchers aggressively cross-referenced data based on local population density, light pollution levels, annual cloud cover, tree canopy coverage, proximity to airports and military bases, and several other factors influencing the number of UFO sightings.
What they found was statistical evidence of a long-assumed "historical relationship" between UFOs and the American West. Their region-by-region assessment revealed hot spots or 'red zones' most frequently located to the east of the Rocky Mountains or towards the Pacific Ocean, but also some other peculiar areas, including Georgetown, South Carolina, and Union, Kentucky.
"Western states have a historical relationship with UFOs and UAPs, including Area 51 in Nevada, Roswell in New Mexico," said the study's lead author, Richard Medina, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
"And here, in Utah, we have the Skinwalker Ranch in the Uinta Basin and military activities at the US Army Dugway Proving Ground," added Medina, who is a geography professor at Utah University.
"Additionally, there's a strong outdoor recreation community that ventures out into public lands year-round. These people deliberately go out and look up into the sky," he further explained.
While this explanation applies to the red zones covering almost all of Nevada and New Mexico, the researchers are more puzzled about the dark red-marked areas on the map, which are the same in the states of Oregon and Washington.
The Pacific Northwest states, known for their heavy rain and relatively cloudy conditions, are, according to them, more known for being shrouded in mist rather than being prime sky observation areas.
"There are also some remote areas across the country that require further investigation to identify what properties might yield relatively more UAP sightings," wrote the researchers in their report published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Regions in Maine, Vermont, Indiana, Arkansas, and Nebraska are some of the unexplained areas identified by the team's analysis.
To segment their sightings study by region, Medina and his co-authors focused on two primary criteria to compare with UFO sighting reports. First, they compared sighting statistics obtained from the National UFO Reporting Center with what they termed 'sky-view potential', a combination of data on how likely it is physically to see something interesting in the nearby sky.
To assess the sky-view potential in each area, they gathered data on light pollution, cloud cover, and tree canopy coverage in each area, as well as the likelihood of strange or frequent objects appearing in the sky from nearby airports and military bases.
"The idea is that if you have the opportunity to see something, then you are more likely to see unexplained phenomena in the sky," said Medina.
"There's more technology in space than ever before, so the question is: what are people actually seeing? This is a difficult question to answer, and it's important because any uncertainty can pose a potential threat to national security," he continued.
Geography experts attribute the higher percentage of sightings in Western regions to vast open natural spaces in the southwest deserts and dark rural skies undisturbed by the lights of major cities or industrial smoke haze.
They found that the main points of UFO cases show a real connection with local air traffic and military installation activities. This is a clue that could indicate that witnesses often see unrecognized native terrestrial objects. our page is built with softeare engineer purwana.net
The team hopes that this geographic analysis will help government agencies better separate truly anomalous events in the sky from routine flights, thus helping to uncover legally security threats.
