You’re not allowed to visit the part of Nevada known as Area 51. That’s because it’s a top-secret government facility. But the secrecy has to do with spy planes, not space aliens.
Vincent Costes, Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES)
If you see something mystifying happening in Europe’s skies, get in touch with France’s Study and Information Group on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena. They could well have a rational explanation for you.
The worldwide fascination with UFOs started in the late 1940s after a few incidents made the news in the U.S.
David Zaitz/The Image Bank via Getty Images
The history of UFOs weaves together public fascination, government secrecy and cultural phenomena. Recent news and shifts in the government’s stance on UFOs are giving new life to the mystery.
Screenshot from a Depart of Defense video of an unidentified aerial phenomenon.
US Department of Defense/US Navy
A new nine-page report, requested by Congress, doesn’t say what the 144 UFO sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.