According to a new study, mapping out where unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are sighted most could be a good first step in identifying what they exactly are.
UFO Hotspots in the US
Geographers from the University of Utah looked into around 98,000 UFO reports in a two-decade period covering the years 2001 to 2020. They cross-referenced the information by the light pollution levels, population density, annual cloud cover, proximity to airports and military bases, tree canopy cover, and several other factors that could affect the count of UFO sightings.
They were able to observe statistical proof of an assumed historical link between UFOs and the American West.
The county-by-county assessment done in their study revealed red zones or hot spots that typically lie off toward the Pacific Ocean or just east of the Rockies. However, some outliers were also observed, including South Carolina, Georgetown county, and Union, Kentucky.
The findings were noted in the "An environmental analysis of public UAP sightings and sky view potential" study.
Richard Medina, the study's lead author, explains that the American West has a historical link with UAP. In Nevada, there's Area 51. In New Mexico, there's Roswell. Utah has a Skinwalker Ranch within the Uinta Basin, while it also has military activity within the US Army Dugway Proving Ground. Moreover, there is also a strong outdoor community that recreates across public lands all throughout the year.
Though such explanations could shed light on the red zone hotspots that covered nearly the entire New Mexico and Nevada, the authors of the study were more perplexed about the red counties in Washington and Oregon state. The authors note that these relatively clouded and rainy Pacific northwestern states are more known to be covered by fog rather than offering prime conditions for skywatching.
The researchers also note that there are isolated counties across the nation that need to be investigated further in order to see what properties could lead to relatively more attention to UAPs.
Some of the more inexplicable UFO hotspots identified by the team include counties in Vermont, Maine, Indiana, Nebraska, and Arkansas.
The researchers attributed the higher sighting percentage of the West to the wide-open natural spaces of the desert west as well as the rural dark skies.
They observed that the major hotspots had a noticeable link with military installation traffic and local air traffic. This hints that witnesses could often see real terrestrial objects that they may have not recognized.
America's UFO hotspots revealed in new map with 98,000 sightings https://t.co/Oafqb6rYBf pic.twitter.com/awBbJXmUWP
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 28, 2024
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Examining UFO Reports
The team of Medina focused on two primary criteria in order to break their study down county by county. First, they compared the statistics of the sightings from the National UFO Research Center with a metric known as "sky view potential." This is a data amalgam regarding how physically likely it would be to find anything interesting in the skies nearby.
To examine the sky view potential of each county, the researchers gathered data regarding the light pollution, tree canopy cover, and cloud cover of each area. They also looked into odds of frequent or odd objects being in the sky from military bases or airports nearby. The idea is that if one has a chance to witness something, it is likelier for them to see odd phenomena in the sky.
The researchers hope that their geographic analysis could aid government agencies from distinguishing anomalous events from regular and routine flights and resultantly uncover any security threats that are legitimate.
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