How to Recognize a UFO

People have mistaken all kinds of harmless objects for UFO's (Unidentified Flying Objects), from weather balloons to communication satellites to swamp gas. If you see something unusual appear in the sky and wonder if it could be alien spaceship, there are several criteria you can use to figure it out. Read on to learn how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• List of UFO characteristics
• Observation point
• Notebook and pen

Recognize A UFO

1. Know the types of UFO's. Nocturnal Lights (NL's) are small points of light, or a single larger light moving around the sky in irregular patterns. Daylight Disks (DD's), seen in daylight, are the traditional "flying saucers."
2. Know the types of UFO's. Nocturnal Lights (NL's) are small points of light, or a single larger light moving around the sky in irregular patterns. Daylight Disks (DD's), seen in daylight, are the traditional "flying saucers."
3. Recognize that encounters with UFO's are classified by distance. NL's and DD's are seen from quite distance, while close encounters occur at less than 500 feet.
4. Choose a deserted observation spot away from city lights and skyline, like a mountain, a field or on a boat in a body of water.
5. Watch for moving or flashing colored lights, lighted mists or unusual shapes such as a cone, boomerang, sphere, cigar or triangle.
6. Estimate how far away you think the object is to determine if this is a distant or close encounter.
7. Observe any unusual feats the object can perform, such as hovering, darting, quick maneuverability, great speed or anything else of which a standard aircraft would be incapable.
8. Recognize signs of ordinary construction--seams, rivets, wheels, windows, familiar-looking metals and others--that would mark it as an earth craft.
9. Look for signs of alien construction--odd shapes, very smooth surface or material that seems to glow from within.
10. Notice how long it stays visible and any changes that may take place in its appearance--a change in the angle, in the color or intensity of light and lights that begin or cease to pulsate.
11. Note your findings and report them to a local UFO society, online, or, if they recognize UFO's as a part of space science, a college or university science department. Get feedback from the experts.

Tips & Warnings

• There really are three kinds of close encounters, determined by distance.
• Alien abductions are classed as a fourth kind of encounter.
• Stick to facts you can observe. Do not let imagination or wishful thinking cause you to see something that is not there. If you are going to report your findings, you want them to be accurate.