In the two years that I have been writing this column, various people have said to me, “Cheryl, where’s your proof that these sightings are really alien space crafts?” My answer can only be, “I have none.”
Of course this raises the question: “Does this make my weekly reporting of other people’s sightings moot?” My answer is, “Not in the least.” I’m simply reporting the news that other people have reported. I can’t confirm or deny the facts of their sightings; I can only share their accounts with you. Before we dismiss these eye witness reports as pure hooey, we need to consider that in courts of law all over our beloved New York State, eye witness testimonies are highly regarded.
North America has about 400 UFO sightings a month, or approximately 4800 a year. On an average month, New York State residents report about 40 UFO sightings, or about 500 per year.
Experts and experienced investigators will say that only a tiny percentage of sighting reports are hoaxes or delusional people. Some sightings turn out to be natural phenomena and others are simple misidentification of other things. On the other hand there is the rather large body of sightings that just can’t be explained. Ultra conservative numbers say it’s about 3 percent. The experts I’ve spoken with said the number of unexplained sightings sits in the 10 – 20 percent range.
What should also be pointed out is that many experts in the field of UFO investigation say many reports of unusual aerial phenomena are made by trained observers, pilots and law enforcement officers. Yet the question of proof, like a broken record, keeps coming back and that, as they say, is “the rub!”
In the scientific world, to validate a piece of scientific information, it must be evaluated. The commonly-accepted scholarly process can be one or all of the following:
- The research material articles can be published in academic peer-reviewed journals.
- Or published in official government agency reports and journals.
- Or get validation by some independent Scholarly Institution. In numerous countries that is done by a National Academy of Sciences or various non-profit research organizations.
- Lastly, in the pre-internet world, traditional, major and respected newspapers were considered reliable.
Prior to 1969, the Press and the Electronic Media actively investigated and published UFO reports. Then in 1969, the United States Air Force closed its investigative effort called Project Blue Book. Since that time, mainstream media, academic publications and our esteemed National Academy of Sciences have largely remained silent on the topic. WHY?
With worldwide unexplained sightings as prevalent as ever, why has investigation by main stream institutions largely ceased? Curious, isn’t it?
Let’s take a peek at some recent sightings in New York Skies:
Aug. 17, 2015: At 7:50 p.m., a couple in Rome, NY, reportedly witnessed stationary, soundless red lights in a “Z” formation that faded away in roughly five minutes.
Aug. 19, 2015: At 8:50 p.m., several resident of north Babylon, NY three orbs in a triangle shape, moving SW. They disappeared, and then reappeared several seconds later, traveling the same path.
Aug. 22, 2015: During the early evening, a Manhattan, NY, resident and his daughter were watching TV and noticed a bright orange UFO through a window.
Aug. 23, 2015: A Rochester resident was outside around midnight and observed two orange orbs passing north to northeast. Each appeared to drop three small bright objects.
If you are interested in joining a monthly UFO discussion group in the Onondaga County area, drop Cheryl an email [email protected]. If you have a UFO sighting to report, you can use either one of the two national database services: nuforc.org or mufon.com. Both services respect confidentiality.
Cheryl Costa would love to hear the when, where and what of your New York sighting. Email it to [email protected]. The names of witnesses will be omitted to protect their privacy.