Article by Mayurankhi Handique, The North-Eastern Chronicle
Visuals by: Anupal Deuri Bharali
For all the sci-fi buffs, July 2nd is here yet again! Yes, it’s World UFO day! A day when you can sit back and relax with a cup of coffee and let your imaginations explore the world of aliens and unidentified flying objects. Watch a movie on ‘aliens’ or read about all the conspiracies that are floating on the internet.
World UFO day is marked every year on 2nd July and new reports on the ‘flying saucers’ or sightings of ‘unidentified flying objects’ in the big blue have made it even more interesting for the enthusiasts around the world.
In the year 1947, ‘The Roswell incident ‘ in Mexico which occurred in July was the first time when theories about UFOs were starting to appear. In July 1947, a United States Army Air Forces balloon crashed near Roswell in New Mexico. That created a wave of speculation about the crashed “flying disc”.
Also read: The Winchester Mystery House: One of the most Haunted Place in America
The wreckage was described as a “large area of bright wreckage made up of rubber strips, tinfoil, a rather tough paper, and sticks”. The US military later said that it was just a weather balloon. This incident was the beginning of innumerable theories.
Why do we celebrate World UFO day?
The first World UFO Day was celebrated in 2001 by UFO researchers Haktan Akdogan and is the day dedicated to these unidentified flying objects. This day found its way into the world, to raise awareness about the undoubted existence of UFOs and for those intelligent beings from outer space.
Has anyone seen a UFO?
According to NASA, “no astronaut has seen a ‘UFO’ in space. Not everything they saw was immediately identified, but on the other hand, there is no evidence whatsoever of anyone seeing an alien spacecraft.” However, people have claimed to see these objects in the sky and there are many sightings documented.
This raises a question in our minds, ‘Are these unidentified flying objects real? Do aliens exist?’ Several experts have written books on UFOs and accounts of Area 51 being a secret base where the US government keeps the aliens locked in also began from there. Innumerable numbers of theories are presented and various sightings are recorded.
The Pentagon has declassified 3 images that were captured by the U.S Navy stating these unidentified objects as an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAPs). The videos represented were not clear and no conclusions could have been made. The report presents no convincing evidence that alien spacecraft have been spotted, but some of the data defy easy interpretation.
This decades-long search for aliens is still going on as scientists believe that there is an explanation for these objects. Astronomers have estimated that there are 300 million habitable worlds in the Milky Way galaxy alone, and each one has a potential opportunity for life to develop and for intelligence and technology to emerge.
Indeed, most astronomers think it very unlikely that humans are the only or the first advanced civilization.
For all the enthusiasts who believe in these extraterrestrial beings and phenomena, go ahead and celebrate the day! Binge-watch your favourite alien encounter films like ‘ E.T ‘ or ‘ Men In Black ‘ or get a hold of your telescope and watch the sky who knows you might just encounter a flashing light!