Article/Document:

Study Finds Huge Increase in UFO Reports in Canada in 2002

Alberta UFO Study Group

original source | fair use notice

Summary: A new study by an independent research group has found that more people are seeing UFOs in Canada. The group collected UFO reports from private, public and government sources.

A new study by an independent research group has found that more people are seeing UFOs in Canada. The group collected UFO reports from private, public and government sources.

AUFO sightings continue to be reported in significant numbers each year, says Chris Rutkowski, research coordinator for the study. People still report observing unusual objects in the sky, and some of these objects do not have obvious explanations. Many witnesses are pilots, police and other individuals with reasonably good observing capabilities and good judgment. Although most reported UFOs are simply lights in the night sky, he says a significant number are objects with definite shapes observed within the witnesses' frame of reference.

Other findings of the study:

There were 483 reported sightings of UFOs in Canada in 2002 C at least one sighting a day.
There were about 29 per cent more UFO reports in 2002 than 2001. The number of UFO reports per year in Canada has increased almost 250 per cent since 1998.

In 2002, more UFOs were reported in the late summer than any other time of the year, but February also had an unexpectedly large peak in UFO report numbers.

In 2002, about 18 per cent of all UFO reports were unexplained. This percentage of unknowns falls to about 7 per cent when only high-quality cases are considered.

Most UFO sightings have two witnesses.

The typical UFO sighting lasted approximately 15 minutes in 2002.

Rutkowski cautions, popular opinion to the contrary, there is yet to be any incontrovertible evidence that some UFO cases involve extraterrestrial contact. However, the continued reporting of UFOs by the public suggests a need for further examination of the phenomenon by social, medical and/or physical scientists. This research can give scientists the raw data needed to properly evaluate this popular social phenomenon that is so pervasive throughout our culture