How should I report a UFO sighting?

Reporting UFO Sightings

Often, here at ATS, many of our members report their own UFO sightings. In many cases, they are looking for explanations, or just opinions. However, not all know where they can make official reports, or what kind of info may prove helpful. To that end, here’s some information.

Where can I make UFO reports?

National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP)
www.nicap.org...

If you are in Law Enforcement, or in the scientific communitee, you can contact
Citizens against UFO Secrecy (CUFOS)
www.cufos.org...

If you are a pilot, you can contact the National Aviation Reporting Center for Anamolous
Phenomena (NARCAP)
www.narcap.org...

The following information would be helpful to know, even when reporting a sighting here on ATS…(not necessary, but the more info the better)

Date of sighting?
Time of sighting (include time zone, am or pm)?
How long did the sighting last?
City, state of sighting (or nation, province, etc.)?
How many other witnesses?
Just lights, or shape discernable?
Color of lights and/or object/s?
Number of lights and/or objects?
Apparent altitude?
Direction of travel?
Apparent brightness?
Path of travel (straight, curved, etc.)?
Any pictures or video?
Any sound?
Any aircraft around?
Can you illustrate what was seen (if no photos, video, etc.)? (even MS paint can be used to illustrate where things were during a sighting, etc.)

Adding this to show how to get Air Traffic Controller logs....

www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 12-1-2007 by Gazrok]

[edit on 2-12-2007 by Springer]

Great idea Gazrok! I wonder how many of our fellow members have seen UFOs. I have but it was a while ago, so there is almost no point in reporting it. Plus it was on my vacation in Europe, and I was drinking that night. :w:

credit for the idea goes to minimi... I just made and stickied the post...

Good Idea! I hope everyone catches this and makes good use of it!

Hey.. great advice Minimi.

Seems reporting UFO events doesn't seem to always get the attention it should, But then again there are so many.

Dallas

I wasn't expecting such rapid action. Nice one Gazrok

NUFORC's online report index is great,I found two reports of similar sightings to mine, its a good place to look for other independant reports if you think you've seen something.

Other general points for if you think you've seen something:

If it was a star like object moving smoothly across the sky, it was probably a satellite.
If it was a star like object, often very bright, that appears to change colour and/or wobble, but stays in one place relative to other heavenly bodies for a very long time, it was probably a double star, like sirius. These movements and colours are caused by refraction in the atmosphere. ( this one's nearly caught me out before, till i did some research.)

I advise checking night time sightings, particularly like these, out on
Heavens-Above .com . It gives detailed information on astronomical things visible from any location on earth at any time. ( including stuff like re-entries, which sometimes generate reports.)

(typos edit)

[edit on 19/5/05 by minimi]

great thread
I'm going to take this opportunity, if you don't mind, to give a thread I made a while back a bit of a plug.

are you prepared for your first/next UFO sighting

it includes a couple of sites that have hints and tips on the best way to film or take a photo of a UFO.

This is indeed a great idea!

Originally posted by Gazrok
(...)
The following information would be helpful to know, even when reporting a sighting here on ATS…(not necessary, but the more info the better)

Date of sighting?
Time of sighting (include time zone, am or pm)?
How long did the sighting last?
City, state of sighting (or nation, province, etc.)?
How many other witnesses?
Just lights, or shape discernable?
Color of lights and/or object/s?
Number of lights and/or objects?
Apparent altitude?
Direction of travel?
Apparent brightness?
Path of travel (straight, curved, etc.)?
Any pictures or video?
Any sound?
Any aircraft around?
Can you illustrate what was seen (if no photos, video, etc.)? (even MS paint can be used to illustrate where things were during a sighting, etc.)

You mention so many informations that indeed can be useful, but there are a few things that can be very useful also:

• The weather and/or the atmospheric pollution
  Sometimes, the weather conditions can greatly affect the possible observation or the actual perception of things. Temperature alone can play a role, in that sometimes (everyone has experienced that...) a very heated road can give the impression that at a distance it is covered with water... Also, wind, clouds, so on...
  
• The apparent speed/movement
  You don't mention speed as such? This can be related to the next topic. An estimation of the speed of the object, when possible (even if it is obviously difficult in most cases), is a precious data sometimes: it allows to dismiss some "explanations"... (e.g. the famous so called Belgian triangles could not have been the F-117 as some had speculated, because speed recorded were from hovering to near mach 2...)
  
• The size at arm's length
  You mention actually the apparent size, but it is sometimes extremely difficult to estimate it. By giving the size at arm's length, if either the altitude, distance, or actual size can be estimated more or less precisely (for example by situating the object in regard to some landscape, then it is possible to establish the actual distance or altitude), then the rest can be derived for a better description of size/altitude/distance.
  
• Proximity or not of airports or military installations
  It has often be reported that UFOs like to roam around those military installations, especially the ones containing nukes... Also, it seems that civil airports have their lot of sightings and encounters (would it only be because of their radar)
  

Also, why not create a standard form that people can use to report a sighting? I know that this effort has already been made by some, but I have no links at the moment. I think it was done with the Boulder University... Maybe not...

Maybe that is an idea that should be submitted in the proper forum (board questions & suggestions, or so) but I take the opportunity here... Maybe if I get good comments on that I'll do it, and maybe directly submit a template of the document... People could then download it for filling and mailing, or if they wish, to report here ATS on line?

Exactly who should you report the UFO's to? If I call up the Sherriff - they will laugh at me. I live near Gulf Breeze, Florida so we have our share of UFO sightings. There is a local bar called Area 51. I could report sightings to them...

www.nuforc.org
report sightings there. They can even send some1 out to interview you

Oh thank you so much...

Like I didn't know of the (litteraly) hundreds of UFOs organizations...

I think I'll have to bring the attention of the gifted ones to this thread somehow...

contact Aliens & UFOs

Probably go to the press. If you cantake a photo or use a video camera and record it. See how many people reply to it. Don't go to government officials!

[edit on 17-6-2005 by speight89]

Sober rather than the intoxicated state you were in when you first saw the UFO.

ooo thanks Gazrok
Those links seem genuine and official.
see you.

The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC)
www.nuforc.org...

National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP)
www.nicap.org...

If you are in Law Enforcement, or in the scientific communitee, you can contact
Citizens against UFO Secrecy (CUFOS)
www.cufos.org...

If you are a pilot, you can contact the National Aviation Reporting Center for Anamolous
Phenomena (NARCAP)
www.narcap.org...

(edit to remove unnecessarily large quote)

[edit on 8/1/2005 by Amorymeltzer]

Ya this is a great idea, hopefuly any non ATS members will come accross this if they are in search of answers to their possible sightings.

A while back I watched, I think it was Nova, where they went into detail about SETI (the search for ET intelligence) and they also mentioned The National UFO Reporting Center. Apparently the NUFORC gets a lot of hits each day from all around, I wonder what good this serves anyways. Do they actually follow through with each report and clump them into grups in orted to rule out made up stories?

Good ways to report a UFO sighting:

1. Concact any of the above mentioned websites.


Bad ways to report a UFO sighting:

1. Run down the street with a photo in your hand screaming at the top of your lungs

2. Tell the Air Force. "Oh yes, Mr. Jones, we'd love to see your picture of a UFO. Here, pease have some of this delicious apple cider. Yes, I know that apple cider usually isn't green, and that it is not normally ingested by needle, but this is... magic apple cider!"

3. Make a blog, cause no one who needs to know will see it.

[edit on 2-9-2005 by trinitrotoluene]

I would never go to the government if I was fortunate enough to see/take photos and/or videos of a UFO, i mean, by the next day, the videos and all would be gone thanks to the FBI or whoever, and they'd say its a hoax, people would believe them and theyd like all think your crazy, so dont go to the governemt, its nothing but trouble.

Often, here at ATS, many of our members report their own UFO sightings. In many cases, they are looking for explanations, or just opinions. However, not all know where they can make official reports, or what kind of info may prove helpful. To that end, here’s some information.

may i suggest that before making any official reports,
dont forget to post it here first,
I have'nt been on ATS long but i know there are plenty of ppl in the moving and still imaging profession, so we should investigate first,
then make official reports through ATS, this will raise the profile of ATS,

just a thought, theres a basis of an idea there

National UFO reporting center.com
Hope that's right