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((short description|Study of UFOs))
((Distinguish|UFO religion|Urology))

[[File:TriangleBelgium1990.jpg|alt=TriangleBelgium1990.jpg|thumb|Supposed photo of a [[Black Triangle (UFO)|Black Triangle UFO]] taken by Patrick Maréchal during the [[Belgian UFO wave]] which the author later admitted to be a fabrication.<ref>((cite web |last1=Vey |first1=Tristan |title=La photo d'un ovni belge célèbre était un trucage |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/2011/07/28/01008-20110728ARTFIG00353-la-photo-d-un-ovni-belge-celebre-etait-un-trucage.php |work=[[Le Figaro]] |date=28 July 2011))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Photos d'ovnis: la plus célèbre était fausse |url=https://www.science-et-vie.com/article-magazine/photos-dovnis-la-plus-celebre-etait-fausse |publisher=[[Science et Vie]] |date=28 September 2011))</ref>]]
((Ufo))
((Paranormal|main))
'''Ufology''' (((IPAc-en|j|uː|ˈ|f|ɒ|l|ə|dʒ|i)) ((Respell|yoo|FOL|ə|jee))) is the investigation of [[unidentified flying object]]s (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of [[extraordinary claims|extraordinary origins]] (most frequently of [[extraterrestrial hypothesis|extraterrestrial alien visitors]]).<ref>((Cite journal|last=Blake|first=Joseph A.|date=2015-05-27|title=Ufology: The Intellectual Development and Social Context of the Study of Unidentified Flying Objects|journal=The Sociological Review|volume=27|pages=315–337|language=en|doi=10.1111/j.1467-954x.1979.tb00067.x|s2cid=146530394|issn=1467-954X))</ref><ref name=":1">((cite book |author=Restivo, Sal P. |title=Science, technology, and society: an encyclopedia |publisher=Oxford University Press US |date=2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sciencetechnolog0000unse_m5y0/page/176 176] |isbn=0-19-514193-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/sciencetechnolog0000unse_m5y0/page/176 ))</ref> While there are instances of [[List of investigations of UFOs by governments|government]], [[List of UFO organizations|private]], and [[fringe science]] investigations of UFOs, ufology is generally regarded by [[Skeptical movement|skeptics]] and [[Science education|science educators]] as an example of [[pseudoscience]].

==Etymology==
Ufology is a [[neologism]] derived from ''[[UFO]]'' (a term apparently coined by [[Edward J. Ruppelt]]),<ref>((cite book |last1=Ruppelt |first1=Edward |title=The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects |date=2007 |publisher=BiblioBazaar |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-1434609168))</ref> and is derived from appending the acronym UFO with the suffix ''[[-logy]]'' (from the [[Ancient Greek]] ''-λογία'' (''-logia'')). Early uses of ufology include an article in ''Fantastic Universe'' (1957)<ref>Sanderson, Ivan T. "An Introduction to Ufology." ''Fantastic Universe''. Feb. 1957: 27–34. Print.</ref> and a 1958 presentation for the UFO "research organization" The Planetary Center.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.nicap.org/books/coufo/partII/chVII.htm|title=Challenge of UFOs – Part II Chapter VII|last=Adam|website=www.nicap.org|access-date=2017-11-12))</ref>

==Historical background==
[[File:Ghost rocket search July 1946.jpg|thumb|A [[Swedish Air Force]] officer searches for a "[[Ghost rockets|ghost rocket]]" in Lake Kölmjärv, [[Norrland]], [[Sweden]], in July 1946.]]

The roots of ufology include the "[[mystery airships]]" of the late 1890s, the "[[foo fighter]]s" reported by Allied airmen during [[World War II]], the "ghost fliers" of [[Europe]] and [[North America]] during the 1930s, the "[[ghost rockets]]" of [[Scandinavia]] (mostly Sweden) in 1946, and the [[Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting|Kenneth Arnold "flying saucer" sighting]] of 1947.<ref name="brake">((cite journal|title=On the plurality of inhabited worlds;a brief history of extraterrestrialism |journal=International Journal of Astrobiology |date=June 2006 |first=Mark |last=Brake |volume=5 |issue=2 |page=104 |doi=10.1017/S1473550406002989 |bibcode=2006IJAsB...5...99B|s2cid=122271012 ))</ref><ref>((cite book |author=Denzler, Brenda |title=The lure of the edge: scientific passions, religious beliefs, and the pursuit of UFOs |publisher=University of California Press |date=2003 |pages=6–7|isbn=0-520-23905-9 ))</ref> Media attention to the Arnold sighting helped publicize the concept of [[flying saucer]]s.<ref>Denzler (2003), p. 9</ref>

Publicity of UFOs increased after World War II, coinciding with the escalation of the [[Cold War]] and strategic concerns related to the development and detection (e.g., the [[Ground Observer Corps]]) of advanced [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] aircraft.<ref name="brake"/><ref>((cite web |last=Schulgen |first=George |url=http://www.roswellfiles.com/FOIA/Schulgen.htm |title=Schulgen Memo |date=October 28, 1947 |access-date= May 3, 2010))</ref><ref>((cite web|url=http://www.roswellfiles.com/FOIA/AFIntellRpt.htm |title=The Air Force Intelligence Report |access-date= May 3, 2010))</ref> Official, government-sponsored activities in the United States related to ufology ended in the late 1960s following the [[Condon Committee]] report and the termination of [[Project Blue Book]].<ref>((cite web |last=Haines |first=Gerald K. |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/97unclass/ufo.html |title=CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947–90 |date=April 14, 2007 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001174318/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/97unclass/ufo.html |url-status=dead ))</ref> Government-sponsored, UFO-related activities in other countries, including the [[United Kingdom]],<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos/|title=UFOs|work=nationalarchives.gov.uk))</ref><ref>((cite news |work=Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/7336622/UFO-reports-to-be-destroyed-in-future-by-MoD.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/7336622/UFO-reports-to-be-destroyed-in-future-by-MoD.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=UFO reports to be destroyed in future by MoD |date=February 28, 2010 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |location=London))((cbignore))</ref> Canada,<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/ufo/|title=Archived – Canada's UFOs: The Search for the Unknown – Library and Archives Canada – Archive 蒃 – Le phénomène des ovnis au Canada – Bibliothèque et Archives Canada|work=collectionscanada.gc.ca))</ref> Denmark,<ref>((cite web |work=The Copenhagen Post |url=http://jp.dk/uknews/article1586223.ece |title=Secret UFO archives opened |date=January 29, 2009 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103220047/http://jp.dk/uknews/article1586223.ece |url-status=dead ))</ref> Italy,<ref>[http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/Organizzazione/SMA/EntiDipendenti/Pagine/RGS_Ufo.aspx Italian Air Force UFO site] (in Italian)</ref> and Sweden<ref>((cite web |language=sv |work=Expressen |url=http://www.expressen.se/Nyheter/1.1559618/for-insyn-18-000-svenska-ufo-rapporter |title=För insyn: 18 000 svenska UFO-rapporter |date=May 6, 2009 |access-date=May 3, 2010))</ref> also ended. An exception to this trend is France, which maintains the [[GEIPAN]]<ref>GEIPAN stands for ''Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés'' ("unidentified aerospace phenomenon research and information group")</ref> program, formerly known as GEPAN (1977–1988) and SEPRA (1988–2004), operated by the French Space Agency [[CNES]].

On 14 September 2023, NASA reported the appointment, for the first time, of a Director of [[U.A.P.]] (known earlier as U.F.O.), identified as [[Mark McInerney]], to scientifically, and transparently, study such occurrences.<ref name="NYT-20230914">((cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=NASA Introduces New U.F.O. Research Director – The role was created in response to the recommendations of a report that found the agency could do more to collect and interpret data on unidentified anomalous phenomena. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/science/nasa-ufo-uap-report.html |date=14 September 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230914235331/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/science/nasa-ufo-uap-report.html |archive-date=14 September 2023 |access-date=15 September 2023 ))</ref>

==As a field==
((Further|List of ufologists))

===Status as a pseudoscience===
((main|Identification studies of UFOs))
Despite investigations sponsored by governments and private entities, ufology is not embraced by academia as a scientific field of study, and is instead generally considered a [[pseudoscience]] by [[Skeptical movement|skeptics]] and [[Science education|science educators]],<ref name="ufos">((cite journal |last1=Moldwin |first1=Mark |title=Why SETI IS Science and UFOlogy Is Not: A Space Science Perspective on Boundaries |journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |date=November 2004 |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=40–42))</ref> being often included on [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience|lists of topics characterized as pseudoscience]] as either a partial<ref>((cite book|author=Tuomela, Raimo|title=Science, action, and reality|date=1985|publisher=Springer|isbn=90-277-2098-3|page=234))</ref> or total<ref>((cite book|author1-link=Gregory J. Feist|author=Feist, Gregory J.|title=The psychology of science and the origins of the scientific mind|url=https://archive.org/details/psychologyscienc00feis|url-access=limited|date=2006|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0-300-11074-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/psychologyscienc00feis/page/n239 219]))</ref><ref name=":12">((cite book|author=Restivo, Sal P.|url=https://archive.org/details/sciencetechnolog0000unse_m5y0/page/176|title=Science, technology, and society: an encyclopedia|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press US|isbn=0-19-514193-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/sciencetechnolog0000unse_m5y0/page/176 176]))</ref> pseudoscience.<ref name="Shermer2002">((cite book|url=http://www.antoniolombatti.it/SkepticEncyclopedia1.pdf|title=The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience|publisher=ABC–CLIO, Inc|year=2002|isbn=978-1-57607-653-8|editor-last=Shermer|editor-first=Michael|access-date=16 December 2013|archive-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811161827/http://www.antoniolombatti.it/SkepticEncyclopedia1.pdf|url-status=dead))</ref><ref name="saf">((Scientific American Frontiers|8|2|"Beyond Science"))</ref><ref name="scientificamerican">((cite web|title=Scientific American|url=http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED460829&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b8006f304|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009020435/http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED460829&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b8006f304|archive-date=9 October 2009))</ref><ref name="astropacific">((cite web|title=The 'Great Moon Hoax': Did Astronauts Land on the Moon?|url=http://www.astrosociety.org/edu/resources/pseudobib05.html#10|last=Fraknoi|first=Andrew|date=October 2009|work=Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List|publisher=[[Astronomical Society of the Pacific]]|access-date=2 November 2011))</ref><ref name="iowa">((cite web|title=Statement of the position of the Iowa Academy of Science on Pseudoscience|url=http://www.iacad.org/download/positionstatements/ias_statement_psudoscience.pdf|date=July 1986|publisher=[[Iowa Academy of Science]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626233425/http://www.iacad.org/download/positionstatements/ias_statement_psudoscience.pdf|archive-date=26 June 2007))</ref><ref name="UFO_NSF">((Cite book|last=National Science Foundation|title=Science and Engineering Indicators|publisher=National Science Foundation|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7567-2369-9|location=Arlington, VA|chapter=ch. 7|quote=Belief in pseudoscience is relatively widespread... A sizable minority of the public believes in UFOs and that aliens have landed on Earth.|access-date=6 April 2018|chapter-url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c7/c7s5.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616181809/http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c7/c7s5.htm|archive-date=16 June 2016|url-status=dead))</ref> ''[[Pseudoscience]]'' is a term that classifies arguments that are claimed to exemplify the methods and principles of science, but do not in fact adhere to an appropriate [[scientific method]], lack supporting evidence, plausibility, [[falsifiability]], or otherwise lack scientific status.<ref>((cite web|title=Science and Pseudo-Science|url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/|last=Hansson|first=Sven Ove|date=September 3, 2008|access-date=May 8, 2010))</ref>

Some writers have identified social factors that contribute to the status of ufology as a pseudoscience,<ref>Feist (2006), pp. 219–20</ref><ref name="10.1177/0963662515617706">((Cite journal|last=Eghigian|first=Greg|date=2015-12-06|title=Making UFOs make sense: Ufology, science, and the history of their mutual mistrust|journal=Public Understanding of Science|volume=26|issue=5|pages=612–626|language=en|doi=10.1177/0963662515617706|pmid=26644010|s2cid=37769406))</ref><ref>((cite book|last=Cooper|first=Rachel|title=Psychiatry as Cognitive Neuroscience: Philosophical Perspectives|date=2009|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-923803-3|editor1-last=Broome|editor1-first=Matthew|page=19|chapter=Chapter 1: Is psychiatric research scientific?|editor2-last=Bortolotti|editor2-first=Lisa))</ref> with one study suggesting that "any science doubt surrounding unidentified flying objects and aliens was not primarily due to the ignorance of ufologists about science, but rather a product of the respective research practices of and relations between ufology, the sciences, and government investigative bodies".<ref name="10.1177/0963662515617706"/> One study suggests that "the rudimentary standard of [[science communication]] attending to the extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) hypothesis for UFOs inhibits public understanding of science, dissuades academic inquiry within the physical and social sciences, and undermines progressive space policy initiatives".<ref>((cite journal |last1=Dodd |first1=Adam |title=Strategic Ignorance and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Critiquing the Discursive Segregation of UFOs from Scientific Inquiry |journal=Astropolitics |date=27 April 2018 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=75–95 |doi=10.1080/14777622.2018.1433409 |bibcode=2018AstPo..16...75D |s2cid=148687469 |issn=1477-7622))</ref>

===Current interest===
((Expand section|date=September 2022))
In 2021, astronomer [[Avi Loeb]] launched [[Avi Loeb#The Galileo Project|The Galileo Project]]<ref name="SA-20210919">((cite news |last=Loeb |first=Avi |author-link=Avi Loeb |title=Astronomers Should be Willing to Look Closer at Weird Objects in the Sky – The Galileo Project seeks to train telescopes on unidentified aerial phenomena |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-should-be-willing-to-look-closer-at-weird-objects-in-the-sky/ |date=19 September 2021 |work=[[Scientific American]] |access-date=19 September 2021 ))</ref> which intends to collect and report scientific evidence of extraterrestrials or extraterrestrial technology on or near Earth via telescopic observations.<ref>((cite news |title=Galileo Project: scientists to search for signs of extraterrestrial technology |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/27/galileo-project-search-signs-extraterrestrial-technology |access-date=13 August 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=27 July 2021 |language=en))</ref><ref>((cite news |title=Can we find UFOs from above? |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/591138-can-we-find-ufos-from-above |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=The Hill |date=24 January 2022 |language=en))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Adam |title=Avi Loeb's Galileo Project Will Search for Evidence of Alien Visitation |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/avi-loebs-galileo-project-will-search-for-evidence-of-alien-visitation/ |access-date=13 August 2021 |work=Scientific American |language=en))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Public Announcement |url=https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/galileo/news-events |website=projects.iq.harvard.edu |access-date=13 August 2021 |language=en |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812122252/https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/galileo/news-events |url-status=dead ))</ref>

In Germany, the [[University of Würzburg]] is developing intelligent sensors that can help detect and analyze aerial objects in hopes of applying such technology to UAP.<ref>((cite news |title=Deutschlandweit einmalig – Ufo-Forschung an der Uni Würzburg |url=https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/deutschlandweit-einmalig-ufo-forschung-an-der-uni-wuerzburg |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=BR24 |date=3 September 2021 |language=de))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=UAP & SETI – Chair of Computer Science VIII – Aerospace Information Technology |url=https://www.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/aerospaceinfo/staff/kayal/research-activities/uap-seti/ |website=www.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de |access-date=28 January 2022))</ref><ref name="AAPC22">((cite web |title="Where Science and UAP Meet" |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/uploads.webconnex.com/43130%2F1652484118374-Presenter+Abstracts+2022+SCU+AAPC.pdf |access-date=4 July 2022))</ref><ref name="978-1-5275-7925-5">((cite book |last1=Andresen |first1=Jensine |last2=Torres |first2=Octavio A. Chon |title=Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Academic and Societal Implications |date=9 March 2022 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-5275-7925-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SXVjEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |language=en))</ref>

A 2021 [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] poll found that belief among Americans in some UFOs being extraterrestrial spacecraft grew between 2019 and 2021 from 33% to 41%. Gallup cited increased coverage in mainstream news and scrutiny from government authorities as a factor in changing attitudes towards UFOs.<ref>((Cite web <!-- |last=Inc |first=Gallup --> |date=2021-08-20 |title=Larger Minority in U.S. Says Some UFOs Are Alien Spacecraft |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/353420/larger-minority-says-ufos-alien-spacecraft.aspx |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=[[Gallup.com]] |language=en))</ref>

In 2022, NASA announced a nine-month study starting in fall to help establish a road map for investigating UAP – or for reconnaissance of the publicly available data it might use for such research.<ref>((cite news |title=Nasa UFO study to focus on gathering data, not making conclusions |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/space/nasa-uap-study-data-b2097808.html |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=The Independent |date=10 June 2022 |language=en))</ref><ref>((cite news |last1=Hunt |first1=Katie |last2=Strickland |first2=Ashley |title=NASA is assembling a team to gather data on unidentifiable events in the sky |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/09/world/nasa-team-study-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-scn/index.html |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=CNN))</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Bock |first1=Michael |title=NASA to Set Up Independent Study on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to-set-up-independent-study-on-unidentified-aerial-phenomena/ |website=NASA |access-date=4 July 2022 |date=9 June 2022))</ref>

In 2023, the RAND Corporation, published a study reviewing 101,151 public reports of UAP sightings in the United States from 1998 to 2022.<ref>((Cite report |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2475-1.html |title=Not the X-Files: Mapping Public Reports of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Across America |last1=Posard |first1=Marek N. |last2=Gromis |first2=Ashley |date=2023-07-25 |publisher=RAND Corporation |language=en |last3=Lee |first3=Mary))</ref> The models used to conduct the analysis showed that reports of UAP sightings were less likely within 30&nbsp;km of weather stations, 60&nbsp;km of civilian airports, and in more–densely populated areas, while rural areas tended to have a higher rate of UAP reports. The most consistent and statistically significant finding was that reports of UAP sightings were more likely to occur in areas within 30&nbsp;km of military operations areas, where routine military training occurs.

===Methodological issues===
Although some ufologists (e.g., [[Peter A. Sturrock]]) have proposed explicit methodological activities for investigation of UFOs,<ref>Sturrock (2000) p. 163</ref> scientific UFO research is challenged by the facts that the phenomena are spatially and temporally unpredictable, are not reproducible, and lack tangible physicality.<ref name="Denzler 2003, pp. 35">Denzler (2003), p. 35</ref><ref>((cite thesis |author=Hoyt, Diana Palmer |title=UFOCRITIQUE: UFO's, Social Intelligence and the Condon Committees |version=Master's Thesis |publisher=[[Virginia Polytechnic Institute]] |date=2000-04-20 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32352 |access-date=2020-09-26 |page=13 |hdl=10919/32352 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317042001/http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05082000-09580026/unrestricted/UFOCRITIQUE.pdf |archive-date=2007-03-17 |type=Thesis ))</ref> That most UFO sightings have mundane explanations<ref name="skep">Markovsky B., "UFOs", in ''The Skeptic's Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', edited by Michael Shermer, 2002 Skeptics Society, p260</ref> limits interpretive power of "interesting," extraordinary UFO-related events, with the astronomer [[Carl Sagan]] writing: "The reliable cases are uninteresting and the interesting cases are unreliable. Unfortunately there are no cases that are both reliable and interesting."<ref>((cite book|author=Sagan, Carl|title=Other Worlds|page=[https://archive.org/details/otherworlds00saga/page/113 113]|publisher=Bantam|date=1975|isbn=0-552-66439-1|url=https://archive.org/details/otherworlds00saga/page/113))</ref>

[[Image:Allen Hynek Jacques Vallee 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Josef Allen Hynek]] (left) and [[Jacques Vallée]]]]
The ufologists [[J. Allen Hynek]] and [[Jacques Vallée]] have each developed descriptive systems for characterizing UFO sightings, and by extension for organizing ufology investigations.<ref>((cite book |author=Hynek, J. Allen |title=The UFO experience: a scientific enquiry |publisher=Corgi|date=1974 |isbn=0-552-09430-7 ))</ref><ref name="tumminia">((cite book |author=Tumminia, Diana G. |title=Alien worlds: social and religious dimensions of extraterrestrial contact  |publisher=Syracuse University Press |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-8156-0858-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/alienworldssocia0000unse ))</ref><ref>((cite journal |title=Physical Analyses in Ten Cases of Unexplained Aerial Objects with Material Samples |journal=[[Journal of Scientific Exploration]] |date=1998 |first=Jacques F. |last=Vallée |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=360–61))</ref>((unreliable source?|date=February 2020))

===Phenomena linked to ufology===
In addition to UFO sightings, certain supposedly related phenomena are of interest to some ufologists, including [[crop circles]],<ref>((cite book |author=Andrews, Colin |author2=Spignesi, Stephen J. |title=Crop circles: signs of contact |publisher=Career Press |date=2003 |isbn=1-56414-674-X |url=https://archive.org/details/cropcirclessigns00andr ))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Coming soon to a field near you |url=https://physicsworld.com/a/coming-soon-to-a-field-near-you/ |publisher=[[Physics World]] |access-date=28 January 2022 |date=4 August 2011))</ref> [[cattle mutilations]],<ref>((cite book |author= Howe, Linda Moulton |title= Alien Harvest: Further Evidence Linking Animal Mutilations and Human Abductions to Alien Life Forms |publisher=Linda Moulton Howe Productions |date=1989 |isbn=0-9620570-1-0))</ref> anomalous materials,<ref>((cite news |title=Stanford Professor Garry Nolan Is Analyzing Anomalous Materials From UFO Crashes |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7nzkq/stanford-professor-garry-nolan-analyzing-anomalous-materials-from-ufo-crashes |access-date=16 January 2022 |work=Vice |language=en))</ref><ref name="10.1016/j.paerosci.2021.100788">((cite journal |author-link1=Garry Nolan |last1=Nolan |first1=Garry P. |last2=Vallee |first2=Jacques F. |last3=Jiang |first3=Sizun |last4=Lemke |first4=Larry G. |title=Improved instrumental techniques, including isotopic analysis, applicable to the characterization of unusual materials with potential relevance to aerospace forensics |journal=Progress in Aerospace Sciences |date=1 January 2022 |volume=128 |pages=100788 |doi=10.1016/j.paerosci.2021.100788 |bibcode=2022PrAeS.12800788N |language=en |issn=0376-0421|doi-access=free ))</ref> [[alien abductions]] and [[Alien implant|implants]].<ref>Denzler (2003), p. 239</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Leir |first1=Roger K. |title=The aliens and the scalpel : scientific proof of extraterrestrial implants in humans |url=https://archive.org/details/aliensscalpelsci0000leir/page/n5/mode/2up |publisher=Columbus, NC : Granite Pub. |date=1998))</ref><ref>((cite news |title=Watch This Doc on Alien Gangsters and the 'Biggest Story Never Told' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/43nzng/roger-leir-alien-implant-ufo-abduction |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=www.vice.com |language=en))</ref><ref>((cite web |last1=Leir |first1=Roger |title=The Smoking Gun |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/504074844/The-Smoking-Gun |access-date=28 January 2022))</ref>

Some ufologists have also promoted [[UFO conspiracy theories]], including the [[Roswell Incident]] of 1947,<ref name=Skeptoid>((Skeptoid|id=4079|number=79|title=Aliens in Roswell|access-date=27 December 2016))</ref><ref>((cite book |author= Friedman, Stanton T. |author2= Berliner, Don |title= Crash at Corona: The U.S. Military Retrieval and Cover-up of a UFO|publisher=Paragon House |date=1992 |isbn=1-55778-449-3))</ref><ref>((cite book |author= Randle, Kevin D. |author2= Schmitt, Donald R. |title= UFO Crash at Roswel |publisher= Avon Books |date= 1991 |isbn= 0-380-76196-3 |url= https://archive.org/details/ufocrashatroswel00rand ))</ref> the [[Majestic 12]] documents,<ref>((cite book |author= Friedman, Stanton T.|title= TOP SECRET/MAJIC|publisher=Marlowe & Co. |date=1997 |isbn=1-56924-741-2))</ref> and UFO disclosure advocates.<ref>((cite book |author= Salla, Michael|title=Exopolitics: Political Implications of Extraterrestrial Presence|publisher=Dandelion Books |date=2004 |isbn=1-893302-56-3))</ref><ref>((cite book |author= Greer, Steven M. |title= Disclosure : Military and Government Witnesses Reveal the Greatest Secrets in Modern History|publisher=Crossing Point |date=2001 |isbn=0-9673238-1-9))</ref>

Skeptic [[Robert Sheaffer]] has accused ufology of having a "credulity explosion,"<ref name="skepticalperspective">Sheaffer, Robert. "A Skeptical Perspective on UFO Abductions". In: Pritchard, Andrea & Pritchard, David E. & Mack, John E. & Kasey, Pam & Yapp, Claudia. ''Alien Discussions: Proceedings of the Abduction Study Conference''. Cambridge: North Cambridge Press. pp. 382–88.</ref> writing that, "the kind of stories generating excitement and attention in any given year would have been rejected by mainstream ufologists a few years earlier for being too outlandish."<ref name="skepticalperspective" /> The physicist [[James E. McDonald]] also identified "cultism" and "extreme...subgroups" as negatively impacting ufology.<ref name ="McDonald">McDonald (1968)</ref>

===In Posadism===
During the Cold War, ufology was synthesized with the ideas of a [[Trotskyism|Trotskyist]] movement in South America known as [[Posadism]]. Posadism's main theorist, [[J. Posadas|Juan Posadas]], believed the human race must "appeal to the beings on other planets...to intervene and collaborate with Earth's inhabitants in suppressing poverty;" i.e., Posadas wished to collaborate with extraterrestrials in order to create a [[socialism|socialist system]] on Earth.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.marxists.org/archive/posadas/1968/06/flyingsaucers.html|title=J. Posadas: Flying saucers ... and the socialist future of mankind (26 June 1968)|website=www.marxists.org|access-date=2019-09-12))</ref> The adoption of this belief among Posadists, who had previously been a significant political force in South America, has been noted as a contributing factor in their decline.<ref>John Sandor Steven (2006). ''Permanent Revolution on the Altiplano: Bolivian Trotskyism''. Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest Information and Learning Company, p. 314.</ref>

==Governmental and private ufology studies==
((Further|Identification studies of UFOs|List of investigations of UFOs by governments))

Starting in the 1940s, investigations, studies, and conferences related to ufology were sponsored by governmental agencies and private groups. Typically motivated by visual UFO sightings, the goals of these studies included critical evaluation of the observational evidence, attempts to resolve and identify the observed events, and the development of policy recommendations. These studies include [[Project Sign]], [[Project Magnet (UFO)|Project Magnet]], [[Project Blue Book]], the [[Robertson Panel]], and the [[Condon Committee]] in the United States, the [[Flying Saucer Working Party]] and [[Project Condign]] in Britain, [[GEIPAN]] in France, and [[Hessdalen light|Project Hessdalen]] in Norway. Private studies of UFO phenomena include those produced by the [[RAND Corporation]] in 1968,<ref name="kocher">((cite web |author=Kocher, George |publisher=[[RAND Corporation]] |url=http://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ufoswhattodo.pdf |title=UFOs: What to Do? |date=November 1968 |access-date=May 8, 2010 ))</ref> Harvey Rutledge of the [[University of Missouri]] from 1973 to 1980,<ref>((cite book |author= Rutledge, Harley D.  |title=Project Identification: the first scientific field study of UFO phenomena |publisher=Prentice-Hall |date=1981 |isbn=0-13-730705-5 ))</ref><ref>((cite journal|title=Interesting, But UFO's Still Unidentified |journal=[[The Physics Teacher]]|date=February 1982|first=Alexander K.|last=Dickinson|volume=20|issue=2|pages=128–30 |doi=10.1119/1.2340971|bibcode=1982PhTea..20..128D))</ref> and the [[National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club's]] [[Disclosure Project]] in 2001.<ref>((cite web|author=Katelynn Raymer |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98572 |title=Group Calls for Disclosure of UFO Info |date= May 10, 2001 |access-date=May 5, 2010))</ref><ref>((cite news |author=Rob Watson |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1322432.stm |title=UFO spotters slam 'US cover-up'|date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=May 5, 2010))</ref><ref>((cite news |author=Sharon Kehnemui |work=Fox News |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,24364,00.html |title=Men in Suits See Aliens as Part of Solution, Not Problem |date=May 10, 2001 |access-date=May 5, 2010))</ref> Additionally, the [[United Nations]] from 1977 to 1979 sponsored meetings and hearings concerning UFO sightings.<ref>[http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=T26T205057599.411922&profile=bibga&uri=link=3100006~!1107463~!3100001~!3100040&aspect=alpha&menu=search&ri=4&source=~!horizon&term=A%2FDEC%2F32%2F424&index=ZUNSYMA A/DEC/32/424] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622111803/http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=T26T205057599.411922&profile=bibga&uri=link=3100006~!1107463~!3100001~!3100040&aspect=alpha&menu=search&ri=4&source=~!horizon&term=A%2FDEC%2F32%2F424&index=ZUNSYMA |date=2011-06-22 )) UNBISnet- United Nations Bibliographic Information System, [[Dag Hammarskjöld Library]] (Retrieved May 4, 2010)</ref><ref>[http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1L308U482P303.34720&profile=bibga&uri=full=3100001~!749053~!4&ri=1&aspect=alpha&menu=search&source=~!horizon A/DEC/33/426] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622112100/http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1L308U482P303.34720&profile=bibga&uri=full=3100001~!749053~!4&ri=1&aspect=alpha&menu=search&source=~!horizon |date=2011-06-22 )), UNBISnet (Retrieved May 4, 2010)</ref> In August 2020, the [[United States Department of Defense]] established the [[Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force]] to detect, analyze and catalog unidentified aerial phenomena that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.<ref>((cite web|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Defense |url=https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2314065/establishment-of-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-task-force/ |title=Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force |date= August 14, 2001 |access-date=April 16, 2021))</ref>

==UFO organizations and events==
((Main article|List of UFO organizations))
((Further|List of skeptics and skeptical organizations))

A large number of private organizations dedicated to the study, discussion, and publicity of ufology and other UFO-related topics exist throughout the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Switzerland. Along with such "pro-UFO" groups are skeptic organizations that emphasize the pseudoscientific nature of ufology.

During the annual [[World UFO Day]] (July 2), ufologists and associated organizations raise public awareness of ufology, in an effort to "tell the truth about earthly visits from outer space aliens."<ref>((cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/july-2-world-ufo-day-real-u-independence-153200637.html |title=July 2: World UFO Day, the Real U.S. Independence Day, I Forgot Day, Violin Lover's Day and Freedom from Fear of Public Speaking Day |date=26 June 2012 |work=Yahoo News |access-date=2012-06-26))</ref><ref>((cite news|url=http://www.worldufoday.com|title=Organisations & Groups supporting / celebrating World UFO day|date=10 October 2012|work=World UFO Day Website|access-date=2012-10-08))</ref> The day's events include group gatherings to search for and observe UFOs.<ref>((cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3036596.stm |title=Can you answer the UFO questions? |date=2 July 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=2003-07-02))</ref><ref>((cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/weekinreview/04schwartz.html?_r=0|title=Out of This World, Out of Our Minds |date=3 July 2010 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2010-07-03))</ref>

==See also==
((div col|colwidth=30em))
* [[Identification studies of UFOs]]
* [[Extraterrestrial hypothesis]]
* [[Psychosocial hypothesis]]
* [[Interdimensional hypothesis]]
* [[Time-traveler UFO hypothesis|Time-traveler hypothesis]]
* [[Mac_Tonnies#Cryptoterrestrial_hypothesis|Cryptoterrestrial UFO hypothesis]]
* [[Fringe science]]
* [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience]]
* [[List of reported UFO sightings]] 
* [[List of Ufologists]]
* [[Close encounter|Close encounters]]
* [[The Phenomenon (2020 film)]]
* [[UFOs in fiction]]
((div col end))

==References==
((Reflist|colwidth=35em))

==Further reading==
; Academic books about ufology as a sociological and historical phenomenon
* ((Cite book |author=Denzler, Brenda |title=The lure of the edge: scientific passions, religious beliefs, and the pursuit of UFOs |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |date=2003 |isbn=0-520-23905-9))
* ((Cite book |editor1-last=Ballester-Olmos |editor1-first=V.J. |editor2-last=Heiden |editor2-first=Richard W. |year=2023 |title=The Reliability of UFO Witness Testimony |url=https://www.academia.edu/101922617 |language=en |location=Turin, Italy |publisher=UPIAR |isbn=9791281441002))

; Pro-ufology
* ((Cite book |author=Hynek, J. Allen |author-link=J. Allen Hynek |title=The UFO experience: a scientific inquiry |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|date=1998 |isbn=1-56924-782-X ))
* ((Cite book |author=Vallée, Jacques F. |author-link=Jacques Vallée  |title=Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact |publisher=[[Random House Value Publishing]] |date=1991 |isbn=0-517-07204-1))

; Skeptical opinions
* ((Cite book |author=Klass, Philip J.|author-link=Philip J. Klass  |title=UFOs: The Public Deceived |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/1984/01/ufos-the-public-deceived/|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Prometheus Books]] |date=1983 |isbn=0-87975-322-6 ))
* ((Cite book |author=Sheaffer, Robert |author-link=Robert Sheaffer |title=The UFO Verdict: Examining the Evidence |publisher=[[Prometheus Books]] |date=1986 |isbn=0-87975-338-2))
* ((Cite book |last=Graff |first=Garrett |author-link=Garrett Graff |year=2023 |title=UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There |location=New York |publisher=Avid Reader Press |isbn=9781982196776 |oclc=1407420009))

; Ufology studies
* ((Cite book |author=Gillmor, Daniel S. |author2=Condon, Edward U. |author-link=Edward U. Condon |title=[[Condon Committee|Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects]] |publisher=Vision |date=1970 |isbn=0-85478-142-0))
* ((Cite book |author=Rutledge, Harley D. |title=Project Identification: The First Scientific Field Study of UFO Phenomena |publisher=[[Prentice-Hall]] |date=1981 |isbn=0-13-730705-5))

==External links==
* [http://ufology-news.com/ Ufology News]
* [http://www.cufos.org/ Center for UFO Studies]
* [http://www.mufon.com/ Mutual UFO Network]
* [http://www.nuforc.org/ National UFO Reporting Center]
* [http://www.cnes-geipan.fr/ Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés]
* [http://www.bufora.org.uk/ British UFO Research Association]
* [http://www.csicop.org/resources#ufos Committee for Skeptical Inquiry UFO resources] ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902001451/http://www.csicop.org/resources#ufos |date=2011-09-02 ))

((UFOs|state=collapsed))
((Pseudoscience|state=collapsed))

[[Category:Ufology| ]]

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