Humans have always had a curiosity about the unknown, which has led to some incredible discoveries.
But some things remain unresolved, like UFOs.
However, Alberta is well-positioned to uncover the secret of UFOs.
According to a research analysis by Lucky Days, our province has the third-highest UFO sightings in Canada.
The online gambling site analyzed data from the National UFO Reporting Center to identify regions with the most recorded UFO sightings in history.
Alberta ranked third on the list with almost 700 sightings, behind British Columbia, which boasts over 1,200.
However, Ontario has the most sightings of any province, with over 2,500, which supports the claim that there are more sightings in the East than in the West.
Is that because there are more people in the East who can spot things? Or is it because there is more commercial activity in the sky that gets reported as UFOs?
A 2020 report by Ufology Research found that UFO sightings across Canada increased by almost 50 percent in 2020. Most sightings were reported in urban centres in Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes.
Before you start doomsday prepping for War of the Worlds, it should be noted that, according to Canadian UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski, many of the 2020 sighting reports were solved.
“A lot of people were reporting UFO reports to us that turned out to be the SpaceX satellite,” Rutkowski told CBC News.
He claims SpaceX satellites look like long strings of pearls moving across the sky with bright, connected lights following the same path. To an ordinary person, these satellites would appear otherworldly.
What Is A UFO?
A common misconception is that all UFO sightings involve little green men in flying saucers. In reality, most UFO sightings are boring and turn out to be… well, not much of anything.
UFO is an acronym for unidentified flying objects. As the name suggests, UFOs are any flying object that cannot be immediately identified.
For example, your home security camera might show a blurry white sphere darting through the air.
The sphere is technically a UFO until you find out that your kid just threw a baseball across the yard.
A UFO sighting could be anything.
In 2020, the Pentagon released three declassified videos of UFOs, one of which caused quite a stir.
The Chilean navy recorded a video that showed a mysteriously shaped black object flying across the sky.
At one point, the object appeared to release clouds of hot gases. Over two years, a group of experts, including military personnel and scientists, tried to debunk the sighting.
They finally concluded that the object was unknown.
UFO enthusiasts around the world rejoiced in what was thought to be undeniable proof of aliens.
However, three days later, the sighting was identified as Iberia flight 6830 departing the Santiago airport.
We Aren’t Alone
While most UFO sightings can be explained, some cannot.
Over seven percent of sightings reported in 2021 and over eight percent of sightings in 2022 were classified as ‘unexplained.’
In 2014, a mother and daughter who live on a ranch outside of Nanton were left baffled after two UFOs allegedly flew over their home.
Sam Martine and her 14-year-old daughter Baylie were watching TV when they saw two bright lights hovering over a field less than a kilometre away.
The pair went to the porch to investigate when the lights quickly flew towards them, scaring their cattle.
Baylie tried photographing the objects with her cellphone but claimed the camera was acting weird.
“The picture went completely green, and later that night, it ended up deleting itself,” Baylie told CBC News.
Martine, on the other hand, managed to grab her DSLR camera and snap a few photos. Rutkowski and Robyn Foret, chair of the education and public outreach committee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, doubt that whatever the pair saw was paranormal.
“The tip-offs are the red and blue lights, which are very common in aircraft,” said Rutkowski.
Or, if you look closely, it could be a drone.
What Martine and Baylie saw isn’t the only UFO sighting in Nanton.
On March 29, 2004, three lights were seen moving in the evening sky, fading and reappearing repeatedly.
In 2010, another Nanton resident claimed to have seen and interacted with an alien who waved at him.
There may be something in that famous Nanton spring water that we should know about!
Whether you believe in aliens or not, the thought of other intelligent beings is just as exciting as the idea of being alone in the universe is terrifying.
As more people get outside and more of us have our smartphones handy, we’re sure to see a spike in UFO sightings as the summer approaches.
