Case file · Non-fiction & research literature
Medina, Brewer & Kirkpatrick, 'An environmental analysis of public UAP sightings'
A Scientific Reports paper analysing about 98,000 US public UAP reports from 2001 to 2020 against sky visibility and air traffic.
2023 CE · 40.76, -111.89 · status: explained
The account
The University of Utah-led study found that sightings are more common where people have more chance to see the sky and near airports and military sites, which points to real but unidentified objects such as aircraft. It is an example of peer-reviewed research on UAP reporting patterns.
The sceptical view
The data come from self-reported National UFO Reporting Center records with no way to screen out hoaxes, and the analysis cannot address individual anomalous cases.