Everyone loves to watch UFO and alien flicks. It’s no wonder, as we have long been fascinated by the unknown with many movies depicting them on the big screen. From the “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), “E.T.” (1982), “Alien” (1979), and “Men In Black” (1997), and even the animated film “Lilo & Stitch” (2002), these films evoked mixed feelings of fear, thrill, excitement, and fun, further feeding our interest about the world beyond our own.
While you love to see them in the movies, have you ever imagined encountering them in person and what would you do if you saw one? Each year, over 70,000 reports of UFO sightings across the world. While most of them have been explainable, some of them were just extraordinary and univocally puzzling in the modern era.
You may have watched Elliot Taylor befriending E.T. or Lilo teaching Sitch some love, but it doesn’t mean you should do the same nor should you become as obsessed with aliens as Roy Neary did. To help you out, here are the best things you should do if you see an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) in the sky.
Stay calm.
While it may seem to be a difficult thing to do, staying calm is perhaps the best thing you need to do if you see a UFO. Remember, calmness helps you stay focused on what needs to be done and prevents you from doing things that are out of way and may peril you. Once you’ve relaxed, protect yourself from any threat, be it real or perceived. Moreover, note that you may be experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event so it’s important to take note of every detail as much as possible, something you won’t likely do if you don’t keep yourself together.
Keep an objective mindset.
Along with staying calm, it’s also crucial that you take an objective stance. Objectivity is necessary as it can help you view things the way they are. It helps you eliminate emotion, and rather digest everything more rationally. Remember, not all UFOs are extraterrestrial. Who knows it might just be a drone or a warplane? So, remove all possibilities first and think objectively. Even in science, all things are treated in a way that is objective in order to come up with an accurate explanation. Only after doing so should you contemplate if what you saw is actually a UFO.
Record the sighting.
Search for UF0 sightings on the web and you will see many of those are still in low, grainy quality. Luckily, we now live in an era where camcorders, digicams, and tape recorders are only things of the past. Use your smartphone to record the event, as the world will surely appreciate seeing what you’ve experienced. Of course, it’s more vital for investigators and researchers who may probe the sighting. Try to remember specific reference points as it can massively help in the investigation.
Have others record the event, too.
If you have your friends or family members, have them record the sighting too. The more witnesses, the better. You can collect more details, which investigators will surely appreciate. Having other people around also keeps you safe, plus you get to compare your varying views after the event. Just make sure to take account of your own experience, what authorities would like to know is what you saw, and not what other people did.
Write down important details.
While the technology is powerful, not all can be captured on video, especially if you’re recording at a considerable distance. Such an instance makes the naked eye better than a camera. Not to mention that there are also other factors that affect video recordings like sensitivity to light, angle of view, resolution, and the quality of the camera itself.
With that, it’s also important that you write down other important details in case they may have not been properly caught on video. What does it look like? How fast is it? Are there any sounds made? How high was it from the ground? Having the answer to all those questions can shed more light on the event.
Do not disturb the landing site.
If the UFO left some remnants, do not touch or alter anything in it. You never know what exactly you’re touching, where it came from, whether it’s safe, or the danger it may bring. Just take photos and videos as evidence. Take note of the position of everything and the exact location of the site. Quickly leave the area to avoid any dangerous moment, just in case the unknown aircraft comes back.
Hide to protect yourself.
If you see some extraterrestrial beings from the UFO, hide right away to protect yourself. While the movies may have depicted friendlier aliens, there are also films that shown otherwise. You don’t know what’s going on in their minds and how they would react so it’s best to conceal yourself in a safe location and distance. Once you deem you’re safe, try to take photos and videos of the being. However, don’t compromise your safety for the sake of having documentation. Continue doing evasive action and just make a written account of the event.
Report it to any UFO research organization.
There are several UFO research organizations around the world where you can report the event, such as the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) or Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Never call Air Force One, as they stopped collecting UFO sighting details since 1969, and no other government in the US also publicly gathers UFO sighting information.
Don’t call the local newspaper, either. Some news editors will just blow up the topic, while others will simply tag you as a hoaxer. Meanwhile, call your law enforcement agency if the event is posing an imminent danger to public safety and property. Some of the best sighting reports from the past decades have been collected by law enforcement and public safety personnel. If there’s no danger involved, you might rather report it to the organization above, as the law enforcement agency surely has lots of important things to do.
If you file a report, state only the facts. Try to make it concise and never makeup things, just to make things bigger than what they are. Usually, the shape, size, color, direction of sound and motion, the exact location, and the date and time are already enough.
Final Words
That’s the rundown of the things you need to do if ever you’re at home or go out for a walk and see a peculiar object in the sky. Always stay safe and calm. Then, relish the experience with the tourists – not from this world.