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( Unidentified flying objects)
An Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) is the current term for claims of aerial phenomenon that are not readily identified. Some definitions, such as the one used by the USAF, define UFOs as only those objects remaining unidentified after scrutiny by expert investigators, while other definitions define an object as being a UFO from the time it is first reported as being unidentified. However, many military and civilian investigations have concluded that UFOs can be identified either directly, or by applying Occam's Razor, and therefore are IFOs, Identified Flying Objects. [1] In addition, "UFO" is also often used as a synonym for alien spacecraft in popular culture, though an anomaly may be classified as a UFO independently of opinion as to its origins. Because of the confusion of meanings that have become associated with "UFO", some investigators instead prefer to use the broader term Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAP. [2] All studies agree that only a tiny percentage of reported UFOs are actual hoaxes. [3] The vast majority of reports are of something real, perhaps appearing anomalous, but most of these represent honest misidentifications of conventional objects such as aircraft, balloons, or astronomical objects such as meteors or bright planets. Modern reports and the first official investigations of UFOs began during World War II with sightings of so-called foo fighters by Allied airplane crews, and in 1946 with widespread sightings of European "ghost rockets". UFO reports became even more common after the first widely publicized United States UFO sighting, by private pilot Kenneth Arnold in mid 1947 (which gave rise to the popular terms "flying saucer" and "flying disc"). Millions of people believe they have seen UFOs since then [4] and tens of thousands of such reports have been cataloged. [5]
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