As many of you have recently heard, and then proceeded to quickly forget about within the time this was written, three unidentified flying objects have been shot down, one of which was a rumored spy balloon from China. This left many in a panic, or deep in curiosity, after the Chinese spy balloon was seen in American skies. While this was certainly national news for all of a day, it does beg the question for many Americans who heard of the happenings: Are there aliens visiting our planet in hopes of some greater end goal?

Well, I’d love to claim aliens are real and that we should begin preparations for war with extraterrestrials, but reality, as far as I know, is that these UFOs aren’t of alien origins. You see, the most obvious hint is that UFOs aren’t actually alien spacecrafts. They’re defined as an aircraft which is not identified by anyone or otherwise identifiable (see ‘unidentified’). The reason UFOs have garnered so much of a reputation as being alien in origin is because of the popularization of the term in pop culture, starting with the first alien media to be broadcasted over the airwaves, The War Of The Worlds. That being said, it’s apparent that many Americans do believe in the possibility of alien life and UFO sightings along with it. 

As Brandon Specktor explained in Live Science, “Of course, many Americans believe the United States government has a long history of covering up evidence of alien life and attempts by extraterrestrials to contact us. Last year, on the 75th anniversary of the date that many believe aliens crash-landed at Roswell, New Mexico, a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found that about a third of Americans believed the event was plausible. What’s more, willingness to believe in aliens at Roswell was spread evenly across demographic groups and political affiliations.” 

That being said, what ARE the UFOs that were shot down by the US government? The short answer is that we have no clue. Beyond the theories that are being crafted on the situation, we have very little information, but we do know why there is a sudden surge in sightings. Simply put, it’s because we’re actively looking for them. It’s not as shocking or entertaining as visitors from outer space, but that’s why there’s such a surge. Many unidentified aircrafts fly every day and many over our country as well. It just so happens that the government is more on their toes after the balloon incident. That being said, it’s OK to believe.