CIA says half of all UFO sightings In the 50's and 60's were actually the U-2 spy plane.

[Aethon]

https://twitter.com/CIA/status/549643808166526981

"High-altitude testing of the U-2 soon led to an unexpected side effect  a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) … Such reports were most prevalent in the early evening hours from pilots of airliners from east to west. When the Sun dropped below the horizon of an airliner flying at 20,000 feet, the plane was in darkness. But, if a U-2 was airborne in the vicinity of the airliner at the same time, its horizon from an altitude of 60,000 feet was considerably more distant, and being so high in the sky, its silver wings would catch and reflect the rays of the Sun."

http://www.universetoday.com/117753/the-cia-cheekily-blames-itself-for-1950s-ufo-sightings/

Edited December 31, 2014 by Aethon

[ZedNova]

Here comes the "Aliens are among us!!!" crowd.

[astropapi1]

Doesn't surprise me, there were a lot of experimental, secret aircraft in development in those years.

[Bill Phil]

Half? The U-2 didn't fly to all parts of the US. They probably mean airing the test area. Groom Lake/Nellis/Area 51.

[Dartguy]

I am surprised the number is that low. Should be 90 percent, and the other 10 natural or imagined.

[worir4]

Here comes the "Aliens are among us!!!" crowd.

Oh darn, how did you know?

[xenomorph555]

Ever seen the X-13 Ryan, most alien jet you ever saw!

[Voidryder]

Yes. It was all a plane emitting swamp gas as Venus rose/set behind a lighthouse that had just launched a weather balloon bathed in reflected headlights from a nearby highway. There are no aliens among you. I repeat, there are no aliens among you. No aliens among you.

[Nuke]

i thought this was common knowledge for awhile now.

[zxczxczbfg]

It occurs to me now that the good folks down at Groom Lake and the Lockheed Skunk Works are essentially playing KSP with all their fancy new aircraft designs.

[xenomorph555]

Yes. It was all a plane emitting swamp gas as Venus rose/set behind a lighthouse that had just launched a weather balloon bathed in reflected headlights from a nearby highway. There are no aliens among you. I repeat, there are no aliens among you. No aliens among you.

Did you know Venus was in the peak of brilliance last night, you may think you saw something that wasn't Venus but I assure you, it was Venus...

[LABHOUSE]

Yeah just half you say... and that leaves 35% still unknown (15% are known to be fake or dreams). Everyone wait 50-75 years to see what the ufo sightings from now are (I know I saw something, I have 4 other witnesses all from the same town and all saw the same thing at different times).

Edited January 1, 2015 by LABHOUSE

[Charzy]

I imagine a lot of UFO sightings are people seeing satellites or the ISS. You know, fast moving objects going across the night sky.

[BriXman]

Doesn't surprise me, there were a lot of experimental, secret aircraft in development in those years.

Probably mainly the U-2. When you see normal passenger planes flying above you, they are pretty much just white dots. Well, they are flying at 10,000m normally. This plane flew much higher, so when you (rarely) saw this aircraft, it'd probably look like some unnatural alien-spaceship. Nontheless, I think flying this plane was fun, just looking down seeing the earth in all it's beauty, and looking up seeing pretty much space.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah just half you say... and that leaves 35% still unknown (15% are known to be fake or dreams). Everyone wait 50-75 years to see what the ufo sightings from now are (I know I saw something, I have 4 other witnesses all from the same town and all saw the same thing at different times).

Interesting... PM me describing what you saw, please. I really love UFOs!

[RainDreamer]

The rest are kerbals.

[Technical Ben]

i thought this was common knowledge for awhile now.

Knowledge is used of information. Sadly not everyone uses the information they learn.

[bonyetty]

My 16 month son sees unidentified flying objects every day. He points at everything he sees flying and says "whatsat?". What qualifications are required to not identify an object flying? Didn't some known war profiteer say something about unknown unknowns. Conclusions about unknowns sound a bit religious too. Certified Idiotic Assesments.

[Kryten]

I imagine a lot of UFO sightings are people seeing satellites or the ISS. You know, fast moving objects going across the night sky.

There are a lot of UFO reports that involve black triangles, usually defined only by white lights at each corner. Compare to this.

[Bill Phil]

Black triangles are usually described to block the sky.

[Scotius]

Do spy planes use positioning lights during night flights? Do they use different scheme than other planes (differently colored lights, blinking)?

[lincourtl]

Probably mainly the U-2. When you see normal passenger planes flying above you, they are pretty much just white dots. Well, they are flying at 10,000m normally. This plane flew much higher, so when you (rarely) saw this aircraft, it'd probably look like some unnatural alien-spaceship. Nontheless, I think flying this plane was fun, just looking down seeing the earth in all it's beauty, and looking up seeing pretty much space.

And what do you think a 60 foot long (100 foot wingspan) plane 11 miles up in the air looks like from the ground? Would that be any bigger of a dot than a commercial airliner at 6 miles up? Plus it's not as if the U-2 spent a lot of time at low altitude. It pretty much climbed straight from takeoff, and reached its cruising altitude in under a half hour. I don't know how much time it spent at low altitude on landing approach though that would be mostly within the area of the base so not a whole lot of opportunity for sightings there.

I am far from a believer in alien UFOs. In fact, I think it's pretty damn unlikely Earth is being visited by E.T.s. However, the CIA's claim strikes me as equally dubious. Some sightings, sure. Half? That seems high.

[Kryten]

Black triangles are usually described to block the sky.

To somebody with dark-adapted eyes seeing relatively bright satellite flares, that's how it would appear.

[Bill Phil]

To somebody with dark-adapted eyes seeing relatively bright satellite flares, that's how it would appear.

True, although there are the people who weren't outside and then came outside to see it...

[LABHOUSE]

Do spy planes use positioning lights during night flights? Do they use different scheme than other planes (differently colored lights, blinking)?

Sometimes, it is used to identify them if and when another plane can see it in flight; but not all Ufo colours are used on planes.

Most ufos are not plane shapes or fast moving, many cast shadows too, so not all are satellites.

Edited January 1, 2015 by LABHOUSE

[NFUN]

It was a streetlight.