UFOs.

[Roger Kettle]

I believe these are now called UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) and the U.S. Government is now suggesting that there is, indeed, some stuff up there that is difficult to explain. They have even released some official footage taken by air force pilots which shows what appears to be some extremely strange craft moving at incredible speed. The audio that accompanies the videos demonstrates the bemusement of the pilots involved. I find the subject fascinating. Do I believe there is life elsewhere in the universe? Without question. Do I believe extraterrestrial beings have visited/are visiting Earth? I really don't know. We've all heard about the events in Roswell, New Mexico, back in the Forties and that incident certainly throws up more questions than it does answers. I have a friend---a quiet, absolutely normal guy---who claims he saw something inexplicable in the night sky. He makes no further claims and, typically, leaves it at that. Whatever it was, he says, it moved in ways he'd never seen before or since. "If it's something our government and military have come up with, it's pretty damn impressive."
Look, as I said earlier, I have no idea if alien craft are buzzing around our skies but I have no doubt that there is SOMETHING strange up there.
Any of you seen anything?

[Diane CBPFC]

This is a small sample group of humanity and most of the members are nuts, so the results of your survey I imagine will be skewed.

[Roger Kettle]

Good point!

[Mince]

Diane! Couldn't you have just let him believe for a few posts before shooting him down?

I mean, it's not like he believes in the Loch Ness Monster.

[Diane CBPFC]

My hubby is into Bigfoot these days - there is a lot of video evidence on YouTube apparently.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

...there is a lot of video evidence on YouTube apparently.

Nessie is more discreet. And has much better manners than Mince.

I remember driving home once, late at night and just outside the city boundaries, when I was suddenly aware that there was a very strange glow in the sky. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, inversely the glow intensified. I pulled over into the first layby I could find and got out of the car, transfixed by the glow, and readying myself for being abducted by aliens (it's on my Bucket List). Didn't happen, and I completed my journey, only very slightly disappointed, after staring at this phenomena for ages as it filled the night sky.

It was, of course, the Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights to you, Mincey), but having only ever seen them courtesy of the special effects department in the film, Local Hero, where Burt Lancaster witnessed multicoloured swirling lights, what I saw was more like fluorescent green rain. Beautiful to see, but no substitute for an alien abduction. I still hold out hope.

I totally believe in what we rather arrogantly refer to as extra-terrestrials, and what I find practically impossible to comprehend is that anyone actually believes we are the only advanced lifeform in this (or any other) vast universe. That is beyond arrogance and understanding to me. But these people are out there.

So, too, I believe, are our alien cousins, and my guess is that anyone looking out for them in the skies above us is almost certainly looking in the wrong direction for their best chance of an encounter.

Nanu nanu, Mincey!

[Mince]

[...] what I find practically impossible to comprehend is that anyone actually believes we are the only advanced lifeform in this (or any other) vast universe. That is beyond arrogance and understanding to me. But these people are out there.

The observable universe contains an estimated 21,600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets. Anyone who doubts the possibility of alien life must at the very least be crap at probability.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

[...] what I find practically impossible to comprehend is that anyone actually believes we are the only advanced lifeform in this (or any other) vast universe. That is beyond arrogance and understanding to me. But these people are out there.

The observable universe contains an estimated 21,600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets. Anyone who doubts the possibility of alien life must at the very least be crap at probability.

I think you missed a few.

[Roger Kettle]

People tend to use "UFO" as a synonym for "alien space craft" and that's just wrong. A flying object that can't be identified certainly doesn't have to be from another planet. Governments around the world are working on all sorts of aerial technology. I'm not saying that's the definitive answer but it probably plays a part in some of the reported sightings. As do meteors, drones and all sorts of explainable things. But it's still fascinating.
There are several Renaissance paintings which clearly show weird things in the sky. I can't be bothered to check but I'm pretty sure if you google "UFOs in Renaissance art" you'll find some examples. This was a period of artistic realism---hundreds of years ago---and it's difficult to work out what they were trying to portray. The theory that they were abstract representations of angels seems a bit far-fetched. In one of the paintings, there is what can only be described as a metallic disc in the sky. Why would you paint an angel as a metallic disc? As I keep saying, I don't have a clue what the answer is but it's fascinating.
Oh, and don't get me started on why, thousands of years ago, people all over the world started building pyramids and structures that, even today, would be almost impossible to recreate.
Nessie: There are no plesiosaurs in Loch Ness but there are some unlikely creatures in there.
Bigfoot: The absence of skeletal remains for a land-based mammal is concerning but the number of eye-witness accounts is compelling.
Anything else bothering you?

[Diane CBPFC]

People tend to use "UFO" as a synonym for "alien space craft" and that's just wrong. A flying object that can't be identified certainly doesn't have to be from another planet. Governments around the world are working on all sorts of aerial technology. I'm not saying that's the definitive answer but it probably plays a part in some of the reported sightings. As do meteors, drones and all sorts of explainable things. But it's still fascinating.
There are several Renaissance paintings which clearly show weird things in the sky. I can't be bothered to check but I'm pretty sure if you google "UFOs in Renaissance art" you'll find some examples. This was a period of artistic realism---hundreds of years ago---and it's difficult to work out what they were trying to portray. The theory that they were abstract representations of angels seems a bit far-fetched. In one of the paintings, there is what can only be described as a metallic disc in the sky. Why would you paint an angel as a metallic disc? As I keep saying, I don't have a clue what the answer is but it's fascinating.
Oh, and don't get me started on why, thousands of years ago, people all over the world started building pyramids and structures that, even today, would be almost impossible to recreate.
Nessie: There are no plesiosaurs in Loch Ness but there are some unlikely creatures in there.
Bigfoot: The absence of skeletal remains for a land-based mammal is concerning but the number of eye-witness accounts is compelling.
Anything else bothering you?

Why is it always cloudy on big sky event nights? 

[Mince]

Why is it always cloudy on big sky event nights?

We have days where a bunch of us get together for cloud-shape spotting at night. Bloody clear skies every time!

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Sod's Law. Law for sods.