In year 2008, Indiana like a number of other states seen a vast increase in the number of unidentified flying objects reported by State residents. There was also a substantial increase in the number of reports to MUFON as well as to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) and other lesser known reporting agencies. Reports to the MUFON Case Management System (CMS) for Indiana totaled 218 cases in year 2008 following totals of 71 for year 2007 and 31 for year 2006. Some of this increase can be contributed to the more known availability of the MUFON on-line CMS. Indiana reports submitted in year 2008 to NUFORC show 117 reports against totals of 76 for year 2007 and 58 for year 2006. The NUFORC reporting system has been on-line longer, has longer national exposure and is the prominent reporting system when Google searched. Total reports in Indiana for year 2008 show a 285% increase over year 2007 and 375% over year 2006. Other states which have also seen extensive increases in CMS report activity in 2008 are Texas, California, Pennsylvania and Florida; states which typically lead the U.S. in number of sighting reports. In 2008 Indiana ran fifth month to month nation wide. Reports tapered off in the last two months of the year with a small jump in the last two weeks of the year. Nationally 2008 started off with a bang with hundreds of reported sightings around Stephenville, Texas (not far from former President Bush's ranch). Activity in Texas and Pennsylvania had extensive local and national media coverage. Nationally the MUFON CMS and NUFORC recorded 206 sightings in December of 2007, that jumped to 641 in January 2008, 498 in February, 397 in March (mostly in Indiana) and an additional 4,438 reports worldwide through October. The March/April flap in Indiana, capped by the Kokomo Boom was followed by one in Pennsylvania mostly north of Philadelphia with 177 sighting reports. In Indiana we have not seen local media coverage with the exception of the Kokomo Boom which received local radio/media coverage and later TV cable network coverage but was ignored outside the area. The Kokomo Boom did receive Indianapolis television and radio coverage. The MUFON CMS requires all reports submitted to the state to have certified field investigators assigned within 72 hours. Case investigations are encouraged to be completed within two months of submission. Following investigation cases are updated with any new information obtained, approved by the MUFON State Director and assigned a case Disposition classification; i.e. unknown, hoax, etc. In Indiana we list many of these reports on our UFO Reports pages at www.indianamufon.com accessible from our UFO Reports Index page. We typically list only investigated and completed cases as time permits on these pages including past years archive pages. All Indiana MUFON reports are available for review on the MUFON web site at www.mufon.com; UFO Case Files, Search UFO Data Base. The data base is searched by state, submitted date, event date (Date ranges are used) and by counties. All particular areas of Indiana were touched by this increase in activity. Like current and past year reports from across the nation, Indiana reports in 2008 came in rich varieties. By far the most reported occurrences are the 'lights in sky' phenomena. Typically this breaks down into three categories; white or colored lights, orange balls of light (OBOLs) and white or silver balls sometimes referred to as orbs. These are reported in all numbers, configurations and movements, sometimes associated with a body surface or structures of some type. Typically structures are triangular or boomerang in shape. Triangles in several forms were reported in the northern part of the state although they were reported elsewhere. Many reporting witness provide extensive sighting write-ups and echo concerns as to the possible sources for these abnormalities. Many come from first time observers which can leave these folks with a sense of concern. Generally for the experienced investigator the reasoning faculty of witness can become apparent from the submitted report and in follow up investigations. Generally the majority of reports are submitted in a realm of consistency and witnesses exhibit deep concerns. However such is not always the case and there are cases where reporting witnesses do try to deceive. In such cases it most generally shows itself to be what it is and investigators label such reports hoaxes if the witness or reported data indicates it to be the case. Taken seriously as MUFON always does, UFOs present the greatest mystery ever to human kind on Earth? No other subject is accepted, denied, ignored, speculated about, receives as much indifference and carries a variety of stigmas. The modern era began in 1947 but articles and documentation show such activity occurred during World War II and newspaper file accounts on unknown objects in the sky go back to at least to 1896. In 2008 like previous years we receive what we call belated reports, sightings which occurred years ago but are only now being reported by the witness. Some reports as long 40 or more years ago are not uncommon. Interestingly these belated reports reflect back to the type of reports which came out of those particular eras. Case in point; a Goshen disk report from 1967 which highly resembles the Betty and Barney Hill craft incident of 1961 (see our Classic Reports page). Then there have been the abduction reports from individuals in both childhood and adult life who are only now coming forth with their events. Most of these reports are more the historical type and not so much the more recent 'lights in the sky' variety. Why these witnesses have waited until now is largely the scoff and ridicule factors and in some cases the witnesses themselves had previously derided people for making such claims. We seem to live in a time when the greatest mystery is not UFOs them selves but rather a deeper mystery as to why the phenomenon is kept below the surface of rational study. There seems to be little popular acceptance of any true attempts to rationalize the nature of UFOs using the accumulated and existing data. This exists not only as reflected previously above but as if the subject is not politically correct. Dr. Jacques Vallee alluded to this in a Coast-to-Coast AM radio appearance with George Noory on October 17, 2007. Vallee stated that UFO data collected over the years speaks for itself when taken collectively. Vallee when a boy along with his mother and a neighbor friend had a daylight disk sighting. Later as a research astronomer at the French Observatory in the early 1960s, he had his accumulated data on Earth orbiting objects destroyed by his superiors. Consequently Vallee came to the United States and worked with Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Air Force Blue Book fame. Vallee argues that taken collectively, UFO data supports not one of an extraterrestrial hypothesis but one with more of an interdimensional nature to it, one which is support by current scientific theory and advance studies of the Universe. Vallee is unquestionably the top scientists/UFO researcher today and was the character model for the French scientists Claude Lacombe in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He along with other top researchers such as John Keel and Dr. Hynek (who later in his career) support a more energy related modality for UFOs. Vallee while active today has withdrawn from the open active UFO field due to in his own words "the circus that the popular UFO culture has become." For additional information click on the provided links. |
From the Chief Investigator: Year 2008 and UFOs in Indiana By Stewart Hill Chief Investigator/Case Managment Indiana MUFON |
In year 2008, Indiana like a number of other states seen a vast increase in the number of unidentified flying objects reported by State residents. There was also a substantial increase in the number of reports to MUFON as well as to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) and other lesser known reporting agencies. Reports to the MUFON Case Management System (CMS) for Indiana totaled 218 cases in year 2008 following totals of 71 for year 2007 and 31 for year 2006. Some of this increase can be contributed to the more known availability of the MUFON on-line CMS. Indiana reports submitted in year 2008 to NUFORC show 117 reports against totals of 76 for year 2007 and 58 for year 2006. The NUFORC reporting system has been on-line longer, has longer national exposure and is the prominent reporting system when Google searched. Total reports in Indiana for year 2008 show a 285% increase over year 2007 and 375% over year 2006. Other states which have also seen extensive increases in CMS report activity in 2008 are Texas, California, Pennsylvania and Florida; states which typically lead the U.S. in number of sighting reports. In 2008 Indiana ran fifth month to month nation wide. Reports tapered off in the last two months of the year with a small jump in the last two weeks of the year. Nationally 2008 started off with a bang with hundreds of reported sightings around Stephenville, Texas (not far from former President Bush's ranch). Activity in Texas and Pennsylvania had extensive local and national media coverage. Nationally the MUFON CMS and NUFORC recorded 206 sightings in December of 2007, that jumped to 641 in January 2008, 498 in February, 397 in March (mostly in Indiana) and an additional 4,438 reports worldwide through October. The March/April flap in Indiana, capped by the Kokomo Boom was followed by one in Pennsylvania mostly north of Philadelphia with 177 sighting reports. In Indiana we have not seen local media coverage with the exception of the Kokomo Boom which received local radio/media coverage and later TV cable network coverage but was ignored outside the area. The Kokomo Boom did receive Indianapolis television and radio coverage. The MUFON CMS requires all reports submitted to the state to have certified field investigators assigned within 72 hours. Case investigations are encouraged to be completed within two months of submission. Following investigation cases are updated with any new information obtained, approved by the MUFON State Director and assigned a case Disposition classification; i.e. unknown, hoax, etc. In Indiana we list many of these reports on our UFO Reports pages at www.indianamufon.com accessible from our UFO Reports Index page. We typically list only investigated and completed cases as time permits on these pages including past years archive pages. All Indiana MUFON reports are available for review on the MUFON web site at www.mufon.com; UFO Case Files, Search UFO Data Base. The data base is searched by state, submitted date, event date (Date ranges are used) and by counties. All particular areas of Indiana were touched by this increase in activity. Like current and past year reports from across the nation, Indiana reports in 2008 came in rich varieties. By far the most reported occurrences are the 'lights in sky' phenomena. Typically this breaks down into three categories; white or colored lights, orange balls of light (OBOLs) and white or silver balls sometimes referred to as orbs. These are reported in all numbers, configurations and movements, sometimes associated with a body surface or structures of some type. Typically structures are triangular or boomerang in shape. Triangles in several forms were reported in the northern part of the state although they were reported elsewhere. Many reporting witness provide extensive sighting write-ups and echo concerns as to the possible sources for these abnormalities. Many come from first time observers which can leave these folks with a sense of concern. Generally for the experienced investigator the reasoning faculty of witness can become apparent from the submitted report and in follow up investigations. Generally the majority of reports are submitted in a realm of consistency and witnesses exhibit deep concerns. However such is not always the case and there are cases where reporting witnesses do try to deceive. In such cases it most generally shows itself to be what it is and investigators label such reports hoaxes if the witness or reported data indicates it to be the case. Taken seriously as MUFON always does, UFOs present the greatest mystery ever to human kind on Earth? No other subject is accepted, denied, ignored, speculated about, receives as much indifference and carries a variety of stigmas. The modern era began in 1947 but articles and documentation show such activity occurred during World War II and newspaper file accounts on unknown objects in the sky go back to at least to 1896. In 2008 like previous years we receive what we call belated reports, sightings which occurred years ago but are only now being reported by the witness. Some reports as long 40 or more years ago are not uncommon. Interestingly these belated reports reflect back to the type of reports which came out of those particular eras. Case in point; a Goshen disk report from 1967 which highly resembles the Betty and Barney Hill craft incident of 1961 (see our Classic Reports page). Then there have been the abduction reports from individuals in both childhood and adult life who are only now coming forth with their events. Most of these reports are more the historical type and not so much the more recent 'lights in the sky' variety. Why these witnesses have waited until now is largely the scoff and ridicule factors and in some cases the witnesses themselves had previously derided people for making such claims. We seem to live in a time when the greatest mystery is not UFOs them selves but rather a deeper mystery as to why the phenomenon is kept below the surface of rational study. There seems to be little popular acceptance of any true attempts to rationalize the nature of UFOs using the accumulated and existing data. This exists not only as reflected previously above but as if the subject is not politically correct. Dr. Jacques Vallee alluded to this in a Coast-to-Coast AM radio appearance with George Noory on October 17, 2007. Vallee stated that UFO data collected over the years speaks for itself when taken collectively. Vallee when a boy along with his mother and a neighbor friend had a daylight disk sighting. Later as a research astronomer at the French Observatory in the early 1960s, he had his accumulated data on Earth orbiting objects destroyed by his superiors. Consequently Vallee came to the United States and worked with Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Air Force Blue Book fame. Vallee argues that taken collectively, UFO data supports not one of an extraterrestrial hypothesis but one with more of an interdimensional nature to it, one which is support by current scientific theory and advance studies of the Universe. Vallee is unquestionably the top scientists/UFO researcher today and was the character model for the French scientists Claude Lacombe in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He along with other top researchers such as John Keel and Dr. Hynek (who later in his career) support a more energy related modality for UFOs. Vallee while active today has withdrawn from the open active UFO field due to in his own words "the circus that the popular UFO culture has become." For additional information click on the provided links. |
Questions........... Comments..... |
For additional information click on the provided links. |
