UFO classification: What the fourth type of encounter means

You hear reports of UFO sightings over and over again. There is even a classification that can be used to describe UFO sightings. Read here how this division looks and works.

UFOs and Ufology - general information

UFOs (an unidentified flying object, or English unidentified flying object) are often viewed as a means of transport for extraterrestrial life forms. There are many conspiracy theories and purported evidence of their existence, and many people claim to have seen them.

• The research area on this topic is called ufology and is mainly divided into two camps. On the one hand, there is a group of researchers who do not take UFO reports seriously and want to see why people pretend something like this. On the other hand there is the group of those who deal with the actual phenomena and examine their origin and meaning.
• Three different hypotheses about origins have emerged among researchers involved in researching UFOs. These are "extraterrestrial hypothesis", "extradimensional hypothesis" and "plasma hypothesis".
• The extraterrestrial (extraterrestrial) hypothesis assumes that extraterrestrial life forms travel through space and visit planet Earth. However, modern astronomy and exobiology precludes such an intelligent life in our solar system. Therefore, it is believed that these aliens come from a planet outside our solar system.
• The extra-dimensional (another dimension) hypothesis states that the aliens come from a different space-time structure than we do. This includes time travel and parallel universes. It is also believed that it is extraterrestrials that will live on Earth in the future and travel back in time.
• Plasma theory assumes that the appearance of UFOs is related to the formation of plasma. In physics, plasma is a mixture of ions and electrons at the molecular level. For example, it is used for electrical conductivity. The formation of the plasma is said to explain certain phenomena - primarily the influence on electrical systems, but also other unexplainable things.

These UFO classifications exist

Different researchers have categorized UFOs differently. The following classifications were created:

• The researcher Dr. Josef Allen Hynek divides the UFOs into "Nocturnal Lights" (lights that can be seen in the night sky), "Daylight Disk" (objects that can be seen in the daytime sky), "Radar Visuals" (object that is simultaneously on the radar and can be seen in reality) and "Close Encounter of the first / second / third kind" (objects that are in the immediate vicinity and have an impact on the environment). Allegations of kidnapping by aliens are described as encounters of the fourth kind.
• Allan Hendry has developed a system that looks like this. An "IFO" (Identified Flying Object) denotes an incident in which an object could be clearly identified. A "hoax" in turn denotes deliberate fraud. In contrast to this stands "Fantasy", a fraud by incorrectly accepting a sighting. There are also "exceptions", which describe exceptions that cannot be classified due to missing data, witnesses or observations or have no connection with UFOs.
• A banal classification that was made by UFO fans is the division into "triangular UFO" and "flying saucer". The triangular UFOs have a triangular shape, distinctive lights and float calmly in the sky. They are said to be the size of a football field. Flying saucers are circular in shape and are the most commonly seen UFOs worldwide.