A new study by Geographers at the University of Utah has produced a heat map of unidentified flying object (UFO) encounters over the last two decades. The investigation stated in the Daily Mail piece is said to be the first step toward charting the airborne phenomena.
Between 2001 and 2020, the majority of UFO-related claims originated from the western United States, with the vast majority of unexplained objects sighted in Nevada’s Area 51 and New Mexico’s Roswell. Researchers at the University of Utah created a heat map that revealed certain red counties in Oregon and Washington.
The study’s findings revealed that there is a direct link between UFO claims and the western states, implying that the majority of the region experiences frequent rain showers and is relatively cloudy’, according to the Daily Mail story.
Along with the relationship created with the Pentagon’s recently retired UFO chief Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, Geographers from the University of Utah meticulously analyzed a massive 98,000 UFO claims, which ranged from a minor occurrence to a well-documented incidence, if any.
“The West has a historical relationship to UAP — Area 51 in Nevada, Roswell in New Mexico,” The Mail quoted Richard Medina, Associate Professor, University of Utah and also the study’s lead author, as saying.
The researchers extensively cross-referenced the data based on a range of criteria that influence the frequency of UFO sightings, such as the local population density, light pollution levels, annual cloud cover, “tree canopy” cover, proximity to airports and military bases, and more.
“And here in Utah we have Skinwalker Ranch in the Uinta Basin and military activity in the US Army Dugway Proving Ground,” Medina concluded.