Conspiracy theorists be warned, this is just a model flying saucer in a staged photograph. Image via Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve had a close encounter of the third kind, you’re not alone. Canadians spotted a record number of unidentified flying objects in the northern skies in 2012, according to the Canadian UFO survey.
The survey, which science writer Chris Rutkowski has released annually since 1989, shows the 1,981 sightings in 2012 nearly double the previous record of 1,004 reached in 2008. About 7.5 per cent of the sightings are classified as unexplained.
But the numbers don’t neccessarily signal an imminent war of the worlds, and there’s probably no need to start sporting a tin foil hat. Unlike previous years, the current statistics are mostly based on reports from civilian organizations instead of federal agencies, says Rutkowski. “It is very easy to report online, anonymously, without any worry about judgment or retribution, so I think it is very likely people will be reporting things more often to civilian organizations,” he says.
Do you believe?
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Josh Sherman is a Toronto Standard intern. You can follow him on Twitter at @joshuaxsherman.
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