The number of reports of unexplained phenomena in the sky over Northern Ireland has increased

Last year, the number of reports of unexplained phenomena increased again in Northern Ireland: from mysterious disks over Mount Slamish in Co Antrim to strange objects caught on CCTV cameras.

During 2021, police received eight sightings in Northern Ireland, which is more than six such reports in 2020 and four in 2019.

Among them was a report of a spaceship and flashing lights in the Downpatrick area on January 17.

In May, police received two sightings: one of white lights chasing a helicopter in the Maghaberry area, and a strange disk seen in the sky in the Slamish area of Co Antrim at the end of the month.

In July, there was a report of "strange objects" on CCTV cameras in one of the houses in the Newtownabbey area, as well as a report of a domed object with eight lights in the sky in the Saintfield area.

In September, a report was received in the Lisburn area about "aliens in the bedroom", and in October a man reported that he had been abducted by aliens.

The last message of the year about "unusual bright lights in the sky" was received in November.

UFO sightings reported in the Northern Ireland Police Service database include unidentified flying objects (UFOs), Ariel phenomena, unidentified Ariel phenomena, lights in the sky, aliens and extraterrestrial beings.

A PSNI spokesperson told PA that no investigations have been conducted in connection with these incidents.

Nick Pope, who used to investigate UFO sightings for the Ministry of Defense, said that perhaps the increase in sightings is due to the fact that more people spend more time at home during the pandemic.

"It's hard to say what is behind the small increase in the number of observations," he told the PA news agency. Perhaps the fact that people had more free time during the pandemic played a role, and they could notice things that had previously gone unnoticed. Another possibility is that people are monitoring the situation in the United States, where Congress is taking this issue seriously, and the Pentagon has launched a new initiative on UFOs. This may make people more likely to report seeing unusual phenomena, because it makes it clear that the authorities are taking this issue seriously."

However, Mr. Pope said that, in his opinion, the true number of observations is much higher.

"Unfortunately, the numbers are still quite low, and I suspect that there is a chronic underestimation of the number of reports, perhaps due to the still existing "stigma" on this topic (UFOs)," he said. "Perhaps this is a consequence of the decision of the Ministry of Defense to stop investigating UFOs at the end of 2009. If the MOD reopens investigations and asks the public to report anything unusual, I'm sure they'll get a lot of messages."