Out of This World: What are the UK’s Biggest Hotspots For UFO Sightings?
Dating back as far as the eighteenth century, thousands of Brits have reported seeing bizarre objects in the skies from glowing teardrops, to speedy silver circles, and massive stretches of light.
Whether you’re captivated by the stories of strange shapes in the sky or curious about what drives these reports, one thing is clear: the UK’s UFO phenomena are as intriguing as ever. So next time you’re out on a clear night, keep an eye on the skies. Who knows? You might just be the next witness to a moment that’s truly out of this world.
Where Are the Sightings Happening?
The distribution of UFO sightings is widespread, covering major cities and rural areas. London stands out as the city with by far the most sightings, accounting for 280 reports, followed by Manchester with 88 reports. Birmingham and Glasgow also feature prominently, with 73 and 51 sightings, respectively. It’s no surprise that the city with the most UFO sightings is also the UK’s busiest and most iconic. From the London Eye to the shimmering Thames, London’s nighttime skyline is hard to miss – even from space. Perhaps aliens are just big fans of Big Ben.
| City | Number of UFO Sightings |
|---|---|
| London | 280 |
| Manchester | 88 |
| Birmingham | 73 |
| Glasgow | 51 |
| Liverpool | 48 |
| Bristol | 38 |
| Nottingham | 38 |
| Coventry | 31 |
| Cardiff | 31 |
| Sheffield | 28 |
Which Year Had the Most UFO Sightings in British History?
| Year | Number of Sightings |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 286 |
| 2006 | 223 |
| 2008 | 200 |
| 2022 | 190 |
| 2007 | 180 |
| 2002 | 176 |
| 2003 | 167 |
| 2005 | 161 |
| 2004 | 156 |
| 2023 | 153 |
The year with the most UFO sightings in the UK was 2009, when the MP Expenses Scandal dominated the headlines, exposing the secretive and extravagant spending of government officials. Maybe aliens were just as shocked as we were about how much we were spending on duck houses and moat cleaning.
Oh, and let’s not forget the blockbuster Avatar, which hit cinemas that year. Perhaps the visuals of Pandora inspired us to think more about the skies above – or maybe the Na’vi invited their extraterrestrial friends for a visit.
Certain months see a noticeable spike in sightings, with summer evenings often producing the most reports. Perhaps the truth is simpler than we think: aliens love a good summer break. With Earth bustling and lively during these months, it might just be the perfect time for intergalactic tourists to pay a visit. Either that or the skies are brighter and it’s easier to see things in the night sky, but who’s to know.
What Are People Seeing?
One of the most intriguing aspects of UFO sightings is the description of the objects. Witnesses report a variety of shapes, just this month one witness in Glen Parva, Leicestershire said they saw “a white thing that flew directly over my house so fast changing height and direction flew like a bird it didn’t look metal”, which does sound awfully like a bird.
Another person said they saw a “massive stretch of light going at least 500mph” in Dumbarton, while someone in Chester-le-Street said they saw “a purple triangular shaped aircraft with bright LED circular lights.”
In Love With The Shape of UFO
UFOs seem to come in all shapes and sizes, and according to the data, the most common thing people see when they believe it’s a UFO is a beam of light, with 640 sightings lighting up our skies!
But they’re not alone – Circles and Triangles aren’t just geometric figures anymore; they’re the second and third most popular shapes to make an appearance.
Methodology
We extracted and analysed data from a database of UFO sightings, and filtered out the 3,562 entries from the United Kingdom. We filtered the findings by year, location and date to produce our tables.
Source:
https://nuforc.org/
