UFO Crowdsourcing App Aims to Provide Data to Pentagon
The advent of technology has made it easier than ever for people across the globe to capture and share abnormal phenomenons they observe in the sky. Reports of mysterious lights over Austin are now being analyzed with the help of a UFO crowdsourcing app that aims to provide data to the Pentagon.
A Surge in UFO Sightings
Elon Musk’s pet project Starlink, which intends to bring internet services to rural parts of the world, provides a significant contribution to the frequent sightings of unusual lights in the sky, or as commonly branded, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). According to Michael Endl, a professor of astronomy and physics, “You see more and more stuff that you can’t explain right away” due to the advent of projects like Starlink.
To date, SpaceX, Musk’s space exploration organization, has deployed more than 6000 mini satellites that are distinguished by their distinctive appearance. Just after the launch, the satellites often project a cigar or bow-tie beam of light, while in flight, they form a string of tiny lights adding to the increase in UFO reports.
A Crowdsource Solution
The increasing rate of unexplained celestial phenomenons has prompted the development of Enigma Labs, an app that envisions crowdsourcing UFO reports. Alejandro Rojas, a UFO researcher working with Enigma Labs, believes that the purpose of this app is two-fold: to gather more data on UFO phenomena and to provide necessary data to government organizations such as the Pentagon.
Users can upload an image of the observed object along with its description and location data. Once captured, the experts at Enigma Labs take on the task of examining the report and ruling out explainable phenomenon.
Sorting Out the Anomalous
In cases where phenomenon can’t be accounted for by regular activities such as Starlink or nearby rocket launches, the objects are considered truly anomalous, warranting further research. “People who report them…get a little disappointed because they really think they’ve gotten something anomalous. But for researchers, it’s really exciting because then we can rule those out and pay more attention to the truly anomalous sightings” said Rojas.
Robert Sheaffer, a leading UFO skeptic, however, holds reservations about the Enigma Labs’ app. He is concerned that since most UFO sightings are explainable and therefore of no scientific value, encouraging the sharing of such sightings risks propagating low-quality UFO reports and shadows the truly anomalous cases.
Tracking Starlink and Monitoring Sky
Albeit debate over the Enigma Labs’ App, the tool brings in more observation and hence more evidence to examine, a development Endl advocates as beneficial. Along those lines, multiple websites serve to track the Starlink satellite “constellation” as it hovers around the planet providing the best viewing opportunities to spot these mini satellites.
While the credibility and efficacy of the Enigma Labs’ app remain contested, the platform provides a space for engagement and sharing of sightings, contributing to the ever-evolving discussion of UFOs.