"For generations, UFO enthusiasts have longed for claims of aliens visiting Earth to be seriously investigated by scientists. Now they are getting their wish. This month prominent peer-reviewed journals have published two papers that link apparent flashes of light seen by a telescope 70 years ago to potential artificial objects in space. But there are many simpler explanations, providing an opportunity for UFO enthusiasts to see how extraordinary claims are testedand often undoneby ordinary science."
"I think there are many in the UFO community who really want to know what's going on, says Adam Frank, an astrophysicist at the University of Rochester, who has written frequently about the prospects of alien life. I think it is worthwhile for us to have these open, transparent investigations. This is a great way to show people how science works."
Two recent peer-reviewed research results connect fleeting flashes recorded seven decades ago on Palomar Sky Survey photographic plates to the possibility of artificial objects in space, while also identifying many simpler, natural explanations. The Palomar Sky Survey used about 2,000 glass photographic plates coated with light-sensitive emulsion to record starlight across the sky between 1949 and 1958. Open, transparent investigations and skeptical testing of extraordinary claims provide an opportunity for interested communities to see how evidence, alternative explanations, and peer review operate in astronomy.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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