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• a UFO
• a ghost
• a Bigfoot
  or creature
• a crop circle
• an animal
  mutilation
• an abduction
  or missing time
• something else

UFO Skywatches

The idea is simple and is borrowed from the field of astronomy: get your fellow scientists and enthusiasts together, bring some equipment, and enjoy the night sky. In the best of circumstances, these events involve the participants camping and staying out until the next morning, cooking, grilling, swapping stories, and generally having a good time.

To borrow some tips from the children's book, "How to Catch a Flying Saucer", you should practice your "powers of observation" beforehand. Read the ARN Investigator's Manual so that you know how to describe a UFO's direction, shape and dimensions. If at all possible, have some recording devices present, preferably that amplify low light, like Sony's "Night Shot" cameras. Plan on staying up late, as most UFO sightings occur between 6PM and 10:30PM. Note, however, that those times represent patterns of reporting (after people get off work, before they go to bed) so sightings may occur outside of that timeframe.

Be in the right place. Some of the top states for UFO sightings include Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. This doesn't mean you won't see a UFO elsewhere, but your chances are statistically higher in these states. Additionally, try rural areas and areas near power sources or reservoirs. Finally, patience is a virtue. I've never seen a UFO, but that is not evidence that they do not exist. The more time you spend outdoors watching the skies, the more likely you'll be to see a UFO.

Ground Observer Corps

A little history...the Ground Observer Corps (GOC) was a series of Civil Defense programs in the United States to protect against air attack. First begun in World War II by the Army Air Force, the 1.5 million civilian observers at 14,000 coastal observation posts used naked eye and binocular searches to find invading German and Japanese aircraft. The program ended in 1944. In early 1950, the Continental Air Command formed a new 8,000 post civilian Ground Observer Corps to supplement what would become the NORAD system. Over 200,000 volunteers participated in nationwide drills, telephoning dozens of coordination centers which in turn relayed information to the Air Defense Command (ADC) ground control interception centers.

By 1952 the program was expanded with a new organizational plan named Operation Skywatch with over three-quarters of a million volunteers taking shifts at over 16 thousand posts and 75 relay centers. By the late 1950's, a major semi-automatic aircraft warning and detection system had been developed (SAGE) and was in the early stages of installation. Due to the dramatic technological improvements provided by this new system, the Air Force canceled the Ground Observer Corps program in 1959.

American Ufology does not yet have a system like SAGE. Many have proposed one, some other (smaller) countries have it, but we do not. Until such time as funding can be found to implement an automated UFO detection system here, hundreds of people watching the skies with the naked eye and binoculars, just like the GOC did in the 1940's and 1950's, is our best shot at documenting a live UFO sighting. Be sure to relay any positive results from your skywatches to ARN HQ! A video of a recent UFO Skywatch in Ohio can be viewed below:

Volunteer Your Land!

Do you have access to a rural field with good visibility in just about every direction? We need locations to hold these skywatches at! Anywhere in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois would be welcome! Please e-mail us at