The riveting revival of an alien spectacle

By Isabella Zhu & Andrew Xie April 2, 2025

Helen Ruan Art

Among a plethora of stars, planets and satellites, unidentified drones are a recent addition to the things that litter the New Jersey sky. Following a perplexing sighting on Dec. 12 of last year, these mysterious unidentified flying objects have sparked interest in one of the most enduring American conspiracy topics: the possibility of Martian civilizations, extraterrestrial visitors and a government cover-up.

The term UFO (unidentified flying object), includes any unexplained aerial phenomena, but in popular culture, the term is widely used to refer to alien spacecraft or extraterrestrial life on Earth. The first nationally reported sighting in the US was in the summer of 1947 when experienced pilot Kenneth Arnold reported a series of bright, shiny objects flying over Mount Rainier. Hundreds of other sightings soon followed, and around that time, the term “flying saucer” was coined.

The same year in which the Washington sighting caused a frenzy, a rancher from Roswell, New Mexico came across a 200-yard wreckage of what seemed to be the remains of a flying saucer. The Roswell Army Air Field announced the debris to be from a “flying disc,” a statement was later contradicted by the U.S. Air Force, who deemed the wreckage to be the remains of a weather balloon rather than a UFO. In 1994, government officials revealed that the balloon was actually a part of Project Mogul, a secret project designed to detect Soviet nuclear weapon tests. Despite the government’s explanation, questions remained as sightings continued to proliferate worldwide, causing a UFO mania.

By the 1950s, over 10,000 UFO sightings had been recorded, per the National Archives. Some of these accounts were merely misidentifications of natural phenomena, while others featured incidents that were mysteriously unsolvable. Many infamous sightings were covered up by the government, such as the Rendlesham Forest Incident, in which Air Force members witnessed a glowing, metallic triangulating object with a pulsating red light emerging from the woods, and the 1952 Washington D.C. UFO Incident, where military radar picked up on unusual aircraft movement at an unnaturally high speed. The aforementioned oddities further fed into the onslaught of frightening speculations.

“Roswell opened up a world of conspiracy for the public eye. The government’s alleged lies prompted new suspicions of deception and fractured the link of trust between the people and the government. Human minds are curious, and without concrete evidence, conspiracy theories grew larger and more complex,” Sophomore Daniel Chen said.

By the mid-20th century, the US government had noticed the public’s growing concerns. In response to the mounting number of reports, the Air Force launched Project Blue Book in 1952, a systematic study of UFO sightings. While the project concluded in 1969 with the assertion that most cases were misidentifications or natural occurrences, it did not quell public fascination. Today, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)—launched in 2022—continues government investigation into UFOs.

This agency was involved in the 2024 New Jersey sightings, when residents reported inexplicable objects hovering in the sky, prompting investigation. By the end of the year, authorities suggested that most sightings were attributable to common aerial phenomena such as drones and manned aircraft, though some cases remain unexplained.

“UFOs have invoked a culture of curiosity in society. Their presence is reflected in contemporary folklore, whether that be in science-fiction novels featuring green-skinned aliens, existential inquiries on whether humanity is alone or blockbuster alien invasion films. This fascination with the possibility of the extraordinary shines light on our obsession with the unknown, mirroring our anxieties, our fears and our hopes,” Freshman Farzan Islam said.

As government agencies continue their investigations into UAPs, public interest shows no signs of waning. Whether the explanations involve advanced foreign technology, misidentified weather phenomena or something truly extraterrestrial, one thing remains certain: the sky will always be a source of mystery, speculation and intrigue.

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About the Contributors

Isabella Zhu

writer/artist

Isabella is a Staff Writer/Artist, and this is her first year in Journalism. Isabella is deathly scared of running, but does cross country anyways. Her favorite things to do outside of journalism are eating, walking, and sleeping.

Helen Ruan

artist

Helen Ruan likes music and art.

Andrew Xie

staff writer

Andrew Xie is a Freshman at Leland High School and is a Writer. He loves reading and writing and this is his first year in journalism. He likes watching soccer and playing video games.