Who reports UFOs?

Ok I am outside drinking a beer and having a smoke, but this idea just popped into my head as I spot Jupiter from my light-polluted suburban backyard.

Why dont astronomers ever mention UFOs?
People who see or photograph UFOs are usually amateurs or enthusiasts. Who don't ever mention their knowledge of the beautiful annual play of the night sky (as far as astronomy goes).
People who always mention the beautiful play of the night sky, astronomers, amateur and professional alike, I have never seen mention UFO sightings. Professional astronomers make their living because they love it and they make their living sitting around looking through telescopes and analyzing computer data about the night sky. Many astronomers, even non-professional amateurs, routinely discover and describe new objects that add to our collective astronomical knowledge database.
BTW pilots of commercial and military see them, but why not hobbyist skywatchers or professional astronomers who spend their lives watching the night sky?
I/ve always hoped or wanted to spot a UFO, but havent yet. Yet I do watch the sky (for birds during the day, cosmos at night) and have never seen one. And tonight I am surprised to notice a very bright planet next to the moon at about 2:20 AM friday July 10 2009. I am surprised because I am accustomed to pointing out that these bright points are actually planets, not stars. (If you look at one whole quadron of the night sky and only see one or two or three stars amid the light pollution, plus the moon, plus a very very bright 'star,' the bright star is most likely a planet. Most likely Mercury or Venus or Jupiter, and in my location at this time of year I am seeing a very bright and beautiful Jupiter tonight. The clean circular shape and 3 or 4 of its moons are easily visible in 8x binoculars.
So while I am kicking myself for just now remembering (through observance) that a planet is in good visibility this season, I wonder..... why do you never see professional skywatchers or hobbyist skywatchers talking about unusual stuff or UFOs? They are the ones most often turning their very curious gazes to the night skies. Amateur astronomers organize local 'star parties' to hang out and enjoy the wondrous night sky. These regularly occurring collective gatherings of night sky enthusiasts would seem to be the most likely folks to see and report and probably document a solid UFO sighting, with plenty of corroboration between the multiple observers present. But how often do you see a UFO report from such gatherings, or from any professional or amateur astronomer?

I am not contradicting UFOs in general or the validity of sightings in general... it just seems perplexing to me that the most likely folks to witness a nighttime UFO would be astronomers who sit outside and night and stare at the sky...

UFO witnesses and reports always seem to come from just a random Joe who cant use a camera (or doesnt have a camera or any optics at all), or a commercial/military pilot who might have some duty to report “UFOs”

What gives?

I watch the night sky more than most folks, and I am quite capable with optics and photography, and I can identify most of what I see in the sky day or night, but have yet to observe a true UFO per se.

I have strong confidence that there is endless live in the universe and UFOs (manmade or ET) exist, and it is certainly plausible that ETs have, do, or will visit our earth. But I am just curious about how the most likely folks to spot them, don't report them.


[edit on 10-7-2009 by ELFowl]

[edit on 10-7-2009 by ELFowl]

[edit on 10-7-2009 by ELFowl]

Could it be because they just dont report anything other than what blatantly can be classified as space matter

Maybe anything else they chalk up to anomalies

[edit on 10-7-2009 by Krystian]

well in the case of astronomers be amateur or not i think it may have to do with the instruments they use being focused at great distances and thus not showing close objects.i could be tottaly wrong though as i never used a telescope before.just my opinion.

Logically if Nasa released that they where seriously taking second looks at these circles, people who start to ask questions as to why...

Its not that they dont mind for them, its just that normals humans have no idea of them since its not media relevant...

[edit on 10-7-2009 by Krystian]

reply to post by IMSAM


Well I use a telescope a lot. I use my naked eyes most of the time, binoculars a lot, and telscope a bit. If you are the kind of stargazer that sits around outside and enjoys the stuff, you tend to look around quite a bit naked eye and would certainly notice relatively close objects. While it is true that so many minutes per night will be spent with your eye literally mashed against a telescope eyepiece focused on some extremely distant celestial body, it is also true that an equal or greater time will be spent sitting back and staring naked-eye at the night sky, when near-earth objects are in view and would be noticed.

reply to post by Krystian


Krystian, I am sorry but this thread does not pertain to crop circle observations. I am focusing on sky observations and actual UFO sightings as opposed to terrestrial phenomenon.

I remember someone on here once wrote, in another thread, something along the lines of "I spoke to this amature astronomer, and asked if he'd hever seen anything strange" to which the reply was " Only objects thought to be satelites, making right angle turns" Or something simular.

I think with some astronomers, especially ones who get funding. It's probably best if you're not interested in such "kerazy" things. It'd look bad for the department, ect. So they keep quiet about what they see, so they can still have jobs and stuff.

reply to post by Acidtastic


I agree, acidtastic. Career astronomers I think if they saw a real alien UFO or top secret government craft they would be hushed. But there are LOTS of amateur, hobbyist astronomers out there that gather at star parties and watch the sky. And any town in the world try googling astronomy or star parties or astrophotography and you will see that LOTS of folks spend their leisure time observing the night skies. Most are purely curious, enthusiastic outdoor scientist-types who love astronomy. Im sure some or maybe most or at least a few are curious and aware of the UFO phenomenon. Just how often do you read about a UFO observation from a truly astronomically-knowledgeable observer who also points out where in the sky in relation to which constellation or az/alt or even guess at relative magnitude of these oft-described orbs and strange lights and their movements?