Alien encounters

Topic

An alien encounter, often classified as a close encounter, is an event in which a person claims to have witnessed or interacted with an unidentified flying object (UFO) or extraterrestrial beings. The terminology and classification system for these events were popularized by astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek in 1972. These reported incidents range from simple visual sightings at close range to claims of direct physical contact and alien abduction.