Unidentified flying object, or UFO for short
source: gettyimage.comused to describe aircraft that aren’t easily identified or explained
source: gettyimage.comThe modern UFO craze in the U.S. dates to the late 1940s and early 1950s
source: gettyimage.comcoinciding with the development of new technology like rockets and missiles
source: gettyimage.comToday, the U.S. government uses the phrase unidentified aerial phenomena
source: gettyimage.comThis change is partially to try to disassociate the term from science fiction aliens
source: gettyimage.comThe term also encourages greater scientific study and reflects the fact that many of these
source: gettyimage.com