UFO & UAP Glossary

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. The Pentagon's current office responsible for detecting, identifying, and attributing UAPs. Established in 2022 as the successor to the UAP Task Force.

Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. A secret U.S. Department of Defense program that ran from 2007 to 2012, investigating UAPs. Revealed publicly by the New York Times in 2017.

The reported experience of being taken aboard an extraterrestrial craft against one's will. Abduction accounts often include medical examinations, communication with non-human entities, and missing time.

A colloquial term for an extraterrestrial being — any life form originating from outside Earth. In scientific contexts, 'extraterrestrial life' is preferred. In popular culture, often depicted as the 'Grey' archetype.

The scientific study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Astrobiologists study extremophiles on Earth, planetary habitability, and biosignatures on exoplanets.

British UFO Research Association. One of the oldest and most respected civilian UFO investigation organizations in the world, founded in 1962.

Close Encounter classifications developed by J. Allen Hynek. CE-1: sighting within 500 feet. CE-2: physical evidence left. CE-3: occupants observed. CE-4: abduction. CE-5: human-initiated contact.

Geometric patterns found flattened into crop fields, often overnight. While many are proven hoaxes, some exhibit anomalous physical properties — radiation traces, altered soil chemistry, and bent (not broken) stalks.

The act of governments or official bodies publicly acknowledging the existence of UAPs or extraterrestrial contact. The UAP Disclosure Act of 2023 pushed for mandatory declassification of government UAP records.

A probabilistic formula developed by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961 to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.

Extraterrestrial Biological Entity. A term reportedly used in classified government documents to refer to non-human beings recovered from crash sites or encountered during UAP incidents.

A planet orbiting a star outside our solar system. As of 2026, over 5,500 confirmed exoplanets have been discovered, with hundreds in the habitable zones of their host stars.

Freedom of Information Act. U.S. legislation allowing citizens to request access to federal government records. FOIA requests have been instrumental in uncovering thousands of UFO-related documents.

The apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations existing and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations. Named after physicist Enrico Fermi.

The most commonly reported type of extraterrestrial entity — characterized by a large head, large black eyes, small nose and mouth, grey skin, and a slender body. Frequently reported in abduction accounts.

Speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). Many reported UAPs exhibit hypersonic travel without sonic booms — a capability that exceeds known human aerospace technology.

The theory that UAPs originate not from other planets but from other dimensions or parallel realities. Proposed as an alternative to the extraterrestrial hypothesis by researchers including Jacques Vallée.

Mutual UFO Network. The world's largest civilian UFO investigation organization, founded in 1969. Maintains a database of over 150,000 reported sightings and trains field investigators worldwide.

A reported experience in which a person cannot account for a period of time — often associated with close encounters or abduction experiences. Hypnotic regression is sometimes used to recover memories.

National UFO Reporting Center. A U.S.-based organization that receives, records, and corroborates reports of UFO sightings. Maintains a searchable database of over 170,000 reports since 1974.

A spherical, luminous UAP — one of the most commonly reported shapes. Orbs have been observed at high altitude, underwater, and near nuclear facilities. Some exhibit intelligent, reactive behavior.

The U.S. Air Force's official UFO investigation program, running from 1952 to 1969. Investigated over 12,000 reported sightings, classifying 701 as 'unidentified.' Closed after the Condon Report.

A series of reported sightings of unexplained lights and a landed craft near RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, England in December 1980. Witnessed by U.S. Air Force personnel — considered Britain's most significant UFO case.

The 1947 crash of an unidentified object near Roswell, New Mexico. The U.S. Army initially reported a 'flying disc' before retracting the statement. Remains the most famous and debated UFO case in history.

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. A scientific effort to detect signals from intelligent civilizations beyond Earth, primarily through radio telescope monitoring of the electromagnetic spectrum.

A white, oblong UAP resembling a Tic-Tac candy, filmed by U.S. Navy pilots in 2004 off the coast of California. The footage was officially released by the Pentagon in 2020 and remains unexplained.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon). The official U.S. government term replacing 'UFO.' Broadened in 2022 to include submerged and trans-medium objects.

Unidentified Flying Object. Any airborne object that cannot be immediately identified. Coined by the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s. Now largely replaced in official contexts by 'UAP.'

Unidentified Submerged Object. UAPs observed entering, exiting, or operating underwater. Numerous naval encounters have been reported, and the term is now included under the broader UAP definition.

The lowest possible energy state of a quantum mechanical system. Theorized as a potential energy source for advanced propulsion systems. Some researchers propose UAP propulsion may exploit zero-point energy fields.