Map Shows UFO Sighting Hot Spots: PHOTO

The West takes the crown when it comes to UFO sightings in America.

As OutKick readers know, UFOs and the paranormal are a hot topic on this site and in general. People can’t get enough of the unexplainable and whatever is going on up in the sky.

Below are some recent examples:

• Ukrainian soldiers film bizarre UFO.
• Pilot makes strange UFO radio call.
• OutKick reader shares wild UFO story from the 1960s.
• Strange lights filmed over Las Vegas.
• Whistleblower says video of UFO disabling nuclear-capable missile exists.
• Canadian pilots call in strange UFO sighting.
• Jellyfish UFO filmed in a war zone.
• UFO whistleblower feared for his safety.

A study focusing on hot spots for sightings was recently released by University of Utah professors Richard Medina and Simon Brewer and adjunct assistant professor of physics at the University of Georgia and first director of the AARO Sean Kirkpatrick. The data is absolutely fascinating, and one thing is clear.

No other part of the country has nearly as many sightings as the West.

Study shows the West dominates UFO sightings.

The study states the following, in part:

The authors looked at the number of sightings per 10,000 people per county and identified significant clusters of low numbers of reports (cold spots) and high numbers of reports (hot spots). There were far more sightings reported in the West and in the very Northeast, along some isolated areas. The cold spots were in the central plains and the Southeast. All results except for cloud cover supported the general hypothesis that people will see things when there’s an opportunity.

The West has a historical relationship to UAP—Area 51 in Nevada, Roswell in New Mexico and here in Utah we have Skinwalker Ranch in the Uinta Basin and military activity in the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground,» said Medina. «Plus, there’s a robust outdoor community that recreates in public lands year-round. People are out and looking skyward.»

You can check out the full map of UFO sighting hot spots below.

Map shows UFO sighting hot spots. (PHOTO CREDIT: Medina, Brewer & Kirkpatrick. Sci Rep (2023)/Creative Commons License/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

What does the map mean?

Now, I’m sure a lot of people are going to have different theories as to why the western part of the USA dominates sightings.

Allow me to float one of my own:

The military.

Area 51 is in Nevada and there are massive test areas throughout the region – ones known about and ones not known about.

A lot of UFO sightings seem to later end up resembling advanced aircraft used by the military. You have to remember the gear in common use isn’t our most advanced stuff. There are planes and drones being tested regularly that are decades away from being introduced into service.

For example, the first flight for the B-21 stealth bomber was November 2023, and it’s still years away from being produced at a level that will have a huge impact on the battlefield.

You know what it looks like? A UFO. What a strange coincidence!

Are UFO sightings just highly-advanced military equipment? (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Now, does the military theory account for all sightings or even the majority of them? No, but it does make sense to me as to why the West dominates hot spots for UFO sightings. Or, maybe it’s little green aliens! We just don’t know. Have a solid theory? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.