Flying saucer

A flying saucer, or flying disc, is a purported type of disc-shaped unidentified flying object (UFO). The term was coined in 1947 by the United States (US) news media for the objects pilot Kenneth Arnold claimed flew alongside his airplane above Washington State. Newspapers reported Arnold's story with speed estimates implausible for aircraft of the period. The story preceded a wave of hundreds of sightings across the United States, including the Roswell incident and the Flight 105 UFO sighting. A National Guard pilot died in pursuit of a flying saucer in 1948,^[1] and civilian research groups and conspiracy theories developed around the topic. The concept quickly spread to other countries. Early reports speculated about secret military technology, but flying saucers became synonymous with aliens by 1950. The more general military terms unidentified flying object (UFO) and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) have gradually replaced the term over time.

In science fiction, UFO sightings, UFO conspiracy theories, and broader popular culture, saucers are typically piloted by nonhuman beings.^[3] Most reported sightings describe saucers in the distance and do not mention a crew. Descriptions of the craft vary considerably. Early reports emphasized speed, but the descriptions shifted over the decades to the objects mostly hovering. They are generally said to be round, sometimes with a protrusion on top, but details of the shape vary between reports. Witnesses describe flying saucers as silent or deafening, with lights of every color, and flying alone or in formation. Size estimates range from small enough to fit in a living room to over 2,000 feet (610 m) in diameter. Sightings are most frequent at night. Astronomer Donald Howard Menzel concluded that the reports were too varied to all be describing the same type of objects. Experts have identified most reported saucers as known phenomena, including astronomical objects such as Venus, airborne objects such as balloons, and optical phenomena such as sun dogs.

1950s pop culture embraced flying saucers. The discs appeared in film, television, literature, music, toys, and advertising. Their reports influenced religious movements and were the subject of military investigations. The shape became visual shorthand for alien invaders. During the 1960s, saucers waned in popularity as UFOs were reported and depicted in other shapes. Discs ceased to be viewed as the standard shape for alien spacecraft but are still often depicted, sometimes for their retro value to evoke the early Cold War era.