Authors Release UFO Sightings Desk Reference for 21st Century
Syracuse, NY (PRWEB) June 22, 2017 -- Authors Cheryl Costa and Linda Miller Costa have compiled a reference book, "The UFO Sightings Desk Reference: United States of America 2001-2015", to document a phenomenon that until now has never had solid published statistics. The reference is targeted to a broad range of researchers, as well as UFO enthusiasts and people curious about UFOs. The reference includes sightings from this century only. The book is the first national UFO statistics book ever compiled, with a national summary, state-by-state summaries, data at the county level, and various reported shapes. The authors compiled information on sightings by state and county over time, giving interested parties a single-point reference for statistical analysis of UFO sightings.
Cheryl Costa is a columnist with the Syracuse New Times in Syracuse, NY, retired aerospace industry information security professional, and a combat veteran who served in both the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Linda Miller Costa, M.L.S, worked in scientific research and publishing at The National Academies of Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency. She is currently employed by LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY.
“This project was an effort to bring some scientific thinking and big data analysis to the UFO sighting issue,” said Cheryl Costa. “We utilized the databases of the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). We also supplemented the combined databases with nationwide county information for what we call a “stable” reporting period, 2001-2015, during which reporting has been much more reliable and well-documented.” The Costas have received queries from professionals who seek data to complement their research in fields as diverse as Economics and Financial studies.
This April, an article in the New York Times wrote that “People Are Seeing UFOs Everywhere, and This Book Proves It.”
National Geographic conducted a national poll several years ago on UFO reporting and public beliefs. 36% were firm believers that UFOs had an explanation as alien phenomena, 42% were undecided, and 17% didn’t care or believe. 70% believe the government is hiding what it knows.
• There were more than 121,000 eyewitness accounts during the period studied
• California led the nation in reports, at 15,836
• Florida, Texas, Washington State, Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio round out the top 10 states for reported eyewitness sightings
• The top 10 counties for sightings in the U.S. are Los Angeles (CA), Maricopa (AZ), Cook (IL), San Diego (CA), King (WA), Orange (CA), Essex (MA), Riverside (CA), Clark (NV), and San Bernardino (CA)
Do the Costas believe these reports are all exotic off-world craft? “No, not by a long shot,” said Costa. “These are simply sincere eyewitness accounts. Most people in the U.S. don’t realize that rather than going down, sightings nationwide have actually gone up significantly, from almost 3,500 in 2001 to nearly 12,000 in 2015. When you see the huge numbers, nationally and regionally, it’s evident that something is going on. Even if only a tiny percentage is genuine off-world craft, then that’s a huge story. We call it ‘The greatest story never told.’”
The Costas hope the source book opens up a wider, objective dialogue about these unexplained phenomena. To find the number of sightings in your area, or for more information, contact Cheryl Costa at author(at)cherylcosta(dot)com or 315-299-8386.
The book, "The UFO Sightings Desk Reference: United States of America 2001-2015" by Cheryl Costa and Linda Miller Costa, is available from Amazon.
Cheryl Costa, +1 315-299-8386, [email protected]
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