This page contains general guidelines for witnesses to report a UFO sighting. It lists relevant information that should be included with each report. It is important to follow these directions and obtain relevant details as quickly as possible after a sighting.
1. Sighting Location
City, state and address where sighting occurred. If you don’t know the address, list the nearest cross streets. If not in city, indicate distance and direction to nearest city. Some cell phones have GPS capability. If your cell phone has this function immediately write down the latitude and longitude. Witnesses can also obtain latitude and longitude from online maps like Bing maps (http://www.bing.com/maps) or Google maps (https://www.google.com/maps).
2. Date & Time of Sighting:
Location, date and time of sighting are very important so that sightings can be compared to other sightings. Immediately write down the date and time. Also double check your watch with reliable time indicators like cell phones, cable TV stations, etc. If your watch is off, make the correction using reliable time sources. Your report should include the date and time (in local standard or daylight savings time). SIGHTINGS WITHOUT LOCATION, DATE AND TIME CANNOT BE INVESTIGATED.
3. Are There Any Other Witnesses?: If yes, get names and phone numbers of other witnesses and include in your report. Keep in mind that UFOs Northwest does not disclose any personal information in reports.
4. Photos, Videos or Sketches
A picture is worth a thousand words. Reach for your camera or cell phone as soon as you see a UFO. Photos or videos taken with a cell phone can be texted to my cell at: 406-465-1370. Photos and videos can be also be emailed to: wpuckett@ufosnw.com or uploaded via our online report form.
Sketches are also welcomed. Sketches can be created on your desktop using software like Paint or Photoshop (Windows users). Apple computers also have graphics programs to make sketches. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE AN ARTIST TO CREATE A SKETCH! ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING. If you aren’t computer literate, you can make a hand sketch. Hand sketches can be photographed and sent from your cell phone. These photos can be texted to: 406-465-1370. Sketches can be emailed to wpuckett@ufosnw.com or sent via our online report form.
5. Description
This is the main body of your report. Be detailed, but don’t write a book. I am only interested in your current report not other sightings that you have had. You can submit a separate report for your other relevant sightings. Your description should include such details as:
What were doing when you noticed the UFO?
What caused you to notice the object?
State the color and shape of the object?
Mention the apparent size of the object. (This would entail holding an object up at arm’s length that would cover the object. Examples would be dime, a pea, your thumbnail, quarter, etc.)
Describe the motion of the object and how it took to traverse the sky or how long you observed it. Describe how you lost sight of the object. Perhaps the object just vanished, was lost over the horizon or went behind trees? List the amount of time that the object was visible.
List the number of objects. If multiple objects list the formation that they flew in.