UFO…OR NO? Scientists release alien-watch scale so you can find out if you’ve really spotted a UFO in the sky

Boffins now hope the new questionnaire could soon be available as an app

HAVE you ever been certain you’ve seen a UFO . . . only to be devastated to find out it was a Chinese lantern?

Academics are seeking to end such humiliation with a scale that ranks the likeliness of sightings or signals from space being real.

Be sure to use this scale to determine whether or not you've actually spotted a UFO. Unless you run into one these critters... in which case you should probably run — *Be sure to use this scale to determine whether or not you’ve actually spotted a UFO. Unless you run into one these critters… in which case you should probably run*

The Rio.2 scale runs from zero, where the odds of alien involvement are “none”, to ten, where the proof is “extraordinary”.

Scores are based on a questionnaire about witnesses, expert opinion and possibility of hoax, which University of St Andrews researchers hope could be an app.

In the meantime, ISOLDE WALTERS uses the system to rate these 11 potential sightings…

None

Frisbee: Shaped like a flying saucer, the toy is most commonly associated with bogus UFO sightings. But you are more likely to find this plastic disc hurtling towards the grass at a park than drifting spookily through space.

1

Moon: In 2007 a woman called South Wales Police to report a “bright stationary object” that had been floating in the air for half an hour. An officer went round to investigate and soon radioed back: “It’s the Moon. Over.”

A sighting like this one would be totally 'insignificant' — *A sighting like this one would be totally ‘insignificant’*

2

Plane: Top secret, high-flying spyplanes were often mistaken for UFOs during the Cold War. The outlandish aircraft seen sweeping through the clouds terrified and fascinated UFO spotters in the Fifties and Sixties.

There's a 'low' chance you've seen a UFO if you spot something like this in the sky - it's probably just a plane — *There’s a ‘low’ chance you’ve seen a UFO if you spot something like this in the sky – it’s probably just a plane*

3

Chinese lanterns: UFO sightings soared in the UK in 2009 with the popularity of Chinese lanterns. The MoD said at the time that “99 per cent of UFO reports involving orange lights in the sky” were down to the paper balloons.

Seeing orange lights in the sky would be defined as a 'minor' incident and most likely not a UFO — *Seeing orange lights in the sky would be defined as a ‘minor’ incident and most likely not a UFO*

4

Shooting stars: So commonly mistaken for spaceships that the British UFO Research Association estimated that more than a third of all UFO sightings were simply down to seeing stars and planets clearer than usual.

Experts say seeing something like a shooting star would rank as 'moderate' on their scale — *Experts say seeing something like a shooting star would rank as ‘moderate’ on their scale*

5

Blimp: Signs of alien life? Or just a balloon or drone? UFO-spotters must have been truly terrified when they caught sight of that orange, nappy-wearing baby “blimp” during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK this month.

This is an 'intermediate' sighting - as long as you're sure it's not just a big balloon you've spotted — *This is an ‘intermediate’ sighting – as long as you’re sure it’s not just a big balloon you’ve spotted*

6

Clouds: Surely it’s forgivable to mistake a lenticular cloud for a UFO? They form at high altitudes and close to mountain tops and, spookily, stay still even when winds are strong . . . plus they look just like flying saucers.

A spot like this would be marked as 'noteworthy' on the new scale — *A spot like this would be marked as ‘noteworthy’ on the new scale*

7

Rocket: When the SpaceX Falcon 9 launched in California last December, many LA locals took to social media, convinced the object flying through the sky surrounded by a white plume was an alien spaceship.

This picture from last year secured a place on the 'high' end of the scale — *This picture from last year secured a place on the ‘high’ end of the scale*

8

Saucers over Sheffield: Alien-hunters rubbed their hands in glee when the CIA released this 1962 photograph of vessels passing over the Yorkshire city. The still-unexplained pic surely deserves a pretty high score.

Snaps like these are marked as 'far-reaching' on the scale because they haven't been explained — *Snaps like these are marked as ‘far-reaching’ on the scale because they haven’t been explained*

9

Washington DC, 1952: The FBI was inundated with reports of UFO sightings. Even President Truman demanded answers. The air force said they were stars or meteors, while radar signals were down to the weather. Hmmmm . . ..