Reports of unidentified flying objects in Canadian skies fell to their lowest level in nearly a decade in 2018.
The 2018 edition of the tallied 937 reported UFO sightings last year 鈥� the lowest number since 2009. The volume of reports peaked in 2012 at 1,982, or nearly 5.5 per day.
More than 40 per cent of all reports came from Quebec, with nearly 25 per cent of sightings happening in Ontario. UFOlogy Research, which conducts the survey, defines a UFO as 鈥渁n object seen in the sky which its observer cannot identify.鈥�
The survey tracks all reports of mysterious objects in the sky and attempts to determine their true nature. Approximately 95 per cent of all UFOs reported in Canada in 2018 were later identified, often as aircraft, drones or Chinese lanterns.
Some of the unexplained sightings highlighted in the survey included 鈥渁 dark, crescent-shaped object [that] moved in a peculiar rocking motion as it went across the sky鈥� over Paradise, N.L., an 鈥渦nidentified aircraft鈥� that was spotted on radar by air traffic controllers in Edmonton but made no contact with the airport鈥檚 tower, and a 鈥渟ilent transparent triangle鈥� carring a cylindrical-shaped object that crossed the sky over Morden, Man.
There have been a number of high-profile UFO sightings in Canada that remain unsolved, including:
Feb. 10, 1951: A U.S. Navy aircraft flying to Iceland from Gander, N.L., reported a near-collision with a large, circular, orange UFO that 鈥渁lmost literally flew circles around the American aircraft,鈥� according to a previous version of the Canadian UFO Survey.
Aug. 23, 1956: A bright, oval-shaped object was seen at an altitude of 36,000 feet by two Royal Canadian Air Force members attempting to set a cross-Canada speed record.
May 20, 1967: In one of Canada鈥檚 best-known UFO sightings, rock collector Stefan Michalak noticed a series of strange, silvery objects flying above Manitoba鈥檚 Whiteshell Provincial Park. The encounter has been dubbed The Falcon Lake Incident and was commemorated on a collectible coin in 2017.
Oct. 4, 1967: Several people called the RCMP to report near Shag Harbour, N.S. Witnesses reported seeing a row of lights descending at a rapid speed. An RCMP investigation and a military search failed to turn up any wreckage or any other clues about what had happened.
May 13, 1975: Perhaps no Canadian UFO has been spotted by as many people as 鈥淐harlie Redstar,鈥� a bright, reddish-orange light that was seen by hundreds of residents of Carman, Man., over a period of several months.
Nov. 20, 1989: A bright light and a loud noise startled people at a farm outside Montreal. Heading into the fields to investigate, they found a large circle of green grass that had been flattened. It remained green even after the grass around it turned brown.
Sept. 23, 2017: Ten campers in Quebec said they saw a glowing, pyramid-shaped object float above their trailer and come to a halt mid-air.
The survey鈥檚 authors called for 鈥渇urther examination鈥� of the UFO phenomenon in an effort to solve the cases that remain unexplained.
鈥淢any witnesses are pilots, police and other individuals with reasonably good observing capabilities and good judgement,鈥� their report reads.
Tuesday was , an annual event created to bring awareness to open UFO cases around the globe.
With files from The Canadian Press
