World UFO day is coming up on July 2 and may come as a surprise to learn just how many strange flying objects are spotted each year.

The National UFO Reporting Center has been in operation since 1974 and attempts to track every report of an unidentified flying object. The organization says there have been 120,424 instances of UFO sightings throughout human history, and — somehow? — into the future.

The organization also notes that there have been more than 2,000 sightings this year alone.

It's important to remember that a UFO is literally anything in the sky that can't be identified. Does that mean an alien life form? Maybe. Maybe not

So take the numbers below for what they're worth, but these states have seen the most reported UFOs so far this year .



Washington Montana Vermont Alaska Maine

The five states with the fewest sightings are:



Texas Louisiana Georgia Mississippi Alabama

Though Alaska ranks fourth this year in UFO sightings, it ranks the highest all-time among US states with more than 6,500 instances (could the Northern Lights be playing a factor?). But even Alaska pales in comparison to Alberta, Canada with more than 8,700 sightings.

Wyoming ranks the lowest among all-time sightings with just 21 — then again, it is America's second-least populous state.

UFOs are most commonly depicting as a "flying saucer." But according to the NURC, that's not what most people have reported as a UFO. Most UFOs are reported as some sort of light, with nearly 25,000 instances — about double the second-most common shape, "circle." For comparison, there have only been about 7,500 instances of a "disc"-shaped UFO.

This story was originally published by Katie Cox on WRTV in Indianapolis.

