There were six UFO sightings reported in Maryland in December in 2016 and four incidents so far in January 2017. Over the entire year, there were 95 sightings reported in communities all across the state, according to the National UFO Reporting Center.

We're not saying there are or aren't UFOs — there are a lot explanations for what we see in the sky, and some explanations are more grounded than others. From an Annapolis report of "three bright lights holding in a triangle shape over Chesapeake Bay; very bright, pulsating, incredible speed, not aircraft..." to a description of a "hovering airplane-like craft over I-295, between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore," residents regularly report odd sightings in the sky. Other sightings reported in December were from residents in Elkton, Fort Meade, Hagerstown, Brinklow, Severn and Rockville.

The National UFO Reporting Center has been around since 1974 and it investigates UFO sightings and has put together a list of more than 90,000 sightings around the world. Other Maryland communities that reported sightings in 2016 include: Baltimore, Bel Air, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Fort Washington, Columbia, Havre de Grace, Laurel, Dundalk, Greenbelt, Ocean City, College Park, Bowie and more.

There's a variety of sighting scenarios, but there's one variable that comes up repeatedly: people on the interstate or on a train when they looked up. As a Towson report of a fireball from February noted, "Noticed streaks in the sky while driving. At first one, then two, then three."

A sighting in March from a commuter described a "Green oval shaped object observed overhead while traveling on 70W just south of Hagerstown." Also reported that month in Columbia: "White flying object high up in the sky traveling through in Columbia, MD."

Someone in Bowie reported a close encounter. "Woke up to see a bright yellow light coming through my bedroom window. It remained still for a few moments."

And several reports were of unknown crafts that appeared to follow aircraft. An observer in College Park noted in August: "Two triangle UFOs were spotted, one followed a commercial plane for a few seconds." The scenario you don't see often: Someone playing on their phone when they looked up. Go figure.