Not to brag, but I will. According to data collected by the National UFO Reporting Center, in 2019 Maine ranked in the Top 5 for UFO sightings! Using the calls and messages reported to the National UFO Reporting Center, combined with state population data, the telecommunications company, SatelliteInternet.com, determined that Maine is one of the highest per capita states to see an unexplained flying object! In fact in 2019, Maine outranked New Mexico, home to the renowned Roswell UFO crash!

Even more intriguing, across the United States, UFO sightings are becoming more prevalent. Doubling from 3,456 sightings in 2018, to 6,340 in 2019, and thus far in 2020 the reported sightings continue to increase! Although I do admit, during the pandemic people are home with a lot more time to gaze at the night skies, combined with the National UFO Reporting Center’s less than scientific methods, these numbers may be a bit skewed. However, as a renowned Dog Ufologist, I do know that amongst the misidentified natural phenomenons, planes, drones, and yes even Goodyear Blimps, there are some flying objects that are truly a mystery.

Although unexplained objects in the sky are more commonly recorded now, perhaps the earliest known recorded sighting in Maine was in 1808. According to Dr. Judith Becker Ranlett, retired University of New York at Potsdam history professor, Cynthia Everett recorded seeing strange lights in her diary on July 22, 1808:

“About 10 o’clock I saw a very strange appearance. It was a light which proceeded from the East. At the first sight, I thought it was a Metier, but from its motion I soon perceived it was not. I[t] seem to dart at first as quickly as light; and appeared to be in the Atmosphere, but lowered toward the ground and kept on at an equal distance sometimes ascending and sometimes descending. It moved round in the then visable Horison, (it was not very light) and then returned back again, nor did we view it till it was extinguished.”

Considering the year, Cynthia Everett, who was a teacher in Camden, Maine, certainly did not witness a plane, drone or weather balloon. As Ranlett explained, this was the only entry of this type in the entire diary which spans approximately a decade. Also being a frequent star gazer, Everett was very familiar with nature based on her other entries. The diary remains in the possession of the family. However, to learn more about what may be the first recorded sighting in Maine there is an article by Hal Stokes, “Diary Describes UFO Seen in 1808,” in the Courier Freeman, Tuesday, March 28, 1978.

If you would like to see where your state ranks in the current upswing of UFO sightings, head on over to SatelliteInternet.com for their findings for the first few months of 2020. Spoiler alert: Maine moved up to the number 4 spot! To read actual reports from your state, including Maine, visit the National UFO Reporting Center Sightings by State page. However, remember to look up from your screens and keep an eye to the sky, because you never know what you may see!