mothership
In UFO literature, a mothership is a hypothetical, large alien spacecraft that would carry or launch smaller flying craft. There is no scientifically accepted evidence of its existence.
The mothership is a concept used in UFO literature and popular culture: a hypothetical, extremely large alien spacecraft that would carry, launch and receive smaller flying craft. The term spread on the model of military carriers (aircraft carriers).
Where does the concept come from?
The idea of the mothership appeared in the contactee accounts of the 1950s, in which witnesses described enormous, cigar- or disc-shaped craft from which smaller discs emerged. Later, science fiction films and series also popularized the image, for example the films Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Independence Day.
What do its proponents claim?
According to some UFO researchers and contactees, large craft functioning as observation platforms or bases may be present around the Earth, and the smaller objects observed originate from them. The claims are typically supported by eyewitness accounts, photographs and videos, without verifiable, independent evidence.
Official finding and skeptical position
According to the official finding, there is no evidence that extraterrestrial craft visit the Earth, and therefore none for the existence of motherships either. According to skeptical researchers, the descriptions can mostly be explained by misidentifications: these may include, for example, clouds (especially lenticular clouds), artificial satellites, aircraft or optical phenomena. They add that the concept lives on primarily through cultural tradition and depictions in the entertainment industry.