Lexicon · Organization

MUFON

MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) is a civilian organization founded in the United States in 1969 that collects and investigates reports of UFO/UAP sightings through a network of volunteer field investigators.

MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) is a civilian, nonprofit organization founded in the United States in 1969 with the aim of collecting and documenting UFO, and later UAP, sightings reported by the public. The organization runs local groups and volunteer field investigators worldwide, who investigate reported cases, interview witnesses, and record the data in a shared database.

How it works

MUFON relies on volunteers: anyone can report a sighting on the organization's website or by phone, and local field investigators then examine whether the phenomenon has a mundane explanation, such as an airplane, a drone, a meteor, or some atmospheric phenomenon. If they find no clear explanation, the case is placed in the "unexplained" category.

The organization has its own journal and database, and it holds conferences and training sessions for its field investigators. Over the years, thousands of cases have been collected, and for a significant share of them MUFON itself concludes that a mundane phenomenon was behind them.

Reception

MUFON is one of the largest and oldest civilian UFO research organizations still in operation: it was founded in 1969, and according to its own figures it has more than four thousand members and more than five hundred field investigators. It is also frequently cited by the media and in documentaries. According to skeptical researchers, the organization's methodology does not always meet the standards of scientific research. Investigations are carried out by unpaid volunteers who take an exam based on the organization's own manual but do not necessarily have relevant professional training. MUFON's online training program is not an accredited institution. It has no publicly known official cooperation with the Pentagon's UAP office, AARO. However, the same sighting may end up in both places, because AARO also accepts reports.

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