One man’s quest to explain UFOs without aliens

He has been dedicated to UFO research for decades.

The first thing Hansjürgen Köhler wants to make clear as we begin our conversation is that at his workplace, the Central Research Network for Extraordinary Celestial Phenomena (CENAP), they do not believe that aliens are lurking anywhere on Earth.

“We differ from the ufologists, who claim that there is an extraterrestrial presence on Earth,” said Köhler, the founder and director of the German UFO registration agency CENAP.

Some UFOlogists, he explains, claim that up to 113 dead and living aliens remain hidden in the US after 30 flying saucers crashed there.

“This is completely unfounded and also goes against our experience in more than 50 years of actively investigating cases,” says Köhler.

According to the director, CENAP has so far processed more than 11,000 reports of unusual celestial sightings, analyzing hundreds of photos and videos attributed to natural and terrestrial causes.

Although there are currently 119 unresolved cases, there is no reason to speculate, Köhler says. The problem with these cases is that they miss important data such as the date, time or location of the sighting.

Point of contact for observers of the unexplained

For anyone who immediately thinks of aliens, Köhler reminds us of the meaning of the acronym UFO: unidentified flying object.

He founded CENAP as a “point of contact for anyone who wants an explanation for a phenomenon they have observed but not understood.”

The organization, founded in 1976, is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German air traffic control company DFS.

The types of cases reported to CENAP have changed dramatically in recent decades, Köhler says.

Mini hot air balloons caused a stir in the 1980s, followed by sky tracker beams and disco lights in the 1990s.

Around the turn of the millennium, the center saw a spike in reports due to Chinese lanterns, and in the 2010s, private and industrial drones entered the mix.

The number of reports is increasing thanks to Musk

For about the past five years, the rise of SpaceX, the space company of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has also been reflected in reports to CENAP, with its Starlink satellites increasing the number of UFO sightings.

“In normal years we would normally have 300 to 400 cases, but now, in the last five years, that has increased to 700 to 900,” says Köhler.

In 2024, the organization recorded more than 850 cases as of October 20, and this number is expected to exceed 1,000 by the end of the year.

But not all cases can be attributed to Musk’s satellite network, which aims to provide global internet coverage.

So-called burn-ups – rocket detonations – in orbit also sometimes prompt people to make a report “because they cause fantastic formations in the zenith of the night sky when illuminated by the sun,” Köhler explains.

Verifying a UFO Sighting

But what exactly happens after a UFO sighting is reported?

First of all, CENAP records the basic information: date, time and location of the observation.

They then create a map of the location and enter the witness’ description and any attached photos or videos into a file.

Only then does the real work begin: “The next step is to check for the usual suspects. In the case of nighttime observations, we check astronomical data for the location of the observation (planets, star maps), as well as satellite, ISS and bright rocket parts. data if necessary,” says Köhler.

The organization also checks air traffic data to ensure the sighting was not an airplane or helicopter.

They compare the report’s photos and videos with their extensive archive from 1973. “Usually this leads to the identification of the sighting in question,” says the CENAP director.

Do Only Conspiracy Theorists Report UFO Sightings?

While you might think it’s only people who believe in aliens who report UFO sightings, “we have people from all age groups and professions” filing reports, Köhler says.

“99% of them want us to explain what they saw, and they don’t come to us expecting to have seen an alien spaceship.”

“Of course there is the 1% who are convinced they have seen an alien spacecraft… who are disappointed when we identify a terrestrial cause,” he adds.

UFO sightings are reported not only throughout Germany, but also elsewhere.

In the US, the National UFO Reporting Center, founded in 1974 by UFO researcher Robert J. Gribble, has processed more than 180,000 reports since its inception.

What drives a UFO researcher?

Köhler says he would like to explain these observations for several reasons.

For starters, he’s always curious when new things appear in the sky, especially amid recent technological developments, including new devices used for event lighting and drones, which are becoming increasingly visible.

Moreover, his organization is the only reasonable point of contact for citizens looking for a scientific explanation for their observations.

Köhler’s fascination with space stems from the time he was 11 and saw the moon landing on TV in black and white, he says.

At the time, he didn’t rule out the idea of ​​extraterrestrial life — or even the possibility that aliens could land on Earth.

“Because if we humans had the ability to go to the moon, why couldn’t aliens do it?”

Nowadays he separates his UFO research from extraterrestrial life, because he “has not yet been able to find any evidence of extraterrestrial visits to Earth.”

“However, from my astronomical knowledge, I am convinced that extraterrestrial life exists and that we will find evidence in the future with our probes and better telescopes.”