See Where Illinois Ranks On A List Of States With The Most UFO Sightings

People have long debated whether aliens exist.

Whether they do or not, there have been thousands of UFO sightings throughout the U.S.

That’s why Stacker figured out which states have seen the most UFOs — or “unidentified flying objects” — and shared findings last month.

The data journalism hub explains:

“The term ‘UFO,’ short for ‘unidentified flying object,’ was coined in 1953 by the United States Air Force as a bucket term for unexplained sightings like these. Stateside sightings were hardly restricted to military flyover zones, however. The first recorded UFO sighting dates to 1639 when, long before the era of planes and satellites, John Winthrop wrote in his diary about a large, strange light in the sky that shot back and forth. By the time he and the other men on his boat got their wits about them, their vessel was a mile from where it had been when they first spotted the light.”

The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) was founded in 1974, and has tracked about 90,000 UFO sightings (nearly all of which have been dubbed military tests, weather balloons and other, non-alien explanations).

Thousands of UFO sightings have been recorded in Illinois, landing it in the Top 10 states with UFO sightings, according to Stacker.

Illinois comes in at No. 9 on the list, with 2,758 UFO sightings.

See the rest of the list from Stacker here.