UFOs: The Role of Perceptual Illusions in the Endurance of an Empirical Myth

This paper does not deal with alleged inexplicable UFOs—even though reasons to seriously doubt their very existence are also briefly addressed—but with explainable UFO reports existing beyond a shadow of a doubt with massive presence. The uninterrupted flow of those reports constitutes a worldwide social phenomenon keeping alive the UFO myth, an empirical myth of our age. Focusing specifically on the role of perceptual illusions, this paper examines the different types of illusions involved, their incidence in the reported UFO experiences, and their relevance to the myth’s survival. Popular misconceptions about perceptual illusions, raising prejudices against explanations implying misperception, are also reviewed to show their contribution to the myth’s endurance.