miracles that were claimed to have occurred in at
least 40 separate locations. Psychologist Jurek Ki-
rakowski of Cork University concluded that the sight-
ings were the result of optical illusions prompted by
intense staring at the statues, particularly at dusk.^1
Scientists collect facts and form hypotheses.
Sometimes they can not draw a conclusion with any
certainty. The case of the mystery drones is one such
instance. While we wait for more information to
emerge, or a physical object to examine, what we can
say based on a perusal of the facts is that a social delu-
sion is the most likely explanation. Could someone or
a group be experimenting with drones in the rural
countryside of the Midwest? Certainly, but most of
these sightings appear to be the result of misidentifica-
tions or other mundane explanations. Investigations
by everyone from the Colorado Department of Public
Safety to the Federal Aviation Administration and the
FBI have failed to turn up any concrete evidence of
anything out of the ordinary. In mid-January, the Col-
orado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) issued a
press release on the status of their investigation. They
reported that from November 23 to January 13, they
received 90 reports of mysterious drones. Not a single
instance of illegal drone activity was confirmed, and of
the 14 cases involving hobbyists, none of the drones
had large wingspans or were flying in clustered forma-
tion as had been reported. Of the 23 more recent re-
ports, six were determined to have been prompted by
atmospheric conditions or commercial aircraft, while
13 were identified as “planets, stars or small hobbyist
drones not meeting the description of large wingspan
drones traveling in groups.” Only four of the reports
fell into the category of “unable to identify.”^2
Instead of dismissing ongoing public anxiety of
the sightings, the CDPS has stated that while they are
unaware that any crime has been committed or any-
thing out of the ordinary is going on, they will con-
tinue to monitor the situation. This was a wise move
because instead of dismissing the reports entirely or
ridiculing witnesses, by openly sharing their investiga-
tion results with the public, and showing a willingness
to look at any new cases as they arise, and maintaining
an open dialogue with the public, they have likely
tamped down the growth of rumors and conspiracy
theories which continue to swirl around this topic.
In assessing this case, it is important to remem-
ber that eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreli-
able. This could be a case of history repeating itself.
From the late 1940s to the early 60s, the United
States experienced numerous flying saucer sighting
waves. In the early years, their appearance coincided
with the advent of the Cold War, resulting in the pop-
ular belief that they were a secret foreign device, most
likely Russian. Few people thought they were space
aliens.^3 More recent UFO sighting clusters have
tended to be interpreted in a more benevolent man-
ner, as “saviours from the skies” or what Carl Jung
termed as “technological angels.”^4 Many of the early
“space brother” reports of the 1950s involved human-
like beings assuring earthlings that they were here to
protect us from the ravages of the Atomic Age (also
the theme of the 1951 science fiction classic film The
Day the Earth Stood Still). For many believers, it was
a reassuring message. The sky has always served as a
Rorschach ink blot test of the collective unconscious,
reflecting popular hopes and fears.
Hundreds of years ago, lonely sailors peered out to
sea and saw voluptuous mermaids beckoning to them
from distant shorelines. During the 19th century, sea
serpent sightings were common, as were fairy reports.
One could argue that these phenomena have never left
us, and that they keep reappearing in a different form,
colored by culture and the times. Is it possible that fly-
ing saucers and UFOs have morphed into something
more plausible—and current—the fear of foreigners
and new technologies. Several people have posted on-
line that the drones may be Iranian terrorists plotting
future attacks. And while we need to take threats seri-
ously, any assessment needs to be based on evidence,
and right now, there is none.
I have studied the history of outbreaks of UFO
sightings over the US since the 1890s and there is a
familiar pattern. First is the historical backdrop. We
are living in a period of significant geopolitical ten-
sion combined with the relatively recent advent of
high functioning drones. Add to this mix the unprece-
dented level of government distrust and the fallible
nature of human perception, and you have a recipe
for a phantom drone scare as people scrutinize the
skies either to confirm or to deny the rumors. In doing
so, they are prone to redefining ambiguous, almost
exclusively nocturnal aerial stimuli as the product of
sinister forces. If true, it would not be the first time this
has happened—and it certainly won’t be the last.volume 25 number 1 2020 W W W. S K E P T I C. C O M 1 1- Toibin, Colin. 1985. Moving Statues in Ireland: See-
ing is Believing. County Laois: Erie: Pilgrim Press. - Colorado Department of Public Safety. Updates on
Investigations into Suspicious Drone Activity in NE
Colorado. - Gallup, George. 1947. Nine out of Ten Heard of Fly-
ing Saucers. Princeton, NJ: Public Opinion News
Service, August 15. - Jung, Carl. 1959. Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of
Things Seen in the Skies. New York: Harcourt Brace.
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