The search for life in the universe has long been part of our space exploration journey. Though no concrete evidence has emerged, claims of contact by aliens have made people more hopeful of the existence of intelligent life beyond our planet. Here’s a list of 10 alleged alien encounters that have made our search for them more exciting.

1 In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill were abducted by aliens near the White Mountains in New Hampshire. They were taken up into a spacecraft where humanoid-like beings carried a pregnancy test on Betty. The couple was then sent back to their car. Once home, they noticed that their watches had stopped working and were not able to recall two hours of their drive.

On the night of September 19, 1961, American couple Barney and Betty Hill were driving back to Portsmouth after a three-day trip around Niagara Falls and Montreal when they noticed a bright light in the sky that appeared to be following them.

At first, Barney dismissed it as a satellite. Later, when they pulled over to get a better look, Betty observed through a pair of binoculars that the object was spinning. She concluded that it was a flying saucer traveling across the moon.

Her husband initially reasoned it to be a commercial airliner. However, when the craft rapidly descended in their direction without taking a turn, Barney realized that it was definitely not a plane.

The couple continued their drive, but when the object reached just 100 feet above them, Barney stopped the car and leaped with a handgun. As he moved towards the pancake-shaped saucer, he saw about 11 humanoids peering out at him from behind rows of windows.

As a voice instructed Barney to put his binoculars away, he realized that they were about to get captured. He ran back to the car and began driving down the road, but soon the couple lost all consciousness.

When they regained their senses, the couple had no memory of the two hours that had lapsed. However, with the help of Benjamin Simon, a specialist in hypnosis, the couple pieced together the events that unfolded that night.

The Hill’s were taken inside the spacecraft and were examined on a metal table. Their clothes were removed and samples of their nails, hair, and skin were taken. A large needle was inserted in Betty’s abdomen to test for pregnancy.

When Betty asked the leader of the group of his home, he showed her an instructional star map. Then they were sent back to their car with their memory erased.

The Hill’s story became popular in the media and was the first UFO encounter that received wide publicity. However, not everyone believed their story. Some psychiatrists suggested that being an interracial couple, they were under a lot of stress which may have caused them to hallucinate. (1, 2)

2 More than a dozen workers at the Chicago O’Hare Airport reported seeing a UFO hovering above gate C-17. The 2006 incident has more than a dozen witnesses who saw a spaceship that was disc-shaped and metallic, spinning continuously. The UFO finally left the scene by moving up in the clouds, leaving behind a hole in the clouds. The case is the most documented UFO sighting and still remains a mystery.

On November 7, 2006, many workers at the Chicago O’Hare Airport reported seeing an unidentified flying object hovering above gate C-17. Some of the observations of the witnesses were “ spinning continuously,” “disc-shaped and stably airborne,” and “ elliptical sphere in dark metal.”

The UFO departed by instantly moving up and leaving a hole in the clouds and a trail of blurred clouds.

More than a dozen employees reported the incident to the control and security centers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was notified.

Even though the FAA cautioned flights incoming of a UFO, it initially denied any claims of sightings. Later, however, they acknowledged the reports but explained it as an unusual weather phenomenon.

This incident is a well-documented event with many witnesses and remains one of the most mysterious cases in modern history. (1, 2, 3)

3 In what became one of the most credible cases of UFO sightings, Stephen Michalak spotted two hovering saucers when prospecting near Falcon Lake on 20 May 1967. When he tried to examine one of the UFOs from up close, it scorched him with hot gas. He was left with burn marks in a grid-like pattern. Also, radioactive metals were discovered around the area, and the landing site became devoid of any vegetation.

Stefan Michalak, a geologist, was prospecting in Manitoba, around Falcon Lake, when he saw two saucer-shaped UFOs, one of which seemed to land just about 45 meters away.

Michalak drew a meticulous sketch of the saucer, which later projected an opening, emitting warm, sulfurous air.

Intrigued, Michalak moved ahead towards the opening. There, he saw blinding diagonal-patterned and horizontal lights and observed that the exterior had no joints or any signs of welding. As he did so, the object began to rotate and scorched Michalak with hot gas when closing off the opening.

The hot gas burned his clothes and left burn marks in a grid-like pattern on his abdomen and chest.

Later, metals discovered from the site were found to be radioactive and the landing site became devoid of any vegetation or moss that abundantly covers the area surrounding the site.

The case is still one of the most mysterious cases in the history of UFO investigations and is concluded as “unexplained” by both the Canadian RCMP and the United States Air Force.

(1, 2, 3)

4 . In 1966, more than 300 students and staff at Westall High School in Melbourne saw six UFOs flying in the sky. After one round UFO was seen hovering near a powerline, five other craft came and tried to approach the round UFO. After 20 minutes, the headmaster ordered the onlookers to return and warned them to not discuss the incident.

For 20 minutes, around 350 children and staff of Westall High School in Melbourne watched a silver UFO being approached by five other UFOs.

The silver UFO was round in shape with a metal rod sticking out up in the air while the other five appeared like planes.

Greenwood, a teacher at the school, first saw the UFO hovering near the powerline. He saw the silver UFO slowly accelerate and then rapidly accelerate to avoid the approaching planes. It would finally move away from them and stop.

This happened a few times before the headmaster ordered everyone to return to their classes. He then threatened the staff and the students and told them not to speak about the incident.

There has been some speculation that the incident was a result of the government secretly testing new technology, while others firmly believe it to be an alien encounter. (source)

5 On 21 October 1978, Australian pilot Frederick Valentich was flying from Moorabbin Airport to King Island when he disappeared forever. He was allegedly abducted by aliens as he reported seeing a shiny metallic UFO orbiting above him. People in the area had also witnessed a green light moving erratically in the sky.

In October 1978, people of King Islands had reported seeing a bright trailing light for a few weeks.

Then on the evening of October 21, Melbourne air traffic control received an odd message from Frederick Valentich that he was being followed by an unidentified aircraft flying 1000 feet overhead.

He radioed that the aircraft had four landing lights and was orbiting above his Cessna 182. After reporting engine problems, he noted that the unidentified object was in fact not an aircraft.

The air traffic control soon lost all contact with Valentich after recording “metallic, scraping, sounds.”

An air and sea search yielded no result and the operation was ceased in October 1978. Five years later, an engine fowl cap of a Cessna 182 was found on Flinders Island.

The disappearance of the young pilot coincided with reports of  people spotting “an erratically moving green light in the sky.” Also, a plumber captured an object moving at a great speed exiting the water. These accounts have made ufologists speculate that Federick was kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings who also destroyed his aircraft.

There’s also a probability that Valentich became disoriented and was flying upside down. This caused him to mistake the reflection of his own craft to be that of another. (1, 2, 3)