submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Sal@mander.xyz to c/casualconversation@lemmy.world

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A few times in the last two or three days I heard the term "unidentified aerial phenomena", abbreviated as "UAP", being used by the US government and media to refer to what mere mortals used to call "UFOs", or, better yet, "maybe aliens".

Is this a new term? Never heard it being used before. I don't like it more than UFO, and it doesn't sound much more technically correct to me. Sure, maybe the object is not 'flying'... but, on that same vein, is it really an 'aerial phenomenon'? Whatever that means....

Is this like a search-engine optimization type thing, where they change the term a little bit to separate their new press releases from the older literature?

So, what's up with 'UAPs'? (example article)

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[-] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Was essentially started a couple years ago when the U.S. government released video of a report of UAP. They apparently want to get away from UFO and it's automatic link to extraterrestrials.

[-] Sal@mander.xyz 7 points 1 year ago

Considering the context in which I'm encountering the term "UAP", and the Wiki page I get to if I look up "unidentified aerial phenomena", I worry their mission to get away from the automatic link to extraterrestrials may not be very successful!

[-] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I hear yeah. I'm guessing the science geeks wanted a more exact term since some of the phenomenon isn't "flying".

[-] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Agreed. It's proving to be a bit of a failed strategy with the recent interest in the topic.

There's also 'USO' - unidentified submerged object by the way.

[-] Sal@mander.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

Let's see if they change that one to "Unidentified Subaquatic Phenomena"

[-] grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The recent congressional testimony by Dave Fravor, a pilot involved in the Tic Tac incident, made it pretty clear there was a disturbance under the surface of the ocean on an otherwise placid day. Whatever the thing they encountered was, it seems to have a connection to the ocean (in that instance anyway).

The swarming of the Nimitz occurred in the ocean as well and I believe Ryan Graves' squadron was operating over the ocean as well.