With the increased prevalence of UFO reports from around the world a person stands a chance of seeing some unusual object in the skies just about anywhere they happen to be. There are however some places that seem to draw anomalous sightings like flies to sugar. If you are tired of waiting in your own back yard for that mysterious sighting, you may want to book passage to some of the "UFO hotspots" where strange lights and objects seem to congregate.

North America has a number of these places where multiple sightings are common. Upper New York near Niagara Falls gets more than its share of unidentifiable lights in the sky. To the West, Mount Adams, Washington is host to so many unexplainable light shows that James Gilliland, founder of Enlightened Contact with Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (ECETI) has a ranch at the mountain's base where he hosts UFO seekers who are rarely disappointed. Mount Adams is also where pilot Kenneth Arnold saw the craft that first inspired the term "flying saucer" in 1947.

Mexico City, Mexico and the surrounding countryside seem to attract a number of different types of UFO. In April 2005 thousands of citizens of the city witnessed what was first a few silvery orbs floating in the sky only to be stunned as well over a hundred of these mysterious objects appeared and maneuvered through the sky. The event provided great film footage as the event was in full daylight just as so many UFO sightings in Mexico City occur.

Wiltshire, England is an area that contains not only the monolithic Stonehenge but also wide fields that continue to erupt in crop circles. For over 50 years the citizens have become almost used to the strange lights in the sky and deep booming sounds coming down from above. UFO hunters even hold an annual sky watch at Cradle Hill and are frequent observers at nearby Cley Hill.

Since the early 1990's the number of shiny metallic looking spheres appearing around San Clemente, Chile, prompted the local tourism board to dub the area the "UFO Trail" in 2008. While the terrain is rough, serious UFO hunters often travel to nearby El Enlandrillado for a chance to catch the aerial shows.

ET has not forgotten Australia either. Wycliffe Well, Northern Territory, is as well known for UFO activity as the area around Roswell, New Mexico. The Falkirk Triangle in Scotland has spent the last twenty years being presented with multiple unidentified lights and craft. Thousands of residents have reported these oft-occurring events with the small town of Bonnybridge topping the list with an average of 300 sightings a year. Falkirk was responsible for over 6,000 pages of report data recently released to the public by the Ministry of Defense.

These are not the only places for long-term multiple sightings. From the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico to Sochi, Russia, to Ladakh in the Himalayan Mountains some areas of our Earth seem to hold an especial fondness for whatever or whoever pilots these mysterious craft.

One of the first considerations new investigators have is what equipment they will need. There are certain things you will need for all investigations. We will list them here; but in general it is important to use good quality equipment where applicable. A cheap flashlight that falls apart the first time it is used does no one any good. Here are some of the most common UFO investigation equipments.

• A good, bright flashlight
• Notepad and sharpened pencils.
• Cell phone or two-way radio to keep in touch.
• Basic First Aid kit.
• Small folding knife.
• Tape measure.
• Spare Batteries
• Plaster of Paris – In order to take impressions of tracks or imprints.
• Clean/Sealable containers
• Latex surgical gloves
• Camera Audio Recorder
• Professional Contacts, who are experts in various fields you may consult as needed.

That will get you going on a basic UFO investigation. A little preparation ahead of time keeping all your equipment in one place will save a lot of time. Generally, alien and UFO sighting reports come in with no advance notice. Unlike ghost hunts, which people plan and go out looking, UFO reports come to you. It is helpful to be able to respond quickly should you receive one, since many times evidence may be lost or conditions change. If you can be on the scene promptly sometimes, you can obtain additional data that may be lost by the next day.

Related to that, there are the occasional UFO sky watches, but those are generally ineffective. Ghost hunters plan weekend investigations to see what they can capture, UFO investigators respond, generally after the fact. Consequently, any evidence obtained is often simply witness statements and related observations you may make of where the UFO was, but seldom does the UFO investigator ever see an object himself. This is the largest controlling factor in determining what specialized equipment you may need.

Cameras are one of the most important equipment in an UFO investigation. It should be noted that many of the same requirements also apply to video as well. By far the most common is to record the scene of a sighting after the fact. Generally, this is done in daylight with the witness present at the time of the initial interview. The witness simply takes you to the area where the object was seen and relates the sighting to you. The camera is used to take photos of the area. The purpose of these photos is to attempt to relate the sighting to fixed objects on the ground.

Now, instead of just reporting and collecting sighting reports, UFO research has possibly moved to another level-the ability to visit, analyze, and collect the evidence needed to prove that we are not alone.

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While there are many organizations dedicated to studying the UFO/Alien phenomena, there has, despite the thousands of reports, been very little "official" investigation. The only branch of the government that seems to have even tried was the United States Air Force. Their first attempt, Project Sign, in 1948 ended rather inconclusively. They determined that the craft witnessed were of neither Russian or US make and were quite likely of extraterrestrial origin then left it at that. It was quickly followed by Project Grudge, a dedicated attempt at debunking any reported UFO or alien sighting or encounter despite nearly a quarter of their investigations remained "unexplainable".

This blatant attempt at ignoring what could potentially be a serious problem angered General Charles Cabell. In 1952 he ended Project Grudge and enlisted the aid of fellow Air Force General William Garland to form a new, serious study. They named this mission Project Blue Book. Under the direct supervision of Captain Edward Ruppelt, Project Blue Book was revamped. A new method was initiated which attempted to cover as much data as could be thought of during interviews and site investigations. During this time a remarkable amount of transparency seemed to be forthcoming and press conferences to announce findings became routine.

To avoid some of the division of opinion and reduce the stigmata of reporting, Capt Ruppelt insisted that anyone on the Project maintain an open mind about the situation. Any operative who became openly skeptical or tried to fit facts into a specific theory soon found themselves transferred out of Project Blue Book. During the investigations held at this time, scientists and astronomers were often called on to help advise the investigators. During this time many of the more famous and well-known sightings occurred and were given serious attention. Even the head scientific consultant for the Project, Astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek, lost his skepticism after enough "unexplainable" sightings were logged with the Project.

This high-minded attempt at seeking the truth of the UFO phenomena lived a very short life. Capt. Ruppelt was temporarily removed from Project Blue Book. On his return a few months later he discovered that his staff had been reduced by 90%. All he had left for covering the entire country were two subordinate investigators. In frustration he suggested they turn the investigations over to the Air Defense Command as he no longer had a Project capable of functioning in any useful capacity. By March of 1954 Project Blue Book was being led by Captain Charles Hardin, a man who thought that anyone who supposedly saw a UFO was insane and needed medical treatment. The "Dark Ages" of UFO investigation had begun. By 1969 Project Blue Book was dead. The military's take on all this data, that there was no threat to national security from these supposed objects.