Often now referred to as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), there have been around 100 officially confirmed Kent sightings on government recordDo aliens exist? A question that has sparked conversation and debate for countless generations, and will likely continue to do so for countless more.

Whether you are a believer yourself or not, it hard to deny that the thought of life beyond our little blue planet is fascinating. Across the globe, there have been reported sightings relating to extraterrestrials and Unidentified Flying Objects, more commonly known as UFOs, throughout history.Such sightings range from intriguing to outright ludicrous in many instances, and while a definitive answer is yet to be found regarding alien life, it’s certainly fun to think about.

Kent has been no exception to sightings over the decades, with around 100 reported cases on government record. In fact, just earlier this year a pair of mysterious lights spotted above Maidstone left one local very puzzled.

UFOs have been mentioned in the UK since the 1950s, investigated by the Air Ministry which was then replaced by the Ministry of Defence. The UK Government has never taken part in any long term monitoring of reports, and the MoD works on the assumption that almost every UFO report has a natural, human, explanation
The British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) was formed in 1962 to document, and try to explain, sightings up and down the country. They believe that every report made can be explained by the following sources:

These strange lights were spotted above Maidstone earlier this year (Image: Nick Sayce)
Beyond the aforementioned strange lights seen above Maidstone back in March, there have been a number of other intriguing cases in Kent over the years. In August 2021, a strange object emitting a mysterious glow was filmed above North Kent.Stephen Sangster, 39, from Orpington was filming the night sky before noticing something rather peculiar. The footage shows a glow which appears to be travelling to the right before turning and flying towards the left.

In the first few seconds of the video a trail can be seen behind the white glow, as if it was some kind of firework. However, as the mysterious object changes direction, the brightness also intensifies.

In September 2017 the people of Tonbridge were mystified when an eerie aura-like light descended upon the town.The light was visible from all around Tonbridge (Image: Clare Macro)
Explanations for the eerie phenomenon ranged from aliens, aluminium in the atmosphere, and the Aurora itself. And in 2012, BUFORA recorded the sighting of a ‘rare and unusual shape’ flying through the sky in Wingham, near Canterbury.

It was described as: “A solid object – dark grey/black. It was pointed at the front and square like to the back, it had about five sides, like a classic diamond icon. There was absolutely no way I can think of to explain what I saw, and I have seen most kinds of aircraft in flight.”