THESE RED, DUSTY 'UFOS' IN SPACE ARE ACTUALLY MYSTERIOUS GALAXIES, NOT SPACESHIPS.

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have fascinated people for decades, with sightings sparking curiosity about extraterrestrial life. But there's a new kind of UFO that has scientists intrigued—UFO galaxies. These massive, red, and dust-filled galaxies can only be detected in infrared light, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was the first to uncover them deep in space. 

Mysterious red and dusty 'UFOs' spotted in space turn out to be galaxies, not spaceships.

Unlike familiar galaxies, UFO galaxies had gone unnoticed by telescopes like Hubble. Their discovery has led researchers to investigate their unusual features, including their extreme redness and dusty composition. Known as Ultra-red Flattened Objects, a team from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) recently studied these galaxies, with findings published in *The Astrophysical Journal* on October 3, 2024.

Lead author Justus Gibson noted that JWST has opened a window to see galaxies previously hidden from view, challenging our understanding of the universe.

Why Are UFO Galaxies Red?  

UFO galaxies are hard to spot because they emit very little visible light. NASA’s Webb Telescope, which captures infrared radiation, revealed them as bright red in its images.  

Surprisingly, some UFO galaxies are much closer to us than previously discovered ones, challenging astronomers' assumptions about nearby galaxies. Scientists understand their red glow but remain puzzled by their extreme dustiness—50 times more than the Milky Way.  

"Why do these galaxies have so much dust? No idea," said one researcher.  

Earlier discoveries of massive red galaxies from the universe's early days raise another question: could these be linked to UFO galaxies?