Have you seen a UFO? In Florida, you're not alone. What to know about sightings

• Florida ranks behind California for the number of reported UFO sightings.
• On March 22, an object was spotted over Green Cove Springs.
• Some common objects are often mistaken for a UFO.

An object hovering over Green Cove Springs March 22 left many wondering whether extraterrestrial aliens had decided to join the spring break crowd in Florida.

OK, maybe aliens weren't looking for a week of fun in the Sunshine State, but there was plenty of speculation about the object .

UFO sightings aren't unusual in Florida, which ranks only behind California in the number of reports of "unidentified aerial phenomena."

Here's a look at what people have spotted in the skies above Florida.

Was there a UFO over Green Cove Springs, Florida?

The black object above Green Cove Springs, located south of Jacksonville, March 22 was spotted by several people, with posts shared on social media.

It made no noise and was at least a few hundred feet off the ground.

The Naval Air Station Jacksonville had announced previously it would be conducting training exercises that day. The base is located about 15 miles north of where the object was seen.

It remains unclear exactly what the object was.

Since March 1, 34 UFO sightings reported across Florida

According to the National UFO Reporting Center, there have been 34 reports of UFOs across Florida from March 1 through March 19.

Some have been explained as drones, a rocket and one as possibly a Chinese lantern.

Florida ranks No. 2 in the US for number of UFO sightings

Since 1995, there have been 8,623 UFO sightings in Florida sent to the National UFO Reporting Center. The first report was in 1944.

➤ See map of sightings

That puts Florida only behind California, with 16,729, for the state with the most number of sightings reported.

What was the first UFO sighting in Florida?

The earliest known UFO sighting in Florida, according to the National UFO Reporting Center, was July 15, 1944, near Tampa.

A black cylindrical object appeared over P-38s in the area and was visible for 3 to 4 minutes. The report reads:

"In July of 1944 my brother and I saw a craft that we thought was a secret flying machine of the Army Air Corps. We were watching P-38s dog fighting over the area of Lowery Park which is in North Tampa, when suddenly appeared over the P-38s, a very large black object that looked like a big piece of pipe. The P-38s quit dog fighting and quickly returned to base. The black object made several maneuvers and flew off very quickly. It would be years before I would realize that I had seen something very unusual and no doubt a UFO."

What is the most recent UFO Florida sighting reported to National UFO Reporting Center?

On March 19, 10 people reportedly saw a circle shape about 25 feet long outside Deltona. The report reads:

"Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Made a sound, Animals reacted. Five flying objects I couldn't tell you what it was. They were flying in patterns, one behind another with schematic movements, reddish orange color, and then order they've disappeared. That went so fast and disappeared and all of us wouldn't miss it."

How do I report a UFO sighting?

Anyone can report an unusual light, object or shape in the sky to the National UFO Reporting Center on its website or through its phone hotline, 206-722-3000. File a report directly.

Common objects mistaken for UFOs or UAPs

The center asks people to check out these objects commonly mistaken for UFOs:

• Starlink satellites: If you see a line of lights, they are probably Starlink satellites.
• Rocket launches: Launches can be seen as blazing lights followed by a long glowing trail, to a fuzzy dot in the night sky, to a strange-looking swirling aura.
• Venus and Jupiter: If you are seeing a very bright, intensely silver-white, stationary object near the horizon, it is likely Venus, and not a UFO.   Jupiter may appear higher in the sky but can also be extremely bright. Several apps are available to help identify planets.
• Visible in photos, videos but not naked eye: If you see something in a photo or video you took that you did not see with your naked eye, it's probably a camera anomaly or artifact such as a lens flare. 
• Pulsating lights in video: Cell phone videos taken of lights in the night sky, planets or stars often appear to pulse, get brighter and dimmer, or appear as a “donut” or ring shape, due to the de-focusing and re-focusing of the phone’s lens.

What's the difference between a UFO and a UAP?

UFO stands for “unidentified flying object,” a term for an aerial phenomenon whose cause or identity is unclear to the observer. The United States Air Force coined the term in 1952.

Today, the term UFO is colloquially used to refer to any unidentifiable sighting regardless of whether it has been investigated.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses the term “unidentified anomalous phenomena” to describe “observations of the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or as known natural phenomena.”

What is the National UFO Reporting Center?

Founded in 1974, the National UFO Reporting Center said its "primary function over the past five decades has been to receive, record, and to the greatest degree possible, corroborate and document reports from individuals who have been witness to unusual, possibly UFO-related events.  

"Throughout its history, the Center has processed over 180,000 reports, and has distributed its information to thousands of individuals."

The center noted it "makes no claims as to the validity of the information in any of these reports.  Obvious hoaxes have been omitted, however most reports have been posted exactly as received in the author’s own words."

Contributing: Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY; Dave Osborn, USA TODAY Network