Nasa: US space agency to launch study to find out if UFOs exist

It's a question that has long puzzled experts - do UFOs exist?

Well, Nasa has announced that it is officially going to join the hunt for unidentified flying objects!

The US space agency says that a group of leading scientists will begin a study looking into UFOs - or UAPs (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena) as they're now more commonly known.

The project will start later on this year and last around nine months.

We want to know what you think! Do you believe that UFOs exist? Do you think there is life out there on other planets? Let us know in the comments below!

What does Nasa plan to do?

Sightings of strange-looking crafts around the world, moving in unexplained ways, have been documented for decades.

But can experts explain where they come from or who's flying them?

The problem for scientists at the moment is that the relatively low number of UFO sightings makes it difficult for them to make conclusions on the subject.

Nasa says that its project will begin in the autumn and will focus on looking at current information.

It will also work out what data needs to be gathered in the future in order to have a better scientific understanding of UFOs.

Astrophysicist David Spergel, who will lead the research, said the first task of the group would be looking at what data is available from a range of sources including from members of the public, the government and various organisations.

The news comes as the study of UFOs has recently gained more mainstream attention.

Last month, the US government held a public hearing into UFOs, while a US intelligence report last year detailed 144 sightings that it said could not be explained.

It also did not rule out the possibility of alien activity.