Have you ever spotted a UFO over northern Lincolnshire?

HAVE you ever spotted something unusual in the skies of northern Lincolnshire?

Over the years, dozens of people have contacted the Grimsby Telegraph to report strange sightings and close encounters.

Could they be military aircraft, rare meteorological phenomena or are they crafts from other worlds?

Now you can be a part of documenting sightings in our area – by clicking on our interactive map on to find out more and posting your own stories. You can also view video footage of alleged spaceship sightings.

The possibility of the existence of aliens has fascinated the human race for centuries, and our area is no stranger to bizarre happenings above our heads.

From the RAF logging a spaceship through a telescope in 1956 to strange lights over Scartho in 2009 – and, of course, the infamous Conisholme wind turbine mystery – the sightings of unidentified flying objects have been numerous.

Conisholme received international media attention after a wind turbine was left severely damaged when it was allegedly hit by a mysterious craft.

Dozens of witnesses reported seeing flashing orange-coloured lights following the incident, with one resident describing the possible culprit as "a massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground".

Manufacturer Enercon later released a report suggesting the £1m turbine had suffered mechanical failure causing one of its 65ft blades to break off.

Our online map shows a selection of the more well-known cases of mysterious UFO encounters reported in the area over the years.

Renowned parapsychologist and author Robin Furman, who lives in Grimsby, is a national expert on the unexplained.

He said: "There is no doubt that there are unexplained objects in the sky, but whether or not they're actually aliens from another planet, no one knows.

"Even when you take away all those that can be explained, there are a number of inexplicable and unexplained cases. They have been reported since Biblical times so they cannot be dismissed.

"Some sightings, however, can be explained quite easily. For example, ball lightning – also called St Elmo's Fire – can seem like something from another world but is a natural phenomenon.

"In most cases you find that UFO footage is either too good that you can see it must be a fake – or so bad that you can't make out anything.

"The thing with UFOs is there is enough to keep the believers believing, and not enough to convince the non-believers."

From Roswell to Doctor Who, the interest has always been there.

The National Archives regularly release UFO files, detailing historical sightings from around the UK.

And worldwide, there have been some fascinating documents. Take, for example, a well-known photograph of a UFO spotted in China in January 2005. Whether you believe or not, or you sit on the fence, it's an enthralling subject.

Commenting on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk, TheWrangler said: "Undoubtedly, 'aliens' exist; the universe is just too big for life not to exist elsewhere, but therein lies the problem – it's too big!

"Only aliens who have developed faster than light drives would be able to visit and as this is currently outside of our scientific understanding, should aliens visit we would not see them unless they wanted to be seen."

Whyhaveone added: "I am inclined to dismiss UFO sightings out-of-hand – but people are entitled to believe what they wish."

And Alt-minds tweeted: "Alien invaders travel millions of light years to earth and make a bee-line for Grimsby. Well, wouldn't you?"