What Really Happens at Area 51?

By | May 17, 2019

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Area 51 sign. Source: (gizmodo.com)

A popular topic among science fiction enthusiasts and conspiracy theorist is Area 51. Frequently connected with the 1947 incident during which a UFO allegedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, it is thought to be a secret facility where the government experiments on extraterrestrials and flying saucers. While the UFO landing has been written off as a weather balloon, the military facility commonly known as Area 51 does actually exist; however, the unidentified flying objects experimented on there were of a more terrestrial nature.

Due to the rumors of alien activity at Area 51, the adjacent highway has been named “The Extraterrestrial Highway” and the towns nearby have capitalized on the rumors with a plethora of alien-themed merchandise for tourists to buy. There’s even an alien-themed hotel called Little A’Le’Inn. Over the years, the military facility has been called by many names, including “Site II” and “The Ranch.” It is unknown how or why it became known as “Area 51.” In any case, the name seems to have stuck and has even led to a nearby minor league baseball being called the 51s.  

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The Little A'Le'Inn, a bar, restaurant and motel in Rachel, viewed from the north. Source: (Wikimedia commons)

Area 51 is a United States Air Force military installation located in the Nevada desert near Groom Lake. The fact that it appears on satellite images but not on any public U.S. government maps (though it can now be found on Google Maps) has fueled the mystery surrounding it. Not only has it been associated with the 1947 Roswell incident and other alleged alien encounters, but it has also been connected to the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was a hoax. Believers of this theory believe the moon landing to have been filmed in the Nevada desert, possibly at Area 51.