Free Open source UFO Detector software that allows anyone to monitor the sky for UFOs

Spotting a UFO is often a case of being in the right place at the right time, but a new computer program may make catching unidentified craft a whole lot easier.

Dubbed the 'UFO Detector,' the software links up with a user's webcam and allows for constant surveillance of the sky for unidentified flying objects.

The makers of the program say that it is sophisticated enough to catch and ignore prosaic objects such as planes and birds which otherwise may be confused for a UFO.

But when a true 'UFO' appears in the sky, the detector will spring into action and begin recording the event in high quality video.

The idea is simple — if a UFO is detected, the software will automatically record video of the event in the best possible quality. Of course, users are encouraged to share the recorded video and discuss among other UFO enthusiasts. UFO Detector makes video sharing as easy as one click.

"UFOID provides a platform to share the recorded videos and have them analyzed by other people," states the UFO Detector website. "Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, your opinion matters and is used to identify the objects."

In an interview with OpenMinds.tv, UFO Detector Developer Mark Lakum stated that the idea came about when he thought there had to be "a better way" to study UFO phenomenon. Although the software has been around for a while, Lakum only recently made it open-source. He created UFOID.net in conjunction with it, and the platform now exists for individuals to share their findings as a community.

UFO Detector works with a computer's webcam. The camera must be pointed in the direction of the sky (understandably) in order to capture potential UFO footage. The software allows users to choose which parts of their screen to monitor. It's also supposedly smart enough to rule out interference from objects, such as planes and birds, as long as the user tags them. The goal is to only record supposed UFOs, rather than eat up hard drive space with videos of inactive skies.

On the UFOID YouTube page, UFO Detector users have already posted videos caught with the software, depicting some unusual activity. Many of these videos have hundreds of views, hinting that UFO Detector may actually be achieving its goal of bringing the UFO community closer together.

The developers of UFO Detector are currently working on making the software functional on a wide variety of platforms, including Raspberry Pi. Additionally, a new feature will soon be introduced to prevent the tampering of captured video.

Here's video of the software in action: