There's a reason why a Missouri town has officially been named the UFO capital of the state. It has now been 50 years since a mass sighting where 500 Missourians saw something in the sky that is still unexplained to this day.

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It actually started here in 1973. A woman was driving across this highway next to Clearwater Lake in Missouri when she saw lights hovering over the water.

Clearwater Lake, Piedmont, Missouri
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The woman's name is Jean Coleman who recently shared what she saw near Piedmont, Missouri back in 1973. It began with a red light hovering over Clearwater Lake.

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Quest TV via YouTube
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Jean Coleman: "We were driving across the dam and I was looking out across the lake...and I saw a red flash in the lake. All of a sudden it flashed again...every time there was a flash, you could see the flash was higher..."

Eventually multiple lights remained constant and formed a circle of craft over Clearwater Lake in Missouri. Jean wasn't the only one who saw the lights and it didn't just happen once. The state of Missouri mentioned that the UFO sightings over Piedmont occurred for 3 months between February and April of 1973 and also that summer as well.

To this day, no one can explain what the more than 500 residents near Piedmont, Missouri saw in the sky that year. On the 50th anniversary of this mass sighting, Piedmont has officially been named the UFO capital of Missouri as this mystery is as perplexing now as it was then.

LOOK: The states with the most UFO sightings

For each state, we’ve also included details of famous UFO sightings in that state. Of note is that almost three-quarters of all UFO sighting reports in the United States occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, and tend to peak between 9 and 10 p.m. Food for thought next time you're out scoping for alien life. Keep reading to see which states have had the most UFO sightings.

Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi

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