Space exploration and the science fiction imagination of alien encounters out in the stars reached their peak of optimistic possibility between the 1940s and 1970s, culminating with the first moon landing in 1969. (hyperallergic.com)
Putting aside alien encounter jokes, there are several different theories about what causes this spectacle. (discovermagazine.com)
But don't think it gets any easier if you manage to make it through your first alien encounter! (tammeka.com)