The existence of extraterrestrial life is something everyone has their own theories and speculations about. However, Southern California in particular seem to be a hot-spot for UFO sightings and even alien cults.

George Ellery Hale, born in 1868, an eccentric solar astronomer, was mentioned in the popular cult TV show, The X-Files, in regards to the Palomar Mountain Observatory in Temecula, California, “From 1948 until recently, it was the largest telescope in the world,” Fox Mulder, a character in the show said. “This idea was presented while [Hale] was playing billiards and an elf climbed in his window and told him to get money from the Rockefeller Foundation for a telescope.”

Later, Mulder implied that Hale was searching for something much more than just solar flares, “seeing is not enough, I should have something to hold onto. Some solid evidence.”

Hale’s “little elf” was later written off as nothing more than a euphemism for his excessive labor.

Perhaps the little elf that Hale saw was nothing more than his subconscious gnawing at him to work harder and faster, although that shouldn’t discount the fact that strange and numerous UFO sightings have been reported on Palomar Mountain where the Observatory is located and in the cities surrounding it.

George Adamski, a famous self proclaimed UFOlogy professor, took several iconic UFO photos in the mountain’s shadow during the early 1950’s that are recognizable even today. At the base of the mountain, Adamski held his own lectures about Aliens and personal encounters of otherworldly beings he called the “Space Brothers.”

Is it a mere coincidence that both Georges, Hale and Adamski, were space enthusiasts visited by strange beings and whose lives were directed toward Palomar Mountain? Could there be something of significance to our quiet corner of San Diego county?

Marshall Applewhite, founder of San Diego’s own UFO cult, Heaven’s Gate, apparently thought so. Just 17 miles south of Palomar College, the infamous cult mass suicide happened in 1997.

The suicide by asphyxiation of 39 members was in response to the Comet Hale-Bopp’s passing over earth and the cult’s belief that the comet was actually an alien shuttle meant to take their souls to a higher plain of existence.

Described as “The Next Level,” cult members believed their bodies were only shells meant to be shed after their deaths to reach that higher plain many might call “heaven,” hence the name of the cult.

Southern California seems to be a hotspot for exceptionally historical extraterrestrial activities. Not to mention the everyday sightings around Palomar mountain and its surrounding cities, according to the National UFO Reporting Canter.

Seeing as California has the most UFO sightings in the nation, should we ignore the claims by our friends and neighbors, or is there some validity to their allegations?

Look to the sky and ask yourself, “are we alone in our ever expanding universe?” Wait-a-while, you might just see your answer hovering above.