Hoping Halloween is 'out of this world'

Welcome to the final months of 2017 — and what a strange and other-worldly year it has been.

There have been more than a few times this year that I’ve secretly hoped to be living in an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” but wake every day to find we are still alone on this planet.

Or are we?

This year seemed to be rife with celestial activity. There was the solar eclipse in August, of course, not to mention a variety of meteor showers; but 2017 also saw the end of the Cassini–Huygens mission, the successful launch of 15 (and counting) rockets by SpaceX and the death of astronaut and commander of the space shuttle Challenger Paul Weitz just a few days ago.

The final frontier seems to be front and center lately.

So for Halloween this year, This Week in the Flathead takes a look at some unexplained phenomena in the Flathead Valley and beyond.

What is space like? Are aliens real? What is out there?

What resulted wasn’t any kind of definitive answers, but an interesting collection of stories, photos and fun.

Earthlings have been obsessed with the unknown of other worlds since time began, and it shows in art, film, photos, fiction and all other forms of story-telling, ancient to modern.

Just look at the popularity and huge fan base created by “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” as a modern-era example.

When you look up at the stars, what do you see? What do you dream? What do you imagine?

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what’s “out there” when it comes to the possibility of life on other plants and/or in other dimensions. We are all here, on Earth, right now. The only thing holding us back is our own imaginations.

I hope you enjoy reading about space, time and the unknown. Happy Halloween (and may the Force be with you)!