The Midwest is used to hearing flyover jokes, but when it comes to unidentified flying objects in the sky, we really seem to be missing out.

Driving the news: Enigma Labs is a startup that developed an app where users can upload videos of odd sightings in the sky to share with others.

• While the West and Southwest are hotbeds of strange activity, the Midwest has some of the fewest reports per capita, Alejandro Rojas, a UFO researcher, tells Axios.

How it works: An AI program on Enigma Labs app generates a score to help determine whether an uploaded user video captures something truly unidentifiable or just a plane, satellite or other known object.

• Because the government typically doesn't have enough data to study these anomalies, the app's goal is to crowdsource as much information as possible, Rojas says.

Zoom in: Since the app started in 2023, Iowa users have submitted 118 sightings.

• One example that intrigued Rojas was a cell phone video from Sioux City showing white orbs in the sky after the user heard an airplane and looked up.
• While such orbs are typically helium balloons, this orb appeared stationary, despite tree branches blowing in the wind in the background, Rojas says.

Catch up quick: Most people know the term "UFO," but the current term coined by the government is "UAP," an unidentified aerial phenomenon.

• With popular media like "The X-Files," the general public started associating "UFOs" with aliens, but Rojas says experts prefer a neutral approach, recognizing that these objects are simply unidentified — not necessarily extraterrestrial.

Between the lines: Iowa and other Midwestern states may report fewer UAPs due to fewer sunny days and colder temperatures that keep people indoors, Rojas says.

• Other parts of the country also have more military activity, which could be prompting more aerial sightings.

What we're watching: The majority of the time, objects are in fact explainable. Misidentifications have increased lately because Space X rockets have been adding satellites, he says.

• But he's heartened that both NASA and Congress are taking UAP sightings more seriously in recent years and sharing their own reports.

The big picture: It doesn't matter whether or not you believe in extraterrestrial beings, Rojas argues.

• What's important is documenting unidentifiable objects in the sky and researching what they could be — not just to satisfy curiosity, but also for airspace security, he says.

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Trellis Café permanently closes tomorrow with the retirement of chef Lisa LaValle.

Catch up fast: The restaurant has been located at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden for more than a decade.

• The plant-inspired menu focuses on seasonal and locally sourced eats.

Driving the news: "Flora" is opening at Trellis' spot in December by chef Suman Hoque and his wife, Cynthia Hoque.

• They also own HoQ, a farm-to-table restaurant in the East Village, and their new restaurant will feature a similar concept.

Dig in: Trellis's last days are 11am-2pm through tomorrow.

• 909 Robert D. Ray Drive in DSM.

Friday

📚 Be your introverted self during Silent Book Club at The Slowdown Coffee Co. | 6-8pm | Free!

🌝 Visit the Jester Park Nature Center after dark for a Halloween-themed event. | 6-7:30pm | Free!

Saturday

🤘 Don your best tunics — Uptown Garage Brewing in Ankeny is hosting a viking market. | 11am-5pm | Free!

🍭 Trick-or-treat at the Ankeny Hy-Vee off SW State Street. | 10am-1pm | Free!

Sunday

💀 Celebrate Día de Los Muertos at the Des Moines Art Center. The family-friendly event includes arts activities, a Catrina costume contest and an altar designed by local young artists. | 11am-3pm | Free!

🎃 Valley Junction is hosting a family-friendly pumpkin walk with gourds to take home. | 2-5pm | Free!

👻 Valley West Mall is hosting "Mall-O-Ween." Dress your kids up in costumes and find treats. | 3-5pm | Free!

If you're looking for Beggars' Night jokes for Oct. 30, here are some local colloquialisms. (Note: We are journalists, not comedians!!)

🐮 What makes the butter cow a good judge? It's always the fairest of them all.

👀 What's big, sad and empty inside and it's not your mom? Zora.

🦇 Why was the bat afraid to go to bed? He was scared Ozzy Osbourne was underneath, ready to bite off his head!