Do you believe in aliens? If so, then you're definitely not alone. "Just under half of Americans believe UFOs exist and have visited the Earth," according to an Ipsos poll. However, whether or not you think that there are other beings living somewhere in our vast universe, the fact is that UFOs are real. No, we don't mean that there are necessarily flying saucers darting around the night sky while being piloted by little green creatures. The simple fact is that sometimes people see things that can't be explained. That's why we use the term UFO, as in unidentified flying objects.
Indeed, you might be surprised to find out just how many people have spotted something that they can't quite name other than to call it a UFO. Granted, some reports are more believable than others, some are downright weird, and some might make you wonder if there really are aliens visiting us here on Earth. For instance, check out these intriguing stories from the National UFO Reporting Center.
Three black UFOs fly over a mother and her six children in Washington State.
In La Crosse, Washington, a woman was driving with her six children on a cut-off road, north of Snake River, when the kids noticed bright lights above a wheat field. The objects at first glance were believed to be the lights of an oncoming truck; however, as the lights approached, the woman reported that she “saw three coal black, delta-shaped craft, with articulating structures on their noses, from which the blinding lights were radiating … [and] appeared to be scanning the ground ahead of them,” according to the National UFO Reporting Center. Aliens? Maybe. Strange? Definitely!
Tennessee citizens report a UFO sighting followed by an explosion.
In January 1995, citizens of McMinnville, Tennessee, witnessed strange blue, green, and red lights in the sky that “descended slowly and almost vertically to earth.” According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the local 911 center was flooded with calls about the lights in which “one or both of the two green ‘clusters’ of lights ‘exploded into fragments’ … [and] an intense white flash occurred which was bright enough to be blinding.” Seeing a UFO is one thing. Seeing one possibly explode is another!
Commercial planes near Long Island report a strange object flying above them.
In November 1995, two commercial airplanes reported an object with a “big bright white light on the front, and a greenish tail coming out the back” that was flying right above them, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. After witnessing the phenomenon, the pilots both confirmed with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) that there was "nothing [authorized] flying in the area," leaving the object they saw a mystery.
Thousands witness a large object hovering over Arizona.
In Arizona, back in March 1997, “thousands” witnessed a large object with a “very large cluster of lights, which formed a 'V' shape in the sky.” According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the object “glided” without sound about 1,000 feet in the air. The UFO was later allegedly "intercepted" by US Air Force fighter aircraft from Luke Air Force Base. We wonder what they thought of what they found.
Thousands report 'bizarre cluster of lights' moving across the Pacific Northwest.
On November 14, 1997, thousands of people reported a “bizarre cluster of lights” moving with large streaks of light following behind it across the Washington state skyline. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, one witness stated that it “looked like a huge bottle rocket moving slowly across the sky." While that certainly sounds intriguing, some believe that what people actually saw was “space junk” from a Russian spacecraft.
An unidentified ball of light streaks over Washington state.
Multiple witnesses reported seeing a “blue-green ball of light” in the shape of a disc flying over Washington state in April of 1998, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. The object which “pass[ed] slowly over the center of Bangor Submarine Base,” apparently changed the direction of its flight several times, as well as its color, and reportedly “execute[d] a rolling maneuver on at least one occasion.” Impressive!
Forestry workers report a UFO allegedly abducting an elk.
On February 25, 1999, several forestry workers in Washington state reported that a disc-shaped object was following a herd of elk that was in the vicinity. According to witness statements taken on behalf of the National UFO Reporting Center, the object was supposedly flying with a slight “wobble” when it “quickly moved directly above the lone elk” that had separated itself from a “bolting” herd and “seemed to lift it off the ground.” With the elk “suspended” below it, the object made a turn to leave, “brush[ing] the tops of nearby trees.”
A radar patrol officer in Missouri sees a disc-shaped UFO.
On the night of January 26, 2002, a Missouri radar patrol officer allegedly spotted a “circular object traveling southbound approximately 400 feet in altitude and no more than 30 MPH,” according to the National UFO Reporting Center. The officer reported that the UFO was about “50 feet in diameter and white or a ‘shiny’ color which reflected light from below,” and when he pointed a “hand-held radar at the object [he] did not receive a reading.” So was it real, an illusion, or able to mask its info?
Maryland residents witness F-16 fighter jets investigating a UFO.
In the early hours of July 26, 2002, some residents of Maryland were reportedly abruptly woken up by the sound of multiple aircraft taking off from the Andrews Air Force Base. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, two F-16 fighter jets were sent out to investigate an “unknown aircraft,” which one witness described as a large “pale blue-ish light.” After some time, the F-16s returned when the “unidentified aircraft's track subsequently faded from the radar.”
Pilot flying over Nebraska reports four UFOs flying in front of him.
On March 25, 2004, a Minneapolis air traffic controller received a report about “two flights of two aircraft” flying around 15 miles in front of an airliner over Nebraska. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the air traffic controller reported that the pilot said “UFO's stayed out in front of his aircraft for approximately 15 minutes until … the UFO's were so far out in front of him that he could hardly see them anymore.”
An unidentified 'clump of fog' is spotted in Alaska.
In southern Alaska, on March 28, 1995, a driver was surprised by a “clump of fog” that floated in front of their vehicle while on the way home from work. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the unidentified fog circled the “car six times, stopping just above and ahead of the car's front, right fender after its sixth (presumed) orbit.” Another sighting of a fog-like object allegedly took place in “Florence, OR, [where it] was reported to hover over that coastal town for 10 minutes.”
Multiple (sparking) UFO sightings across the US happen in one night.
On March 15, 1995, multiple US states — including Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, and Virginia as well as Washington, DC — reported seeing a “bizarre blue-green, egg-shaped object” cross the sky. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the UFO was seen hovering with flashing blue, green, and yellow lights. Some reports even claimed that there was a “cloud of sparks” around the object before it disappeared. We've heard of glowing UFOs, but now there are sparking UFOs?!
5-year-old boy sees a silver flying 'school bus.'
A 5-year-old boy from Sacramento, California, told his mother that he witnessed a flying bus-like object above his school playground back in June 1960. The UFO sighting wasn't reported until decades later by the boy’s twin sister, who said that he described the object as having “lights all around the middle part and could see ‘people’ looking out the ‘windows’ at him.” He added that the beings had "very large black eyes and were all silver,” according to the National UFO Reporting Center.
UFO spotted the day after a couple’s dog had a bizarre experience.
In Alaska, after hearing a strange “warbling” sound, a couple noticed that their dog was acting strangely and suddenly fell over into an “apparent catatonic-like state.” And that wasn’t the only strange occurrence, as the following evening, the woman noticed “three balls of orange light streak across their front yard, an event that was visible for only 3-5 seconds,” according to the National UFO Reporting Center.
Balls of light in the sky were chased off by another UFO.
Several witnesses reported seeing eight “large orange balls of light” that appeared in parallel formation in New Hampshire on December 11, 2013. According to an eyewitness account of the event collected by the National UFO Reporting Center, the orange lights appeared “one by one” but “vanished” when an approaching light “shot across the sky alone towards the formation.” Was the second light friendly, or did it chase off the first UFO?
Witnesses see 10 bright objects in Oklahoma.
In December of 2013, an Oklahoma woman was driving with her son when she spotted a “round and divided up” bright orange light in the foggy sky. After continuing to drive, she noticed that there were around 10 of the “prominent”-shaped objects that appeared motionless in the sky in front of her, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. One UFO is enough — 10 is surely way too many!
Man sees a UFO approach a flock of birds.
In Simi Valley, California, a man reported to the National UFO Reporting Center that he saw a flock of geese scatter and become “erratic” after being approached by an unidentified flying “white sphere.” The man noted that the sphere seemed to move with the geese until it eventually “disappeared” along with the flock after just a short time.
An ember orb was spotted in Florida.
In November of 2013, a family witnessed a “glowing pulsating ball of ember in the sky" outside of their Florida home. The father reported to the National UFO Reporting Center that just before seeing the object, the family “noticed the sky darken within the [matter] of seconds.” He also reported that the orange orb vanished in the tree line and seemed “so close it looked as if you could touch but so far that all you could see was the shape.”
'Fireball' witnessed across the United States and beyond.
During the month of November 2013, residents in multiple areas — from Florida to California as well as Alaska and even British Columbia, Canada — reported seeing red and orange “fireballs” appear in the sky. Some witnesses claimed that as few as three of the “red orbs” had shown up, while others said there were as many as 30, with a few even stating that the UFOs “float[ed] overhead” for around 30 minutes before disappearing, according to the National UFO Reporting Center.
Aviation specialist reports a V-shaped UFO.
Near his home in Turlock, California, an aviation specialist saw a "'V' shaped UFO with 15 whitish-yellow lights” that “traveled in a straight line and was observed from approximately 35 degrees above the horizon.” According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the man reported that the “object made no sound … [and] had no standard navigation lights or strobes.” That surely stumped the aviation specialist!
Woman spots 'cylindric' object hovering over trees in Virginia.
After driving her husband to an airport in Richmond, Virginia, a woman noticed a round cylinder-shaped object flying by the side of the interstate. According to the National UFO Reporting Center, the woman reported that the object halted its flight, shone a bright light down toward the ground, then continued “hovering over the trees but there was no sound and the trees did not move.” Very, very weird!
A railroad worker reports a flash of light around his vehicle.
In North Dakota, a railroad worker was investigating a “trouble call” about several power shortages down the tracks when he noticed a “flash of light” coming at him “at a high speed,” according to his report to the National UFO Reporting Center. After he came to an abrupt stop, a blue-lighted object hovered around his vehicle for “several minutes” before heading off. The power to the train tracks apparently returned soon after the UFO departed.
Crop circles appear in Washington.
A mysterious formation of crop circles popped up in Wilbur, Washington, back in 2012, which is the same area as previously recorded occurrences from 2007 and 2009, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. Several pictures of the phenomenon show three conjoined circles in a wheat field with a triangle in the middle and accented with three more seemingly expertly placed circles. The origin of the mysterious circles was allegedly unknown.
Former US Marine sees a large object with a triangle of lights.
At his home in Illinois, a former Marine noticed an aircraft with "three large triangles of lights" rise "from a nearby field." According to a report given to the National UFO Reporting Center, the man said that at first glance, he "thought it was a helicopter." However, he added, "I never heard any rotor blades." As the UFO got closer, he described the body of the craft as a "long metallic tube" with a red triangle of lights flanked by two white triangles of lights.
Octagonally shaped UFO flies over a vehicle in Texas.
On December 20, 2012, a Texas woman and her son were driving on the interstate when they both noticed a “very bright flashing light” in the distance. However, in an instant, the UFO appeared just about 400 meters above their vehicle, where she described the object as “a building floating in the sky … shaped like an octagon with flashing lights on all sides,” according to the National UFO Reporting Center. Frightened, the woman sped away to distance herself from the UFO. Wouldn't you?
Unidentified intense green ball of light reportedly causes burns to a flight crew.
While making its descent over the northwestern United States, a crew member working on a commercial flight reported that an intense ball of green light flew toward their aircraft at a “very rapid velocity.” After the brief occurrence, the cockpit crew “began to experience [a] sensation on their faces, as if they had been ‘burnt by the sun,’” which forced them to alter the altitude of the flight, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. The next day, one crew member reported that his face was “red and sore.” Ouch!
UFO is spotted allegedly trying to 'cloak itself.'
While a man was in his vehicle backing out of his Illinois home, he noticed a strange object swaying back and forth from the driver’s-side window. According to his report to the National UFO Reporting Center, he stepped out of his vehicle and saw a “flying saucer” that “looked tan or light brown and had little red dots on it.” However, as the UFO approached him, he claimed that it started to “disappear” as if it were trying to “cloak itself.”
Students at a military school notice a disc-shaped UFO.
Back in 1950, nine students at the Fishburne Military School in Virginia witnessed a “silver (metallic) saucer-shaped craft” flying just a half mile away from them, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. The “saucer” silently circled a nearby DuPont facility twice, then “turned on its side at a 90-degree angle and shot over the mountain at a tremendous speed.”
Four hunters spot a UFO in Idaho.
While on an annual hunting trip in Idaho, four men reported seeing a huge UFO in the night sky, according to the National UFO Reporting Center. Moments before the sighting, one man stated that he felt uneasy, "like a thick blanket [was] suspended overhead." When he shone his flashlight above him, he noticed “the bottom of a huge, silent, unlighted triangular-shaped object, that was sitting motionless in the sky.” The UFO apparently moved slowly and smoothly up toward a nearby mountain, “like a hockey puck gliding over ice.”
A police officer spots a large 'triangular' craft in Illinois.
On January 5, 2000, Officer Thomas "Ed" Barton reported seeing "two extremely bright white lights suspended in the sky." According to the claim that was submitted to the National UFO Reporting Center, the lights quickly headed toward him and "merge[d] into one" while "the illumination [from] the object was radiating." The lights supposedly came from a triangular UFO that "suddenly accelerated quite dramatically … covering approximately 8 miles … in approximately 3 seconds," according to the officer. Weird lights, a strange craft, and super-fast movements? Sounds like a UFO to us!
