Floating objects, flickering lights: What Pentagon's newly-released UFO files reveal
What's the story
The Pentagon has released a trove of previously classified documents related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs. The release comes after former President Barack Obama's comments on the existence of aliens. In a February interview, he said aliens are "real, but I haven't seen them." The files include decades' worth of declassified military memos, reports from Apollo Moon missions, and accounts from individuals who claim to have witnessed a UFO they suspect is extraterrestrial in origin.
Astronaut sightings
Buzz Aldrin's Moon mission UFO sighting
Among the released documents are previously classified transcripts from astronauts on the Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 17 Moon landing missions in the '60s and '70s. Buzz Aldrin, a renowned astronaut from the Apollo 11 mission, said he witnessed several unexplained phenomena during his trip to the Moon. "I observed what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser," he said in an interview published on Friday.
Additional sightings
Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 reports
Apollo 12 Astronaut Alan Bean also reported seeing particles and flashes of light "sailing off in space" during his mission. He said the particles looked like they were "escaping the Moon." Two astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 also saw a flashing light while on board. "It's like the Fourth of July out there!" astronaut Jack Schmitt said, noting that it could have been reflections off pieces of ice.
Spaceflight communication
Astronaut Frank Boman's report from Gemini flight
An audio recording from the 1965 Gemini 7 spaceflight also features astronaut Frank Boman communicating with ground support. He reports seeing an unidentified object to NASA mission control, describing a "bogey" and "trillions of little particles" seen to the left of the spaceship. This further adds to the mystery of unexplained phenomena witnessed by astronauts during their missions.
Anomalous sightings
UFO sightings in the US
The released files also include multiple reports of sightings of UAP. One file details a man's 1957 interview with the FBI, where he claimed to have seen a large, circular vehicle rising off the ground. There are also interviews from September and October 2023 in which US citizens report seeing hovering metal objects materializing out of bright light.
Military sightings
UFOs spotted in the Middle East
The files also include video clips taken by the US military from the Middle East in 2022. Footage from Iraq, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates shows what the Pentagon's website calls "unresolved unidentified anomalous phenomenon." One clip, taken in an undisclosed location in the Middle East, shows an oval-shaped object streaking left to right, which was flagged as a "possible missile" in an accompanying report.
Statement
What lawmakers say about the latest releases
Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, who has long pushed for greater UFO transparency, welcomed the Pentagon files release, calling it a "great start" in a post on X. Republican Congressman Anna Paulina Luna also supported the disclosure, describing it as "a massive first step in the right direction." However, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed the release as a distraction from issues like affordability and the Iran war, saying, "I'm so sick of the 'look at the shiny object' propaganda."