A sourced index of dated UFO/UAP reports. A primary record confirms that an incident was reported or investigated; it does not confirm an extraordinary cause. Source assessments are attributed, and missing details stay marked as unavailable.
Select a marker for the full record summary, source assessment, unavailable details, and primary references. Dashed halos identify cases whose source names a broad region only.
Source-located case index
14 mapped incident records
3 selected MUFON public cases
Markers are locators for the place or region named in the cited record, not surveyed object coordinates. On small screens, touch targets are spaced apart and connected to their source locators. Exact encounter locations stay unavailable when the source does not provide them. MUFON markers are selected from publicly readable case articles, not an exhaustive MUFON database export; public access and verification detail vary by case. Country boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m, distributed locally through world-atlas.
Case directory
Open a case record
Each summary separates the event record from the issuing agency’s assessment. Open a case for its stated details, data gaps, and original source document. MUFON entries are selected public case articles, not a complete MUFON case listing; access and published verification detail vary.
A declassified U.S. Defense Attaché message records four citizen calls to the Iranian Air Force command post about objects or lights in the sky over Shemiran, followed by an F-4 dispatch to investigate. This catalog reports what the cable says; it does not independently verify each account.
Source assessment: The cited dispatch documents a reported event and response. It does not establish the object’s identity or determine an extraordinary cause.
An infrared sensor aboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft recorded two objects. The video appeared to show a split and movement into and out of the water; AARO’s reconstruction instead found two nearby objects traveling in a straight line at wind speed, without entering the water.
Source assessment: AARO assessed with high confidence that the objects showed no anomalous speeds or flight behavior, and with moderate confidence that they were a pair of sky lanterns.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot recorded an object with a Forward Looking Infrared sensor. The video looked as if the object was moving quickly near the ocean surface; AARO’s analysis placed it at about 13,000 feet.
Source assessment: AARO could not definitively identify the object. It assessed with high confidence that the object did not show anomalous performance; its wind-adjusted speed estimate ranged from about 5 to 92 mph.
A satellite image showed six dark triangular shapes that were flagged as a possible navigation risk. AARO compared the image with clearer imagery from the same broad region collected in 2023.
Source assessment: AARO assessed that the shapes were almost certainly static, cone-shaped fishing nets on the ocean surface.
An infrared sensor aboard a force-protection aerostat operating 2,700 feet above the base recorded 17 minutes and 30 seconds of footage of an object that appeared to float above the ground.
Source assessment: AARO assessed with high confidence that the object did not show anomalous behavior and was consistent with a cluster of fully and partially inflated balloons.
A shortwave infrared camera on a U.S. military uncrewed aircraft recorded an object in footage of an Mt. Etna eruption. It appeared to cross the ash plume; the operator initially reported a speed of 345 mph.
Source assessment: AARO assessed with moderate confidence that the object was a balloon and with high confidence that it showed no anomalous performance. AARO attributed the apparent plume crossing and speed to sensor limits, atmospheric turbulence, and optical effects.
Military personnel reported five equidistant lights moving at a relatively constant pace and raised a possible restricted-airspace concern. The recording used an infrared sensor.
Source assessment: AARO assessed that the lights were almost certainly commercial aircraft on known routes, as far as 300 nautical miles from the sensor. It attributed apparent shape changes to sensor vibration and autofocus.
A theater UAV operator reported infrared footage from one of three missions covered by AARO’s Atmospheric Wakes resolution. The report says the footage was submitted because it appeared to show potentially anomalous propulsion.
Source assessment: AARO’s partners assessed the wake as a sensor anomaly. The object remained unidentified, but AARO said it did not display anomalous characteristics and was almost certainly prosaic.
A theater UAV operator reported infrared footage from one of three missions covered by AARO’s Atmospheric Wakes resolution. The report says the footage was submitted because it appeared to show potentially anomalous propulsion.
Source assessment: AARO’s partners assessed the apparent wakes as sensor artifacts. One object was almost certainly a known military aircraft. The second was unidentified and assessed with medium confidence as a small aircraft; camera aberration explained its oblong appearance.
A theater UAV operator reported infrared footage from one of three missions covered by AARO’s Atmospheric Wakes resolution. The report says the footage was submitted because it appeared to show potentially anomalous propulsion.
Source assessment: AARO’s intelligence partners identified the object with high confidence as a specific commercial Airbus A380 traveling on a recognized route. The apparent wake was a sensor artifact.
A military pilot reported four possible objects on radar at about 16,000–18,000 feet. The pilot visually observed one object and captured two electro-optical/infrared images; the aircraft’s video recorder was not working.
Source assessment: AARO found no confirmed anomalous behavior and assessed with moderate confidence that the object was very likely a lighter-than-air object, such as a large commercial lighting balloon.
The public MUFON article reproduces a witness account of photographing two dark disc-shaped objects during an electrical storm. The witness reported that the objects appeared as the photograph was taken and described an unusual sound.
Source assessment: The article identifies the case as investigated by Elaine Wartha Motta with a disposition of Unknown. It publishes the investigator’s photographic analysis and classification, but that source assessment does not independently prove the reported objects or an extraordinary explanation.
The public MUFON article reproduces a witness account of seeing a large, dark triangular object hovering above treetops while walking a dog. The witness reported no sound or visible propulsion and said the object disappeared while they looked for a phone.
Source assessment: The article states “Disposition: Unknown” and discusses conventional possibilities, including a military aircraft, without resolving the report. Those published possibilities and the disposition are source commentary, not proof of a sighting or extraordinary craft.
The public MUFON article reproduces a report from two people driving near Paulista. They described a dark, cylindrical object that appeared stationary, later seemed closer, and disappeared and reappeared during the observation; they also reported unexplained time between the sighting and arrival.
Source assessment: The article says the case was completed with a status of Unknown. That status documents MUFON’s case record and disposition; it does not establish that the reported object, movement, or lost-time account occurred as described.
Inclusion requires a traceable public primary record that documents a dated report or investigated recording and names a place or region. “Verified” describes the source record’s existence and provenance. It does not prove every witness statement, the source’s interpretation, or an extraordinary explanation.
The map uses a named place or broad regional locator from the source. It never encodes a precise encounter coordinate when the public record does not supply one. Each case page labels details that the source leaves unavailable.