UFO craft over desert landscape at dusk
37.2431° N   115.7930° W
ALT: UNKNOWN   VEL: UNKNOWN
AI-generated imagery
DATA UPDATED DAILY

UFO Data Live

U.S. UAP SIGHTING TRACKER & DISCLOSURE MONITOR

The facts are extraordinary enough.

122,983 U.S. sightings on record
2,100+ Pentagon AARO cases reviewed
3,000+ Reports filed in 2025
Explore the map → Disclosure timeline
Interactive data

Sightings across the United States

Individual reports plotted at exact coordinates — zoom in to explore, click any marker for details

Loading sightings... Source: NUFORC historical geocoded reports
View full screen map →
Shape key: Light/Orb Triangle Disc/Circle Cigar Other
On the record

What they've said — in their own words

There are objects in the skies that we don't know exactly what they are. We can't explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern.

Barack Obama — 44th President of the United States, 2021
Speaking after access to the world's highest security clearances

The United States government has recovered non-human biologics from UAP crash sites.

David Grusch — Former Intelligence Official, Congressional Testimony, 2023
Sworn testimony under oath before the U.S. Congress

We have confirmed that the reported UAP in the videos are real — they remain characterized as unidentified.

Department of Defense — Official Statement, 2020
Official Pentagon release confirming classified Navy footage
History

The government disclosure timeline

1947
Roswell Incident & Project Sign
A recovered object near Roswell, New Mexico triggers the first official government UFO investigations. The Air Force's initial press release claims recovery of a "flying disc" before reversing to "weather balloon."
1969
Project Blue Book Closes
The Air Force officially terminates Project Blue Book, its public UFO investigation program, after 17 years. 701 cases remain officially "unidentified."
2004
USS Nimitz Encounter
Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz encounter a white Tic-Tac shaped object off the California coast. Incident is classified for 13 years.
2017
New York Times AATIP Revelation
The New York Times reveals the secret Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and publishes the first declassified Navy UFO footage.
2019
Pentagon Confirms Navy UAP Videos
The Department of Defense officially confirms three Navy videos — FLIR1, Gimbal, and GoFast — are authentic and remain unidentified.
2021
Obama Speaks Publicly; DNI Report Released
Former President Barack Obama discusses UAPs on national television. The Director of National Intelligence releases the first public UAP report.
2022
First Public Congressional UAP Hearing in 50 Years
The House Intelligence subcommittee holds the first public UAP hearing since 1969. Senior Pentagon officials testify before Congress.
2023
Whistleblower Grusch Congressional Testimony
Former intelligence official David Grusch testifies under oath that the U.S. has recovered non-human biologics and craft. Three current and former military and intelligence officers corroborate his claims.
2024
NASA UAP Independent Study
NASA releases its independent UAP study report, calling for more rigorous data collection and scientific analysis of aerial anomalies.
2026 — CURRENT
Trump Declassification Directive — Active
The Trump administration issues a directive ordering the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies to identify and release UAP-related files within 90 days. Congressional pressure and whistleblower testimony cited as driving factors.
View full timeline →
Pentagon data

Pentagon AARO tracker

All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office — established July 2022

2,100+
Cases under AARO review
~800
Remain unexplained
171
New cases added in 2023
Feb 2026
Declassification order issued

Data reflects publicly available AARO reporting. Classified case totals may differ. Source: U.S. Department of Defense.

Documented incidents

Notable UAP cases

November 14, 2004 — Declassified 2017

USS Nimitz Tic-Tac Encounter

Officially Confirmed

Commander David Fravor and Lt. Cmdr. Jim Slaight encountered a white Tic-Tac shaped object displaying extraordinary maneuverability off the California coast. No wings, no exhaust, no heat signature. Instantaneous acceleration. DoD confirmed FLIR footage authentic in 2019.

Full case details →
March 13, 1997

Phoenix Lights

Mass Witness Event

A massive V-shaped craft, estimated at nearly a mile wide, moved silently over Phoenix and the entire state of Arizona between 8pm and 10pm. Thousands of witnesses. Governor Fife Symington later admitted he was among them. No official explanation has been accepted.

Full case details →
December 26–28, 1980

Rendlesham Forest

Military Witnesses

USAF personnel stationed at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge in the UK reported a metallic triangular craft landing in Rendlesham Forest. Radiation readings were taken at landing marks. Lt. Col. Charles Halt filed an official memo. UK government later released related files.

Full case details →
July 2019 — Declassified 2021

USS Omaha

Pentagon Confirmed

Multiple unidentified craft were tracked by radar and FLIR camera aboard USS Omaha. One object appeared to enter the ocean. Footage declassified 2021 and confirmed authentic by the Pentagon. Part of a broader pattern of USN encounters in the 2019 period.

Full case details →
View all documented cases →
Witness reports

What witnesses report seeing — by shape

Based on 122,983 categorized U.S. sighting reports.

Orb / Light
38%
The most commonly reported shape. Typically described as a bright, self-luminous sphere with no visible structure. Often white, orange, or red. Reported at all altitudes.
Explore orb sightings →
Triangle
16%
Large, silent triangular craft with lights at each corner. Hudson Valley wave of the 1980s and the Belgium UFO wave 1989–90 feature prominently. Often associated with TR-3B speculation.
Explore triangle sightings →
Disc / Saucer
14%
The classic flying saucer. Dome-topped disc shape, often metallic. Closely associated with the Roswell incident and the Kenneth Arnold 1947 sighting that popularized the term "flying saucer."
Explore disc sightings →
Cigar / Cylinder
8%
Elongated cylindrical or cigar-shaped objects, often reported at high altitude. Typically described as metallic, with no visible wings or propulsion systems.
Rectangle
5%
Square or rectangular objects reported at relatively low altitude. Increased reporting since 2019, possibly related to drone proliferation, though many cases remain unresolved.
Unknown / Other
19%
Reports that do not fit standard shape categories. Includes amorphous, morphing, or rapidly changing objects, as well as reports where insufficient detail was provided by witnesses.
Full shapes analysis →
Latest coverage

Latest UAP news

Trump administration sets 90-day deadline for UAP file release
Reuters — March 21, 2026
Senate Armed Services Committee schedules second UAP hearing for April
The Hill — March 18, 2026
Wisconsin witnesses report multiple lights — NUFORC confirms 40+ reports
AP — March 15, 2026
NASA expands UAP research team amid congressional pressure
Washington Post — March 12, 2026
Former intelligence officials push for full AARO transcript release
Politico — March 8, 2026
New UAP sighting cluster reported near Vandenberg Space Force Base
LA Times — March 5, 2026
Pentagon confirms 171 new UAP cases added to AARO database in 2023
Defense One — February 28, 2026
Declassified files expected to include radar data from multiple military installations
New York Times — February 22, 2026
View all UAP news →
Worldwide data

Global sighting overview

The United States leads globally in documented sightings — largely due to more active civilian reporting infrastructure.

United States
122,983
Canada
~14,000
United Kingdom
~10,000
Australia
~8,500
Brazil
~6,200
Germany
~4,800
France
~4,200
50+ countries
tracked →
Questions

Frequently asked questions

UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) has been in common use since the 1940s. UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon) became the official U.S. government term around 2019, adopted to reduce the stigma associated with UFO and to broaden the scope to include underwater and near-space phenomena. Both terms are used interchangeably on this site.
No. UFO Data Live is an independent resource. Our data draws from peer-reviewed academic research, official government testimony, and publicly released documents. We are not affiliated with NUFORC, MUFON, or any government agency.
AARO stands for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. It is the Pentagon office established in July 2022 to detect, identify, and attribute unidentified anomalous phenomena. AARO reports to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence.
The 122,983 figure is drawn from peer-reviewed academic research geocoding historical NUFORC reports. This represents reported sightings, not verified or unexplained encounters. Reporting rates vary significantly by state population, awareness, and local media attention. The data is the most comprehensive public dataset available but should be understood as a snapshot of what was reported, not necessarily what occurred.
In February 2026, the Trump administration issued a directive ordering the Department of Defense and relevant agencies to identify and release UAP-related files within 90 days. This follows years of congressional pressure, whistleblower testimony from figures such as David Grusch, and the establishment of AARO in 2022.
In November 2004, pilots from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group — including Commander David Fravor — encountered a white Tic-Tac shaped object off the California coast. The object demonstrated extraordinary capabilities: no wings, no exhaust, no heat signature, and instantaneous acceleration. The incident was classified for 13 years. The DoD confirmed the associated FLIR footage as authentic in 2019. It remains among the most credibly documented UAP encounters on record.

Witnessed something unexplained?

Reporting your sighting helps researchers and investigators build a more complete picture. Both NUFORC and MUFON are independent civilian organizations that take reports seriously.

Report to NUFORC → Report to MUFON →

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