UAP Sightings in the 21st Century: Trends and Tech

Decoding the Unknown: What We Know (and Don’t) About UAPs

For centuries, humanity has looked to the skies with wonder and, at times, apprehension, reporting unexplained phenomena. Once commonly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), these mysterious sightings have recently been rebranded as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). This shift in terminology aims to reduce stigma and encourage a more scientific, less sensational approach to studying what appear to be truly enigmatic events. With increasing public interest and growing attention from government bodies and academic institutions, the quest to understand UAPs is gaining serious momentum.

But what exactly do these UAPs look like, and how do they reportedly behave?

The Diverse Forms of UAPs: From Tic-Tacs to Pyramids

Eyewitness accounts and, more recently, advanced sensor data have described a wide array of UAP appearances:

• Tic-Tac Shaped Objects: One of the most famous UAP descriptions comes from the 2004 USS Nimitz carrier strike group incident, where pilots and radar operators observed a white, featureless, oblong object, approximately 45 feet long, resembling a “Tic Tac” candy. Critically, it had no visible wings, engines, control surfaces, or apparent means of propulsion. Reports from this incident highlight debates about its apparent lack of a heat signature and incredible speeds.

• Cubes Inside a Sphere: Between 2014 and 2015, pilots from the USS Theodore Roosevelt off the U.S. East Coast reported objects described as a “dark gray or dark black cube inside of a clear sphere,” estimated to be about 15 to 20 feet in diameter. The accompanying “Gimbal” video from this period showed a rotating object with a glow.

• Spherical Objects / Metallic Orbs: In a July 2019 incident, the crew of the USS Omaha recorded an infrared video of a spherical object flying over the ocean before it appeared to descend and enter the water. More generally, “metallic orbs” have been observed, for instance, by an MQ-9 drone over the Middle East, though in some cases, these have later been assessed as likely commercial aircraft with sensor artifacts.

• Pyramid-Shaped Objects: Also in July 2019, still images and video taken by USS Russell personnel showed multiple pyramid-shaped objects hovering in a swarm-like formation above the ship. It is important to note that the sources do not specify if these perceived pyramid shapes were “right side up” or “upside down”. Skeptical analyses suggest this triangular shape might be a “bokeh effect” artifact from a point light source viewed through triangular night vision optics.

• Other General Descriptions: Many reports also describe UAPs as lights zipping across the sky, changing direction in maneuvers that seem to defy the laws of physics. Other accounts mention huge shapes that move silently overhead or strange objects that suddenly explode. UAPs are often described as having a “blurry dot” appearance due to factors like parallax, image resolution, or video quality, making sharp images difficult to capture. They are commonly ascribed simple geometric shapes such as spheres, discs, cubes, triangles, or cylinders, often noted to be without visible wings, jets, rotors, or propellers.

Anomalous Behaviors: The Five Observables

Beyond their varied appearances, UAPs are characterized by a set of “Five Observables” (now sometimes expanded to six factors) that reportedly set them apart from known aircraft and phenomena. These include:

1. Sudden and instantaneous acceleration: Objects reportedly go from a complete stop to incredible speeds, far beyond conventional aircraft capabilities.

2. Hypersonic velocity without a sonic boom: They move at extremely high speeds without producing the expected sound barrier breaking effect.

3. Low observability: Despite their presence, they are difficult to detect or track, often appearing opaque or blurry to the naked eye.

4. Transmedium travel: The ability to seamlessly transition between air, space, and water. For example, the “Puerto Rico case” initially appeared to show an object splitting into two and entering/exiting water, though a later assessment suggested it was likely balloons or sky lanterns and what looked like transmedium travel was a thermal crossover effect.

5. Positive lift without visible control surfaces or propulsion: They maintain flight without apparent wings, jets, rotors, or propellers.

6. Biological effects: In some cases, witnesses have reported physical effects such as radiation burns or perceived time suspension.

While these characteristics are frequently reported, some skeptical analyses propose more prosaic explanations for these perceived “anomalous” behaviors, such as distant aircraft, lens flare, parallax effect from camera movement, or optical illusions. For instance, the “GoFast” video, which appears to show a fast-moving object close to the water, was assessed by AARO as being at a much higher altitude, with its apparent speed being an illusion caused by parallax.

The Ongoing Quest for Understanding

The challenges in understanding UAPs are significant. Historically, the subject was stigmatized, leading to a lack of robust evidence and reliance on subjective eyewitness accounts. Human perception itself is an “uncalibrated sensor” prone to error, and many sightings are misidentified commonplace objects like lens flares, the Moon, the International Space Station, sky lanterns, space debris, military flares, or even commercial aircraft. The broad definition of UAP, encompassing anything unidentified, can create a “junk drawer” of varied phenomena.

However, there’s a growing push for scientific rigor. The U.S. government, through entities like the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), is now working to formally investigate these phenomena, often relying on multi-sensor data from advanced radar, infrared imaging, and satellite surveillance. Organizations like Harvard’s Galileo Project and NASA’s UAP Independent Study Team are also contributing, emphasizing the need for calibrated, reproducible data collection and leveraging technologies like AI and machine learning to sift through vast datasets and identify true anomalies.

A key objective is to reduce the stigma associated with reporting UAPs, encouraging pilots, military personnel, and even civilians to come forward with observations without fear of ridicule. This push for transparency, even involving congressional hearings, aims to move UAP studies from the realm of speculation to a domain of rigorous scientific inquiry.

While the exact nature and origin of UAPs remain largely unknown, the commitment to open, data-driven investigation marks a significant step forward in understanding these anomalous phenomena in our skies.