Most reports turn out to be one of a handful of everyday things seen in an unfamiliar way. Knowing them makes you a sharper observer — and makes the genuine unknowns stand out.
Starlink Satellite Trains
A line of evenly spaced lights gliding silently across the sky — usually a freshly launched batch of SpaceX Starlink satellites.
Venus & the Bright Planets
A brilliant, still point of light low in the sky — most often Venus, the single most-reported 'UFO' in history.
Sky Lanterns
Warm, flickering orange lights drifting silently with the wind — paper hot-air lanterns released at celebrations.
Lens Flares, Bokeh & Camera Artifacts
Shapes that appear only in photos or video — flares, reflections, and out-of-focus dots created inside the camera, not in the sky.
Rocket Launches & Reentries
A glowing spiral, expanding cloud, or streak of fragments — a rocket launch, fuel dump, or object burning up on reentry.
How to Observe & Report Well
A short field method for turning 'I saw something' into a report investigators can actually use.