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Updated: October 12, 2025
Think you’ve seen a UFO? Please read through this checklist first and look for other explanations. Even some of the most dedicated UFO researchers have never seen one in person.
🎈 Balloon
Look for:
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Object visible in daylight
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Seems to drift, move slowly, or hover
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May appear to change shape
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May appear to be blinking or flashing
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No rapid acceleration without cause (such as wind)
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Silent
Probable explanation: Mylar balloons in particular are extremely reflective and often oddly shaped. They often rotate in the air, so they look as if they are “shifting shape.” Another common characteristic is the object growing dim and then bright as it rotates and reflects the light.
🚁 Drone
Look for:
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Object moves erratically, but appears to “swing” through a direction change
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Object may hover
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Flashing or steady lights of various colors
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Changing colors
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Produces whirring or buzzing noise at close range
Probable explanation: Drones are becoming increasingly common, and it can be extremely difficult to determine scale, especially at night (this is why the moon appears much larger when it is close to the horizon).
✈ Plane
Look for:
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Seen at night
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Object appears to the naked eye to fly only in a straight line
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Has at least one light that blinks on a regular occasion, usually spaced a second or two apart
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Object moves slowly
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A deep roar may be heard
Probable explanation: If a plane is coming towards or going away from you, it may appear to be barely moving at all. Even from great distances, some noise is usually evident.
🛰 Satellite
Look for:
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Seen at night
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Object is dim, but may occasionally seem to slowly brighten and then fade
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Object moves in a straight line and never turns, even on video
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No sound
Probable explanation: The sky is filled with thousands of satellites zooming in every possible direction. Some may be visible to the naked eye under certain conditions.
🪐 Planets (Mars, Venus, etc.)
Look for:
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Object is visible at dusk or dark
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Does not move at all in relation to other celestial objects
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Object may have some color, but it doesn’t change
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Object appears to twinkle
Probable explanation: At certain times, planets in our solar system can be quite bright and easily visible to the naked eye.
🏮 Chinese Lanterns
Look for:
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Object seen at night
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Multiple objects visible
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Objects appear to be slowly ascending or drifting
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Objects appear to flicker
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Direction does not suddenly change
Probable explanation: Sounds ludicrous, but check some videos out on YouTube. They’re surprisingly common and very deceptive if you’ve never seen them.
🐦 Birds
Look for:
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Multiple objects may be visible
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Objects appear to be steadily lit
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Objects may suddenly change direction, but usually don’t
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Objects drift erratically in relation to each other, but often going the same direction
Probable explanation: At night, birds can be lit up from below, particularly over cities.
☄ Meteor
Look for:
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Object may move at “impossible” or very high speeds
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Travels only in a straight line
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Leaves a trail behind it, often of varying shape
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Object may split apart
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Appears to get much brighter, then gradually dims
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Object is often witnessed or photographed by multiple people
Probable explanation: The trail is often the best giveaway, although some may be shorter than others.
🪂 Parachute Skydivers with Flares
Look for:
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Object(s) seen at night or dusk
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One or multiple are seen as a point of light
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They either stay the same position relative to each other or they move relative to each other
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3 of them can appear as a triangle which can rotate in the sky and change into different sized triangles
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Object(s) when observed long enough are always going in a downward direction
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Object(s) eventually always disappear at the horizon ground level.
Probable explanation: These are often spotted at events or occasions, such as the 4th of July (in the USA).
📸 Lens Flare / Reflection
Look for:
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Object only shows up on camera
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Very bright light, seen adjacent to light source in photo
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Not visible to naked eye
Probable explanation: The optics of the camera lenses can cause internal reflections. Interior lights can also reflect off of a window if the image is taken through a window.
🚀 Missile or Rocket Launch
Look for:
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Visible at night/dusk
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Object appears as a blue or white luminescent mist or cloud
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Mist appears to be emanating from a distant, high-altitude object
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Mist may form spirals or bizarre patterns in the sky
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It reaches immense sizes
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It fades over an hour or two
Probable explanation: The exhaust from rockets can appear fluorescent or luminescent at high altitudes where the sun’s light reflects off of it. Due to the altitude, the trails can catch sunlight even if it is dark where the trails are observed.
🛸 UFO / UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon)
Look for:
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Moves at “impossible” speeds
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Silent, or slight buzzing at very close range
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Changes direction as if it is bouncing, like a pinball
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May suddenly disappear or appear somewhere else
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Object may be seen to enter or leave water
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Object lands somewhere other than an airport and is seen to take off again
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Moves and stops and/or changes direction with precision
Probable explanation: If the object meets at least three of these criteria, you’ve seen something worth reporting. Note the date and time you saw it, and if possible mark your location on a map and note the direction you were facing (if your phone has a compass app, open it and take a screenshot!).
The following are Daytime and Nightime IFO (Identified Flying Object) Candidates from the book "UFO Study" by Jenny Randles (pages 79-80)
Common Identified Flying Objects
Last updated: 10 October 2025
Our experience investigating cases has taught us that the majority of the objects reported to us are identifiable – IFOs, not UFOs. A second category of low strangeness object might be identifiable, but we just don’t have enough reliable information to make that identification.
While we don’t take the position that all reports could be identified if there was enough information, it would be helpful to everyone if the types of commonly reported but identified objects were more widely known, so that at least some of the time, members of the public can solve their own case. Towards that purpose, we here present a list of these objects and anomalies, with many examples from our own case files.
Last updated: 10 October 2025
Our experience investigating cases has taught us that the majority of the objects reported to us are identifiable – IFOs, not UFOs. A second category of low strangeness object might be identifiable, but we just don’t have enough reliable information to make that identification.
While we don’t take the position that all reports could be identified if there was enough information, it would be helpful to everyone if the types of commonly reported but identified objects were more widely known, so that at least some of the time, members of the public can solve their own case. Towards that purpose, we here present a list of these objects and anomalies, with many examples from our own case files.
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