How to Report a UFO Sighting
What to record, where to report it, and how to rule out satellites, drones and aircraft before you submit a UFO or UAP sighting.
While it is still in the sky
Your first few minutes matter more than anything you write later. Note the time, keep watching, and film against something fixed like a roofline or tree so the movement can be measured afterwards.
- Note the exact time and when it started and stopped.
- Film in landscape and keep a fixed object in frame. Avoid zooming in and out.
- Say what you can see out loud while recording. The audio is a timestamped note.
- Note the direction you are facing and roughly how high above the horizon it is. A fist at arm’s length is about 10°.
- Point it out to anyone nearby. Independent witnesses are the strongest evidence a report can have.
What to write down
Write it down the same day, before you read about other sightings. Memory changes quickly, especially after seeing other people’s descriptions.
- Location: where you were standing, not where you think the object was.
- Shape, colour and number of objects, and whether they changed.
- Movement: hovering, straight line, sudden turns, speed changes.
- Sound, or the absence of it. Flashing or steady lights.
- Weather and cloud cover at the time.
- How it ended: faded, moved out of view, or disappeared suddenly.
Rule out the common explanations
Most sightings turn out to be something ordinary. Checking first makes your report more credible and saves investigators time. Track the Unknown runs these checks automatically on every report, but you can do them yourself too.
- Starlink satellite trains: a line of evenly spaced lights moving silently together, usually shortly after sunset or before sunrise.
- The ISS and other satellites: a steady point of light crossing the sky in a few minutes, often fading out partway.
- Venus and Jupiter: very bright, apparently stationary “stars” low in the sky. They can seem to move because of atmospheric shimmer.
- Aircraft on approach: bright landing lights can look like they are hovering when heading straight towards you.
- Drones: small, often with red and green navigation lights, capable of hovering and sharp turns.
- Balloons and lanterns: drift with the wind and flicker orange.
Where to report it
You can file with more than one organisation. Each keeps its own database and none of them share reports automatically.
- Track the Unknown: public case file with automatic weather, satellite and aircraft checks, plus corroboration from other witnesses nearby.
- NUFORC (National UFO Reporting Center): a long-running civilian database, mostly US reports.
- MUFON (Mutual UFO Network): civilian volunteer field investigators, mostly in the US.
- AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office): the US Department of Defense office. Its public reporting form is for current and former US government employees, service members and contractors. Most members of the public cannot use it.
- In the UK, the Ministry of Defence closed its UFO desk in 2009 and no longer investigates public reports.
- If something poses an immediate safety risk, for example a drone near an airport, contact the police first.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I report a UFO sighting to?
Civilian databases such as Track the Unknown, NUFORC and MUFON take reports from anyone. AARO, the US government office, takes reports from current and former US government employees, service members and contractors. In the UK the Ministry of Defence no longer takes reports.
Can I report a UFO anonymously?
On Track the Unknown your public case file shows only the sighting details and your observer username. Your email address is never published.
What counts as evidence?
Video with a fixed reference point is the most useful, followed by multiple independent witnesses and a written account made on the same day. Photos without context are hard to analyse.
How do I know if it was just a satellite?
Satellites look like a steady point of light moving in a straight line and crossing the sky in a few minutes, usually in the hours after sunset or before sunrise. Starlink trains look like a line of evenly spaced lights. Track the Unknown checks satellite positions automatically for every report.
Is it too late to report a sighting from years ago?
No. Historical reports are still useful, especially if other people saw the same thing. Give the date as accurately as you can and say how confident you are.