Buzz
The vastness of the universe strongly suggests that we are not the only inhabitants. It seems nearly impossible that alien life doesn't exist out there. In fact, it's entirely plausible that extraterrestrial visitors have already made an appearance. Just like David Duchovny's character in the '90s, many of us yearn to believe.
However, this belief sometimes leads us down paths that might not be entirely grounded in science. While it might be thrilling to think that the strange lights you saw around your home last night were UFOs, the reality is often much simpler.
10. The Apollo 16 UFO: A Fragment of the Lunar Module
The Apollo 16 UFO footage, lasting just six seconds, appeared to offer evidence that UFOs were visiting the moon. Captured on a shaky, hand-held camera, the clip shows what seems to resemble a flying saucer—straight out of Hollywood—floating near the lunar module. Even though NASA debunked this footage years ago, some UFO enthusiasts still claim it’s a genuine sighting.
When experts examined still frames from the footage for closer inspection, they discovered that the UFO seemed to have a metal pole sticking out from it, almost the same size as the ship itself. At normal speed, the pole was hidden in the shadows, but in the still image, it was unmistakably visible. It seemed to be connected to the lunar module.
The so-called UFO was actually just the lunar module's own external floodlight, with shadows playing tricks to make it appear more mysterious. The only visitors to the moon captured in the footage were, in fact, humans.
9. The Taliban UFO: A CGI Fabrication
In early 2014, a video from the Asadabad district of Afghanistan surfaced on YouTube. Filmed by Marines, it depicted a floating, triangular object seemingly attacking a Taliban camp with a futuristic space weapon. This sent waves across the globe. The Daily Mail even conducted a serious analysis, suggesting the object could be extraterrestrial. The Huffington Post wavered between calling it a UFO or a cutting-edge drone. Was this the long-awaited proof of alien life?
You can probably already guess the outcome. The object wasn't a UFO or even a drone; instead, it was a CGI light display created by a YouTube user named Section 51. They had taken an authentic video showing a JDAM bombing a Middle Eastern bomb factory and decided it needed a bit of alien flair. While news outlets were treating the video as genuine, conspiracy site Infowars was already working to debunk it.
8. The Ancient Astronaut Theory: Invented by H.P. Lovecraft
We've previously discussed the ancient astronaut theory—the notion that extraterrestrials visiting Earth long ago were perceived as gods. This idea gained popularity after Erich von Daniken's 1968 book, *Chariots of the Gods*, sparked the public's imagination with a story so unbelievable it could have been crafted by a brilliant storyteller. And, in a sense, it was. According to a 2004 report in *Skeptic* magazine, the core concepts of von Daniken's book were actually invented by H.P. Lovecraft.
Back in 1921, Lovecraft wrote his most famous tale: *The Call of Cthulhu*. It tells of a monstrous alien nightmare that arrives on Earth in ancient times, revered as a god. This story ignited a wave of interest among other pulp writers, who included similar characters in their works. This collection of alien-god stories became known as the *Cthulhu Mythos*. It was especially popular in France, where the editors of *Planete* magazine drew inspiration from it for their book *Morning of the Magicians*, which claimed to be a non-fiction account of ancient aliens mistaken for gods. Von Daniken relied heavily on this book for his 1968 bestseller.
The foundation of the ancient astronaut theory wasn't based on scientific or archaeological findings, but rather a series of horror stories written just a few decades earlier.
7. The Kentucky Goblin: Simply A Large Owl
The Kelly–Kentucky incident is one of the most notorious tales in UFO history. In 1955, a farmhouse in rural Kentucky was allegedly attacked by malevolent goblin-like creatures. Standing just over 100 centimeters (3'6″) tall, with enormous heads, pointed ears, and glowing eyes, the goblins surrounded the house—before retreating after the farmers fired at them with the kind of firepower typical of Kentucky locals. The inhabitants eventually fled, convinced they had encountered an alien invasion.
In 2006, *Skeptical Inquirer* published an article that thoroughly debunked the story. The piece pointed out that the farmers were likely intoxicated and that at least one of the witnesses was seeking attention. The article also discussed a real-life creature in the area, which matched the description of the goblins. This creature, known as the great horned owl, has a massive head, pointed ears, and eyes that can appear to glow in the dark. It turned out that the farmers were shooting at nothing more dangerous than a particularly territorial group of birds.
6. The UFO–Wind Turbine Crash: A Case of Mechanical Failure
In 2009, the UK tabloid *The Sun* ran a story so astonishing that it caught the attention of the world. After reports of strange lights in the sky, residents of Lincolnshire woke up to find that a 90-meter (300 ft) wind turbine had been completely destroyed overnight, as if struck by a high-speed flying object. For days, the tale of the Lincolnshire UFO captivated newspapers, until it became clear that there was a much simpler, earthly explanation.
The day after the *Sun* ran its headline, *The Guardian* revealed that the lights were actually caused by one of their own journalists setting off fireworks for a birthday celebration. Meanwhile, the company responsible for the turbine conducted their own investigation and discovered that a bolt had simply come loose at high speed, causing the turbine to break apart. Admittedly, ‘UFO Hits Wind Turbine’ sounds much more exciting than ‘Bolt Comes Loose.’
5. NASA’s ‘Mysterious Lights’: Not Mysterious At All
Since the dawn of space exploration, NASA has consistently equipped their astronauts with video cameras. Over the years, thousands of hours of incredible footage have been captured, with many segments seemingly showing UFOs.
These so-called NASA’s mysterious lights appear to be strange objects orbiting various NASA spacecraft in low Earth orbit. What makes this even more peculiar is that the astronauts discuss these lights as though there’s nothing unusual happening. For many, this gives the impression that aliens are so frequently in contact with the US government that they’ve become just another part of their routine.
At least, that’s the theory. According to the astronauts themselves, the reason they appear unfazed by these lights is because they’re just everyday occurrences. In one well-known example, a sighting that UFO enthusiasts believed was extraordinary turned out to be nothing more than a government satellite reflecting sunlight at an unusual angle. Other ‘lights’ were actually ice crystals ejected into space by a shuttle’s thrusters, or even distant stars.
Sure, it could all be part of a cover-up, but as former astronaut Mario Runco dryly pointed out in 2009, ‘I’d want the credit. Mario Runco was the first person in history to conclusively document the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization. Why would I ever want to keep it secret?’
4. The Gray Aliens: Inspired by an Old TV Show
Thanks to media like *The X-Files*, the most famous type of alien is the Gray. These beings were first encountered in 1964 by supposed abductee Barney Hill. Under hypnosis, Hill recalled meeting a group of Grays during a 1961 abduction, long before popular culture ever caught wind of them. Since then, UFO enthusiasts have regarded his abduction as one of the earliest credible alien encounters.
Although Barney Hill’s abduction occurred in 1961, he didn’t provide a clear description of his captors until he was hypnotized on February 22, 1964. Thirty years later, a *Skeptical Inquirer* writer realized that this date was exactly 12 days after the *Outer Limits* episode “Bellero Shield” aired, an episode featuring an alien that bore a striking resemblance to Hill’s Gray. Even more strikingly, Barney, under hypnosis, claimed that the aliens communicated with him using only their eyes—a detail that mirrors a line of dialogue from “Bellero Shield.”
Rather than an actual alien encounter, it seems that Barney Hill’s subconscious was merely replaying fragments of whatever television shows he’d been watching in the weeks leading up to his hypnosis.
3. The Washington Invasion: Drops of Moisture
In 1952, Washington, D.C. became the first and only American city to experience an alien fleet invasion. On July 19, air traffic controllers in the city detected a series of strange blips on their radar screens. When they reached out to nearby pilots to ask if they’d noticed anything odd, one pilot reported seeing six bright lights ‘streaking across the sky.’ But that was just the start.
When the mysterious blips returned the following week, jets were scrambled to intercept. The pilots described glowing lights that darted away from them. The story made headlines across the country. After all, what could possibly cause radar interference and elude pilots if not real UFOs?
What about temperature inversions? A temperature inversion occurs when a layer of cold air gets trapped beneath a warmer air layer, creating unusual effects—such as showing up on radar screens. These inversions can also produce optical illusions, particularly when moisture is trapped in the air, reflecting ground lights back at unsuspecting pilots. And, as it turns out, the conditions in Washington that summer were perfect for moisture-filled temperature inversions. Sorry, UFO believers.
2. The World War II Foo Fighters: Ball Lightning
During the grim days of World War II, pilots on bombing missions over Europe began to report strange, glowing spheres shooting through the sky. Dubbed ‘foo fighters,’ these mysterious objects were initially believed to be a new and unconventional Nazi weapon. However, in modern times, they are recognized as one of the most significant mass UFO sightings in history.
On the other hand, these strange lights could simply be something far more ordinary. Ball lightning, a rare phenomenon where lightning forms into a glowing sphere, has been observed on the wings of planes traveling at speeds over 400 kilometers (250 miles) per hour, moving across the sky at odd altitudes. This matches the descriptions of the foo fighters observed during World War II.
1. The Nuremberg Battle: An Inaccurately Recorded Sun Dog
In 1561, the people of Nuremberg witnessed an extraordinary event. In the sky above the town, bizarre glowing orbs and rods, tinged with red, seemed to engage in combat, shooting one another down. The event was captured in an infamous woodcut by Hans Glaser, resembling what you might expect a medieval space battle to look like. This must surely be solid proof of extraterrestrial visitors, right?
Not quite. Woodcuts aren’t like photographs. Instead of accurately documenting events, they often infused them with religious symbolism or supernatural references. In one of his other woodcuts, Glaser depicted knights having a meeting in the sky. Other woodcuts of the time include glowing crosses, angry gods, and celestial bodies with smiling faces.
If you disregard the image and concentrate solely on the text of the woodcut, the description of the battle closely resembles what could be interpreted as a sun dog—a peculiar light phenomenon caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere reflecting sunlight. Glaser likely added a bit of dramatic flair to make his woodcuts more appealing and marketable.
