Hovering objects and flashing lights: what we learned from UFO documents released by the Pentagon

Hovering objects and flashing lights: what we learned from UFO documents released by the Pentagon10 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSakshi Venkatraman and Rebecka PiederWatch: Declassified footage shows 'unidentified anomalous phenomena' around the worldThe tranche of never-before-seen documents released by the Pentagon on UFOs includes descriptions of reported sightings - by civilians on Earth and by astronauts on the Moon. The documents, spanning decades, were declassified and posted online on Friday at the direction of President Donald Trump, who said earlier this year he would release them "based on the tremendous interest shown".The US has seen renewed public interest in extraterrestrial life in recent years. In 2022, Congress held the first hearings on UFOs in 50 years and the military has promised more transparency on the matter.The 161 files are accessible on the Department of Defense's website, with more set to be released.Friday's release of files comes after former President Obama sparked further interest when he said in a February interview that aliens are "real, but I haven't seen them".Obama has since clarified his comments, saying that statistically the chances are that life is out there but he saw "no evidence" while president.Trump later that month directed to Pentagon to release files "related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)".The files that came out Friday include decades of declassified military memos, reports from the Apollo Moon missions, and reports from individuals who claim to have witnessed a UFO - or an unidentified flying object - that they suspect has extraterrestrial origins.Apollo astronauts describe flashes of lightUS Department of DefenseA view from the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. An unidentified flash is highlighted and enlargedThe files contain previously classi...