UFO Sightings Today: The Surge in Reports, Government Disclosure, and What Science Says in 2026

Are we alone in the universe? In 2026, that question feels more urgent than ever. UFO sightings are surging worldwide, government disclosure is accelerating at unprecedented speed, and the scientific tools we have for studying aerial anomalies have never been more powerful. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, the data is impossible to ignore.

Here's a comprehensive look at where things stand with UFO sightings today — from the latest incidents to the historic government moves reshaping how we talk about unidentified objects in our skies.

The Numbers: UFO Reports Are Surging

The data tells a striking story. According to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), more than 3,000 sightings were reported worldwide in just the first half of 2025 — more than double the approximately 1,492 reports filed in the same period of 2024. The Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has now examined over 2,000 UAP cases, up from 1,600 in late 2024, with approximately 1,000 additional reports retained in an active archive for future analysis.

What's driving the surge? A combination of factors: improved sensor technology on military and civilian platforms, reduced stigma around reporting thanks to congressional attention, and — perhaps most significantly — a public that is increasingly watching the skies with smartphone cameras, dashcams, and backyard telescopes.

In the United States alone, California leads with over 17,061 cumulative reported sightings, followed by Florida and New York as consistent hotspots. But the phenomenon is truly global, with significant activity reported from the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Colombia.

Trump's UFO Disclosure Order: A Historic Moment

On February 20, 2026, President Donald Trump announced what many UFO researchers have been demanding for decades: a directive ordering the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to "begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files" related to aliens, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and UFOs.

The announcement was triggered, in part, by former President Barack Obama's statement during a podcast interview that he believed aliens were "real" — though he hadn't seen evidence of them during his presidency.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon's commitment, stating: "We're going to be in full compliance with that executive order. We've got our people working on it right now." However, he cautioned the process would be "deliberative," with no specific timeline for declassification.

What we already know from AARO: Former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick, who investigated cases from July 2022 to December 2023, found that many reports were attributable to misidentified drones, weather phenomena, or classified military programs. His conclusion was blunt: "Proof of extraterrestrial life wasn't there." But roughly 15% of all examined cases remain officially unexplained — a significant number that keeps the door open for deeper investigation.

Scientists are tempering expectations. Physicist Avi Loeb of Harvard, who examined footage of a U.S. missile striking an unidentified glowing orb off Yemen's coast in 2024, concluded it was "just a drone." Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has argued that with billions of daily internet uploads containing no alien imagery, large-scale government secrecy about extraterrestrial visitors is implausible.

Still, the executive order represents a cultural shift: for the first time, the highest levels of U.S. government are publicly committing to transparency on a topic that was once career-ending to discuss.

Notable Sightings: What People Are Seeing in 2025–2026

New Jersey: The Drone Mystery Continues

New Jersey has become ground zero for unexplained aerial activity. The saga began in November 2024, when mysterious drone-like objects were reported over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County. Sightings quickly spread across the state and into New York and Pennsylvania, with thousands of witnesses describing silent, low-flying objects maneuvering near waterways, reservoirs, and military installations.

In 2026, three new sightings have already been reported in Atlantic City, Bridgewater, and Chatham Township, with witnesses describing "orbs passing eastward overhead." While investigators attributed many 2024 reports to authorized drones and misidentified aircraft, military officials confirmed a concurrent pattern of unauthorized incursions over sensitive defense installations — a finding that has never been fully explained.

Wisconsin Rapids: Multiple Lights in the Sky

On February 11, 2026, residents of Wisconsin Rapids reported multiple lights appearing in different locations across the sky simultaneously during the dinner hour. The sighting lasted approximately ten minutes. Wisconsin saw 74 NUFORC reports in 2025, a sharp increase from 50 in 2024, suggesting the state is becoming an emerging hotspot.

Colorado: Orbs Near Lockheed Martin

On January 12, 2025, multiple witnesses reported luminous orbs near a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado. The objects were completely silent, and investigators ruled out both Starlink satellites and conventional drones. The proximity to a major defense contractor added an extra layer of intrigue.

Iraq: The "Jellyfish" UAP

One of the most striking cases of 2025 emerged from Maysan, Iraq, on September 17, where nighttime footage captured a translucent, jellyfish-like UAP with glowing appendages. Local witnesses dismissed drone theories due to its organic-like, completely silent movement — a description that echoes classified military footage that leaked in previous years.

United Kingdom: RAF Base Incursions

Between November 20–22, 2025, police documented roughly 20 drone sightings across RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell in the UK. Eyewitnesses described "10–15 drones potentially entering base airspace," which was serious enough to ground surrounding aircraft — a dramatic escalation from typical UAP reports.

Colombia: The Buga Sphere Returns

The Buga Sphere — a mysterious seamless metallic orb discovered in Buga, Colombia in March 2025 — made headlines again on January 29, 2026, when a new video surfaced showing a similar metallic sphere gliding silently across the sky above Valle del Cauca. The town of Buga has since erected a monument commemorating the original discovery, becoming a magnet for UFO tourists worldwide.

Why Astronomers Are Paying Attention

The UFO conversation isn't happening in isolation. It's unfolding alongside a golden age of astronomical discovery that's reshaping our understanding of what's out there.

Interstellar visitors are real — just not in the way UFO enthusiasts might hope. 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system, was discovered in July 2025 and has been studied by every major space observatory on Earth. NASA's SPHEREx telescope detected water ice, carbon dioxide, methane, and even hydrogen cyanide — a prebiotic molecule — in its composition. These are literally frozen samples from an alien stellar nursery, delivered to our cosmic doorstep through natural processes.

Projects like Harvard's Galileo Project and UC San Diego's UAPx are applying rigorous scientific methodology to aerial anomalies — using calibrated multi-sensor arrays rather than smartphone footage. The Galileo Project aims to capture the first high-resolution, scientifically verifiable image of a UAP using its dedicated observatory system.

Meanwhile, SETI programs like Breakthrough Listen are scanning the skies for technosignatures — including conducting the first-ever technosignature search of an interstellar comet during 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to Earth in December 2025.

How to Report a UFO Sighting

If you see something you can't explain, here's how to document it properly:

1. Stay calm and observe — Note the object's shape, color, size, altitude, speed, direction, and any sounds.
2. Record if possible — Use your phone to capture video. Keep your hands as steady as possible and include reference points (trees, buildings, horizon) for scale.
3. Note the time and location — Exact time, your GPS coordinates, and weather conditions are critical for investigators.
4. File a report with NUFORC (nuforc.org) or MUFON (mufon.com) — these civilian databases are actively monitored by researchers.
5. Check for mundane explanations — Starlink satellites, Chinese lanterns, drones, aircraft, and planets (especially Venus) account for the vast majority of sightings.

The Bigger Picture: What Comes Next

We're living through a remarkable convergence: government disclosure, surging public sightings, and unprecedented scientific capability all happening simultaneously. Whether the explanation for the unexplained 15% turns out to be advanced foreign technology, natural phenomena we don't yet understand, or something truly extraordinary, one thing is certain — we have never been better equipped to find out.

The truth isn't just "out there." In 2026, we're actively going looking for it.

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Track the latest cosmic discoveries — from interstellar comets to the search for extraterrestrial life — on the 3I/ATLAS Tracker.