Science

The 17 Best UFO Sightings of 2016

The truth is out there!

Are we alone in the universe? If these UFO sightings are anything to go by, it’s possible that something’s out there. Sure, not all of them have been particularly believable, but there’s been some incredible flying object sightings over the past year, including the inexplicable, the creepy, and the downright hilarious. Here are 17 of the best UFO sightings over the past year.

Falcon 9 Explosion

When SpaceX’s rocket exploded on the launch pad in September, Facebook’s plans to expand internet access quite literally went up in flames. Elon Musk worked overtime to locate the source of the issue, but some suspected something a bit more unidentified.

Eagle-eyed SpaceX fans believed that they saw an object hit the aircraft moments before the explosion, drawing into question whether foul play was afoot. Musk later blamed the explosion on cold oxygen reacting with carbon fiber in the fuel tank, an extremely rare problem that’s never been seen before in rocketry, but if Musk has made contact, he would say that wouldn’t he?

Did aliens stop Elon Musk from launching his satellite? Decide for yourself:

Grapevine, Texas Sighting

This cloaked UFO was spotted on December 26 at sunset and faintly resembles the sun.

“Was having a drink with a coworker at the top of the Gaylord Texan parking lot when we suddenly observed something reflecting the Sun’s light, no idea what it could be,” an eyewitness told MUFON. “Lasted about 10 minutes then it started to fade away south west.”

MUFON

Lake Michigan Lights in the Sky

Ignacio Alvarez spotted this bizarre formation over Lake Michigan on September 26. “They appear to be some kind of hovering aircraft, they move too slow to be airplanes,” he wrote in the description of the video he uploaded to YouTube.

Whatever it is, it looks pretty. If this is how the alien invasion starts, with a light show that’s better than many fireworks displays I’ve been to, sign me up.

Colorado Springs Sighting

This sighting, which took place on October 20, is similar to the lights in the sky spotted over Lake Michigan, and only took place around a month afterwards.

In the comments, things get spookier. YouTuber Luke Wood claims he saw something similar in England two weeks prior, while tboy74744 claims he saw the same thing that night. Victor Manuel says he has seen the same object in the sky for months, while Dustin Hennessey says he saw the same thing three years ago.

What could it be? ExtremeGearLabs note that nearby Fort Carson could be responsible, potentially launching a mortar round. Whatever it is, it’s one of the spookier ones.

Iowa “Smiling Face”

Okay, so in terms of weird glowing things in the sky, this is creepy. On August 17, Justin Southwick videoed a series of lights over Iowa. Although some YouTube commenters suspect Southwick was looking at the sun, he claims he was facing west and had the sun behind him.

That’s not the weird part though. Around one minute in, the lights change formation and turn into a smiley face. Coincidence? Or a sign the aliens want to make friends?

Guangzhou Traffic Stops

This one, submitted to Latest UFO Sightings World, has to be seen to be believed. The traffic along a highway in Guangzhou, China, came to a standstill on April 8 when onlookers stopped to witless something inexplicable flying across the sky. Onlookers gather with smartphones, while a dashcam records the whole encounter.

Latest UFO Sightings World

Netherlands Saucer

This is a classic. On April 9, Robbert van den Broeke spotted a flying saucer hovering over the skies of the Netherlands. In many ways, flying saucers are the “Free Bird” of UFO spots: everyone knows it, everyone wants it, and it’s so satisfying when it happens.

Austrian Balls of Light

It’s been a year of balls of light in the sky. On February 10, two balls were spotted above Graz in Austria. Over the course of the minute-and-a-half video, the lights appear to interact with each other in a sort of synchronized movement. If this is aliens communicating, we don’t have a clue what they’re trying to say. They should probably give WhatsApp a go.

San Bernardino News Helicopter

This is bizarre. On August 17, an ABC15 Arizona news helicopter recorded something moving at high speed across the ground below in San Bernardino, California. What’s unique about this footage is it came from a slightly more dependable news source, rather than an amateur spotter, but the jury’s out on what’s behind the object.

UFO Shooting Light

In May 13, a UFO was spotted above Fairbanks, Alaska shooting out multiple balls of light. A form of communication? Or something else?

UFO Over Old Faithful

Even aliens like to kick back and relax sometimes. In August, an unidentified object was spotted over the Old Faithful cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Keep your eyes peeled next time you visit a natural beauty in the U.S.: according to MUFON, America leads the way in UFO sightings, far surpassing other countries in terms of sightings submitted to the global database.

NYC “Santa” Spot

Spotted over the heights of the New York City skyline, Orlando Bosca videoed something possibly festive in the skies on December 23. Santa getting in some early deliveries? Or some sort of government experimentation?

“Santa, with his red clothes and his white sleigh, is flying over NYC,” Bo” Bosca said in the description. “Is parked on the Tower Trump waiting that you ask to bring peace to the world…”

Lunar Visitors

It’s not just Earth receiving visitors. On November 12, YouTube user Rondomon caught a mysterious black dot flying past the moon through a NexStar 6se telescope.

Mysterious Sounds

On September 21, a systems engineer spotted something bizarre above Weirton, West Virginia. After recording a series of floating orbs in the sky, he uploaded the video to Facebook, only to have it add a weird sound over the top.

“Some unrelated bizarre happenings few days later after seeing this UFO, for 1 day and 1 day only, talking on the phone with my fiance, almost seemed like some staticy noise with odd sounds in the background, almost like two phone lines crossed over like the old cordless phones,” the MUFON member wrote in the description. “We were using cellphones. It never happened again after that day…”

Fairborn Sighting

On December 8, a weird floating ball was spotted above Fairborn, Ohio.

Space Station Shenanigans

YouTuber Streetcap1 spotted something strange on a space cam live stream. On December 18, a mysterious object was captured floating near the International Space Station. Permission to come aboard?

Conspiracy Theory Double Bill

On December 16, Martin Mikuaš spotted a white orb flying above Slovakia around what he refers to as “chemtrails,” a conspiracy theory that believes the trails in the sky left behind by aircraft contain chemicals that spread diseases to control the population.

“Many people still doubt the existence of a flying saucers, but I tell you, just wait until they appear in large quantity,” Mikuaš said in the description. “Around the entire planet will demonstrate their ability to fly, their appearance and disappearance.”

Roll on 2017, and with it, a whole new year of bizarre sightings in the sky.

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