Five Soldiers Saw a Huge Shape Above a Snowy Mountain
It hovered, changed shape, and vanished before their eyes.
Five soldiers saw a large white shape hovering above a mountain in Colorado before it vanished. Investigators suggested that sunlight reflected off snow may have illuminated clouds, but they could not determine whether that was what happened.
Five soldiers at Fort Carson in Colorado looked toward Cheyenne Mountain. Above the mountain, they saw a white shape about the size of a passenger jet.
The shape stayed in place. As the soldiers watched, it slowly changed, then vanished, even though they kept their eyes on it. A later investigation suggested a surprising explanation: sunlight reflected off snow may have illuminated clouds. But investigators could not say for sure that this was what happened.
A Shape That Stayed Above the Mountain
The soldiers said they saw the shape about six miles away, above Cheyenne Mountain. It appeared white, slightly transparent, and shimmering, with clearly defined edges. They described it as angular and asymmetrical, like a potato.
It looked as large as a big airplane but remained in place above the mountain. While it hovered, its shape changed slightly. The soldiers kept watching, then it suddenly disappeared. The report says five soldiers saw it; it mentions no other witnesses.
How Can Snow Illuminate Clouds?
The soldiers saw the event in 2022 and reported it the following year to a U.S. agency that investigates anomalous sightings. The investigation suggested that sunlight had struck the snow on the mountain and reflected upward. In other words, the snow may have acted like a surface redirecting sunlight into the sky.
According to this explanation, the reflected light could have illuminated the undersides of low clouds. An illuminated cloud might have looked to the soldiers like a distinct white object. The soldiers said the sky was clear, but weather reports from that morning indicated clouds. Even if the explanation is correct, a small change in the clouds or sunlight could have caused the light—and the shape—to disappear.
What Remains Unknown
Investigators did not conclude that this was what had happened, and expressed low confidence in the explanation. They did not know exactly how many clouds were in the sky, how much snow covered the mountain, or what each soldier saw from their vantage point. The case remained unresolved as of June 2026.
Light on snow, a cloud above a mountain—and what exactly did the five soldiers see?
This is a four-page intelligence analysis (ICA-UAP-D001) produced by an AARO Intelligence Community partner to account for a February 2022 sighting of an airborne object over Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson reported observing a stationary, shape-shifting object resembling an 'angular, non-symmetrical potato' for roughly 30-180 seconds before it suddenly disappeared. The analyst assesses with low confidence that the phenomenon was possibly backscattering of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground onto low-level clouds, while noting uncertainties in witness field of view, snow cover, and cloud cover. The document concludes no anomalous data was recorded and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial capability.
Incidents in the document
- 15 February 2022 · Cheyenne Mountain, near Colorado Springs / Fort Carson, Colorado, U.S. · Page 3
Five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson observed an airborne object approximately 6 miles to the west, over and slightly behind the Cheyenne Mountain silhouette, at 0935 MNT for approximately 30-180 seconds. The object was completely stationary about 300-500 feet above the mountain while slowly changing shape, then suddenly disappeared despite witnesses keeping their eyes on it.
- Witnesses
- five U.S. Army service members
- The object
- Roughly the size of a large jet, resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of uneven panels; slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance with defined edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight; slowly changing shape while stationary.
- Outcome
- Assessed with low confidence as possibly backscattering of sunlight off snow-covered ground illuminating low-level clouds. No anomalous data or characteristics recorded; not an unknown adversarial capability. Incident remains unresolved.
Quotes from the file
"The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of uneven panels, which was completely stationary about 300-500 feet above Cheyanne Mountain while slowly changing shape."
Why it matters: Firsthand witness description of the object's unusual appearance and behavior.
Page 3
"It had a slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance, with defined edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight. The witnesses noted that the sky was clear, and despite keeping their eyes on the object, it suddenly disappeared."
Why it matters: Details the object's optical qualities and its sudden disappearance, central to the backscattering hypothesis.
Page 3
"Analysis possibly indicates that the positioning of the sun in relation to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground. This reflection could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity, which might account for the visibility of the object followed by its sudden disappearance."
Why it matters: The document's core technical explanation for the sighting.
Page 3
"No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial capability."
Why it matters: Official conclusion ruling out adversarial or anomalous explanations.
Page 3
"No aircraft or balloons were noted active in or around Cheyenne Mountain during the time the witnesses saw the airborne object."
Why it matters: Rules out conventional aircraft/balloon explanations for the sighting.
Page 4
People, places and organizations
Places
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, U.S.
Page 1
Fort Carson, Colorado, U.S.
Page 3
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Page 3
Units and bodies
U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson
U.S. Army · Page 3
Agencies and organizations
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)
- Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA)
- National Water and Climate Center
What was blacked out
- Page 2
Entire page 2 of 4 is unreadable OCR noise, consistent with a fully redacted or blanked page.
Likely reason: Likely a redacted page, possibly classification markings or the identity of the IC partner agency.
- Page 3
Sentences attributing the low-confidence assessment appear with the subject removed, e.g. '[redacted] has low confidence in this assessment'.
Likely reason: Name of the AARO IC partner agency making the assessment.
- Object reported as completely stationary about 300-500 feet above Cheyenne Mountain while slowly changing shape over 30-180 seconds, then suddenly disappearing.
- Witnesses reported clear blue skies, but multiple weather reports (AFWA, Weather Underground) indicated partly to mostly cloudy conditions, a direct contradiction underlying the backscattering hypothesis.
- Time discrepancy in the document itself: the object is reported observed at 0935 MNT, while the solar-position analysis references 0945 MST.
- The assessment is held only with low confidence, citing uncertainty in witness field of view, snow cover amount, and cloud cover; the incident remains unresolved as of June 2026.
- AARO UAP case files
- Other AARO Intelligence Community partner UAP analyses
Four-page AARO IC-partner intelligence analysis (ICA-UAP-D001). Page 2 is entirely OCR noise (blanked/redacted). The assessing agency name is redacted throughout. Manifest flags the record as redacted and notes the incident remains unresolved as of June 2026. Document time inconsistency (0935 MNT vs 0945 MST) and a witness-vs-weather-report contradiction (clear skies vs cloudy) are notable.
Questions & answers
What did the soldiers see?
They saw a white shape about as large as an airplane above Cheyenne Mountain. It stayed in place, then suddenly disappeared.
Do investigators know what caused it to disappear?
Not with certainty. They suggested that light reflected off snow may have illuminated clouds, but expressed low confidence in that explanation.
Were there any other witnesses?
The report describes five soldiers who saw the shape. It mentions no other witnesses.