The Jerusalem Dome of the Rock UFO hoax (2011) refers to viral videos that appeared to show a glowing object above the Dome of the Rock. The footage was later exposed as staged.
On the night of January 28, 2011, videos appeared online purporting to show a UFO hovering above Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, descending toward it, then shooting back into the sky. At least four purported camera angles circulated, including footage said to have been filmed near the Haas Promenade and elsewhere in the area. Major news outlets covered the videos in early February, amid suspicions that they were a prank or a hoax.
Skeptical researchers and visual-effects experts found signs of digital editing, including effects created with video-editing software and inconsistencies in lighting, perspective, and motion. These are conclusions drawn from analyzing the videos, not evidence that an unusual object appeared in the sky.
Today, science and skepticism websites and archival databases classify the videos as a hoax or staged footage. No physical evidence, radar data, or independently verified eyewitnesses have been reported, and no government or scientific body recognizes the footage as evidence of a real event.
The videos made that claim, but analyses found signs of editing and staging. There is no verified evidence that an unusual object was actually seen there.
At least four purported camera angles circulated, including footage said to have been filmed near the Haas Promenade.
Researchers pointed to digital effects and inconsistencies in the lighting, perspective, and motion.
No. Archival, science, and skepticism websites classify them as staged footage, and no government or scientific body recognizes them as evidence of a real event.