Analysts at a U.S. Navy center watched footage filmed in Utah. Blue-white lights appeared on screen. At times, two seemed to become one, then split apart again.
The pattern repeated about every 25 frames. The analysts marked the lights’ positions throughout the footage and tried to work out what made them appear that way. Their calculations pointed to motion that didn’t fit the explanations they considered.
What Does the Footage Show?
The Air Force asked the Navy to analyze color footage filmed in July 1952. The analysts divided it into three sections so they could examine the lights in each one separately. They identified three distinct groups. The lights changed in size and brightness during the footage.
The center described the process this way: The analysts marked the lights’ positions in frames from the footage. A single image in a film is called a frame. When they tracked two points of light, the points appeared to draw closer, meet, and become one. Later, they appeared as two points again. The recurring pattern appeared about every 25 frames.
How Were the Calculations Made?
The analysts compared the lights’ positions in different frames. From changes in position, they calculated the speed and acceleration of the motion—that is, changes in speed or direction. According to their calculations, the motion was too fast and variable to fit balloons, birds, or aircraft.
They also considered whether the lights were reflections from a shiny surface, such as a balloon, or light reflected in the air. Another possibility was that the lights were themselves sources of light. These explanations did not resolve the discrepancy between what appeared in the footage and the motion calculated. The analysts therefore recommended a more comprehensive examination.
What Remains Unknown
It is unknown what produced the lights, and it is also unclear whether the calculations reflected their actual motion. The analysts noted that the examination was limited, partly because of a lack of funding and personnel.
In the footage, two points of light meet again and again, then separate each time.
