The sensor tracked an indistinct area. As it zoomed in, the area split into several spots, then disappeared from view.
A military video shows a patch splitting into several spots as the sensor zooms in, disappearing, then returning. No one knows what produced it.
An area tracked by the sensor. When magnified, it appears to be several distinct spots.
No. Neither the video nor the official assessment establishes what produced them.
At the start of the video, a bright or dark area stands out against the surrounding image. A military camera shifts the image to track it. As the sensor zooms in, the area suddenly appears to break into several distinct spots.
For a moment, the spots disappear from view, then return. The sensor keeps tracking them, but they become increasingly difficult to see as the video continues. The U.S. Department of War released the video to the public, but it does not reveal what appears in it.
The video was uploaded in October 2019 to a closed computer network intended for classified information. It was among the materials the U.S. Department of War released to the public in May 2026. The materials were identified after members of the House of Representatives requested access to records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena.
At the start of the video, the sensor points toward the area and zooms in. What first looked like a single patch appears, under magnification, to split into several distinct areas. They briefly move outside the part of the scene the camera is capturing, then return.
The sensor continues tracking the area. As the video goes on, the image becomes grainy, and the patch nearly blends into the background. The sensor adjusts the contrast to make it stand out, but it is not always visible.
Near the end of the video, the area repeatedly moves out of view and returns. The sensor zooms out to keep tracking it. Then the image cuts off.
It is not known what produced the spots, and the exact location where the video was filmed has not been established. The official assessment is that the video was captured by a sensor that displays heat differences, aboard a U.S. military craft operating in the Middle East. The assessment does not specify whether it was an aircraft or another kind of craft.
At the end, the patch disappears and returns once again. What remains outside the frame?