A U.S. service member filmed several lights in the Pacific Ocean with a handheld device. In the video, two lights enter the frame from the upper-left corner. The camera turns toward them and tries to keep them centered.
It zooms in on one light, bringing it to the center of the frame, then pulls back and continues tracking the lights. But one detail makes the footage harder to interpret: it was digitally altered before being submitted for review. Exactly what was changed is unknown.
The Lights Disappear From View
The video was filmed in 2019 in low-light conditions and runs about two and a half minutes. At first, the camera moves against the backdrop of the lights. Later, several light sources repeatedly enter and leave the frame.
That is how the U.S. Department of Defense described the video. The description says what appears in the footage, but does not identify the lights. The camera tries to track them, but they do not always stay in frame. We see the camera move and the lights, not what produced them.
One Light Moves to the Center
Later, the camera zooms in on a light in the lower-left part of the frame. It focuses on the light and brings it to the center. For a moment, one light among several commands the camera’s full attention.
After zooming in, the camera pulls back and continues moving to follow the light sources. They enter and leave the frame again. The video was submitted to a U.S. office for review in 2022 after being transferred to it. According to the official description, it had already been digitally altered when it was submitted.
What Remains Unknown
It is not known who altered the video, what exactly was changed, or why. The lights have not been identified, and the source offers no conventional explanation for them. The low-light conditions degrade the image and make details hard to see.
The camera pulls back, but the light remains unexplained.