The Trump administration’s explosive UFO files contained some of the most shocking documents of unidentified phenomena on Earth and in outer space to date.
Hundreds of previously unseen videos, photos and records tied to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) were published on Friday.
The Pentagon wrote on X that while past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Donald Trump ‘is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files.’
The first release includes 162 files, such as old State Department cables, FBI documents and transcripts from NASA of crewed flights into space, and the Pentagon said additional documents will be released on a rolling basis.
Here are the most shocking photos and videos.
UFOs spotted from the moon during Apollo missions
A photo from the Apollo 17 moon landing that highlights three dots in the sky as seen from the moon’s surface
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features highlighted areas above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible
Among the most striking materials were images and transcripts linked to NASA’s Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions.
One photo taken from the lunar surface appears to show three unexplained dots hovering in the dark sky above the moon.
An Apollo 17 mission transcript also detailed astronauts discussing mysterious objects drifting near the spacecraft during flight.
‘Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,’ one operator told mission control.
Another replied: ‘There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window.’
Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin described several ‘unusual’ observations during the mission in 1969.
‘The first unusual thing that we saw I guess was 1 day out or something pretty close to the moon. It had a sizeable dimension to it, so we put the monocular on it,’ Aldrin said.
‘The other observation that I made accumulated gradually. I don’t know whether I saw it the first night, but I’m sure I saw it the second night. I was trying to go to sleep with all the lights out. I observed what I thought were little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart.’
He also said, ‘I observed what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.’
‘Massive flying saucer’ spotted in the United States
A government graphic, based on witness reports from 2023, depicts a massive ellipsoid-shaped object that witnesses claimed emerged from a bright light in the sky before vanishing
One document summarized statements from seven federal officers assigned to different teams who independently reported witnessing multiple UAPs across the western US over two days in 2023.
According to the report, several witnesses described seeing ‘orbs launching other orbs’ in the distance, along with a large glowing sphere hovering in place and a semi-transparent object compared to a ‘translucent kite.’
An FBI Lab rendered graphic overlay depicting the witnesses’ descriptions of an apparent ‘ellipsoid bronze metallic object materializing out of a bright light in the sky, 130-195 feet in length, and disappearing instantaneously.’
Gemini VII astronauts spot ‘vehicle’ while in orbit
Gemini VII astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing an unidentified object while in space in 1965.
‘We have very, very many a – it looks like hundreds of little particles going by to the left out about three or four miles,’ Borman told mission control.
‘It looks like a path of the vehicle at 90 degrees,’ he added.
‘Eight-pointed star’ spotted darting across the sky
The eerie infrared footage, captured by US military personnel in 2013, appears to show the strange object darting through the darkness with uneven, shape-shifting arms.
At one point, the military sensor zooms in as the mysterious object races through the frame, seemingly leaving behind a glowing trail.
The object was seen making abrupt movements, sharply changing direction and repeatedly vanishing from view before suddenly reappearing moments later.
Officials who documented the video cautioned that the footage description was provided for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as proof of the object’s nature or origin.
‘Super-hot’ orbs chased US fighter jets
A redacted report from the FBI interviewing an intelligence officer who witnessed multiple orb-shaped UFOs chasing military jets during a classified mission
One heavily redacted FBI report described a senior US intelligence officer recounting a nighttime mission in a remote mountain range near a classified government site.
According to the report, intelligence personnel, federal agents and helicopter crews were dispatched after local staff repeatedly reported seeing strange glowing ‘orbs’ and hearing loud ‘thuds’ near the mountains.
But when the team arrived, they allegedly encountered swarms of highly maneuverable objects that appeared extremely hot on thermal cameras despite flying through the darkness.
The report stated that the unidentified orbs easily outran military helicopters before later pursuing fighter aircraft called in to intercept them.
At one point during the encounter, a co-pilot aboard the lead helicopter reportedly watched one orb split into two separate objects before another object suddenly ’emerged’ from the formation and shot away at high speed.
