The newly declassified records describe glowing orbs, objects making impossible 90-degree turns and strange lights witnessed by astronauts during historic Apollo missions.
BY PC Bureau
May 9, 2026— Decades-old mysteries involving glowing orbs, bizarre aerial maneuvers and unexplained sightings from astronauts and military personnel have resurfaced after the Pentagon released a massive new batch of UFO-related files under President Donald Trump’s transparency push on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs).
According to news agency AP, the newly declassified records include military videos, FBI interviews, NASA transcripts and diplomatic cables documenting strange encounters that investigators say remain unresolved. Among them are reports of objects making sharp 90-degree turns at high speeds, glowing spheres hovering over the Middle East, and mysterious lights observed during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing mission.
Trump, who had teased a major UFO disclosure earlier this year, celebrated the release Friday on Truth Social, saying Americans can now decide for themselves “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?”
The Pentagon’s new UAP archive website features newly released and previously known material collected over decades. Officials stressed that the cases remain “unresolved” rather than confirmed extraterrestrial encounters, noting that many incidents could not be conclusively explained because of limited data or technical uncertainties.
READ: ‘Eight-Pointed Star’ UFO Video Sparks Frenzy After Declassification
Experts have cautioned against jumping to conclusions. A 2024 Pentagon assessment rejected claims that the US government possesses alien spacecraft or evidence of extraterrestrial life, while analysts say infrared military footage is often misunderstood by the public.
Still, the files contain accounts likely to intensify public fascination with UFOs.
One 1994 State Department cable from the US Embassy in Tajikistan described a brightly illuminated object spotted over Kazakhstan by a Tajik pilot and three Americans aboard a jet. Witnesses said the object performed “90 degree turns, doing corkscrews and maneuvering in circles at great rates of speed.”
Rep. Ana Paulina Luna posted this post referencing “The Book of Enoch” “a wheel within a wheel…” this eight pointed star sure looks convincing, and what’s with the trail it’s leaving behind? #uap #ufo #disclosure #trending pic.twitter.com/1NvohJTXVw
— Chris Barron (@DuB_831) May 8, 2026
Another report from the Aegean Sea in 2023 detailed a UAP flying low over the water while making repeated high-speed directional shifts.
A US intelligence official also recounted encountering a “super-hot” orb during a helicopter search mission last year. The object reportedly traveled nearly 20 miles before several more glowing orbs appeared nearby and rapidly changed brightness.
The release revisits historic spaceflight mysteries as well. During a 1969 debriefing, astronaut Buzz Aldrin recalled seeing unusual sights near the moon, including a “fairly bright light source” the crew believed might have been a laser.
🚨DOW-UAP-PR40: Unresolved UAP Report – Middle East, 2020
The United States Central Command submitted this case to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) along with one minute and three seconds of infrared sensor footage captured from a U.S. military platform.
In the… https://t.co/AOkwY5jnG7 pic.twitter.com/zOjA24y3ZM
— Intellisagas Geo (@intellisagasgeo) May 9, 2026
Another document contains an FBI interview with a drone pilot who described seeing a mysterious “linear object” with an extremely bright light in September 2023. The witness said the object suddenly vanished after remaining visible for several seconds.
The Pentagon also released a NASA image from the Apollo 17 Mission showing three dots in a triangular formation. Analysts acknowledged there is “no consensus” on the anomaly, although preliminary analysis suggested it may represent a physical object.
More than 20 military videos included in the archive show unidentified objects over Syria, Japan, the East China Sea and North America. Some clips depict fast-moving specks darting across infrared sensors, while others show football-shaped or circular objects gliding silently through the sky.
One widely discussed video from 2013 appears to show an eight-pointed star-shaped object weaving through the air over the Middle East. However, former Pentagon investigator Sean Kirkpatrick said the shape was likely caused by heat distortion and diffraction effects from a jet engine captured on infrared cameras.
Kirkpatrick warned that releasing raw footage without detailed technical explanations could fuel “speculation, conspiracy and arm-chair pseudoscience.”
The archive also includes sightings dating back to the 1940s. One 1948 military report from the Netherlands referenced recurring “flying saucer” sightings, with Swedish observers suggesting the objects did not appear to originate from “any presently known culture on earth.”
Despite the latest disclosure, demands for further transparency continue to grow. Republican lawmakers including Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett have urged the Pentagon to release additional classified UAP footage and records.
Meanwhile, The Sol Foundation called for legislation requiring a full review of classified UFO files, arguing that Americans deserve access to the government’s complete knowledge regarding unexplained technologies and possible non-human vehicles.
- Buzz Aldrin and Apollo 11: During the famous 1969 moon mission, Aldrin said they saw a “fairly bright light source” and a sizable object near the moon. The crew wondered if it could be a laser.
- Crazy maneuvers over Kazakhstan: In 1994, a pilot and passengers on a jet saw a super-bright object that made sharp 90-degree turns, corkscrews, and fast circles.
- Ocean flips: In 2023, something flew just above the sea in the Aegean and made multiple 90-degree turns at around 80 mph.
- Hot glowing orbs: A U.S. intelligence officer last year saw a “super-hot” glowing ball flying fast over the ground. Then he spotted four or five more that brightened and dimmed.
- Strange lights and shapes: Videos show football-shaped objects, small dots streaking across the sky over Syria and Iraq, a bouncy-ball-shaped thing flying at 483 mph for minutes, and two circular lights in the sky on New Year’s Day this year.
- Old sightings: Reports go back to the 1940s, including “flying saucers” seen by American and Swedish pilots who thought they weren’t from any country we know.
There are more than 20 military videos, NASA photos (including three dots in a triangle from Apollo 17), and FBI interviews. One recent one mentions a drone pilot who saw a bright linear object that suddenly vanished.Important Reality CheckThe Pentagon says these files are real reports, but they are not saying these are aliens. A 2024 government report clearly stated there is no evidence the U.S. has recovered alien tech or proven alien life exists.Experts who study this stuff warn people to be careful:
- Many videos look weird because of camera tricks, heat from jet engines, or normal military technology we don’t recognize.
- One video that went viral (an eight-pointed star shape) is probably just a hot jet engine seen through the camera, according to a former Pentagon UFO investigator.
Reactions
- Some Republican lawmakers (like Rep. Tim Burchett and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna) are happy and pushing for even more files to be released.
- Groups that study UFOs say this is a good first step but want full openness – they believe the government has been hiding things for decades.
- Skeptics say most of these will eventually get normal explanations once studied properly.
Bottom Line for Regular Folks
