Pentagon and FBI Records on Orb Sightings

Recently released records from the Pentagon and FBI detail a series of orb sightings in the northeastern United States, spanning from October 2024 to June 2025. One notable incident involved two witnesses who reported seeing a glowing red sphere with a basketball-sized ‘white plasma sun.’ These sightings are part of numerous records published under the Trump administration’s Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Encounters, or PURSUE, aimed at declassifying UAP files.

In one report from October 2024, an eyewitness observed a ‘plasma-like sphere’ hovering above a pond approximately 2,700 feet away. The object intermittently changed shape and brightness, sometimes appearing to separate into smaller light points, while another luminous point hovered above the water without resembling a surface reflection. The object remained largely stationary for around 45 minutes before disappearing. Video footage captured on an iPhone was later analyzed and authenticated by the U.S. government, with the FBI considering the eyewitness highly credible.

Another incident in July 2025 involved a witness in the same area who noticed an intense bright light below the tree line behind a residence, described as a red sphere with a bright white center resembling a ‘plasma sun.’ A second witness corroborated the sighting. The objects, estimated to be 30 yards away and 20 feet to 30 feet high, moved above the trees, changed altitude and direction, and merged into a single object before disappearing. Video footage was recorded, and the FBI obtained associated photographs.

An unresolved 2023 incident near a sensitive national security site in the western United States featured observations by six federal law enforcement agents, who saw glowing orange ‘mother orbs’ releasing smaller red objects into the sky. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office’s new assessment found approximately 40% of the reported activity unexplained, even after comparing witness accounts with flight logs, radar data, spatial estimates, and ADS-B records. Analysts considered military flare activity potentially explaining part of the observations, deemed foreign technology highly unlikely, but found no single explanation entirely accounted for the activity. ‘Unrecognized technology’ remains a provisional hypothesis for the unexplained aspects based on eyewitness testimony due to lacking technical or physical evidence.

Among PURSUE files are five witness narratives, sketches, and a map depicting four related unresolved incidents in the ‘Western U.S. Event’ category. This includes ‘Orbs Launching Orbs,’ a ‘Fiery Orb,’ a ‘Dark Kite,’ and a ‘Translucent Kite.’ In February 2022, five U.S. Army personnel reported seeing a shimmering object above Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. The object, estimated the size of a large jet, resembled an angular, nonsymmetrical ‘potato’ with shifting panels, observed hovering and eventually vanishing. A former Army intelligence officer described it as creamy white and opalescent, resembling fish-scale-like panels articulating while the object remained still until it disappeared. Estimates placed the hovering 300 to 500 feet above Cheyenne Mountain. Investigators suggested sunlight reflection off snow-covered terrain illuminating clouds as a potential cause, although this assessment carries low confidence due to uncertainties in viewing angles, cloud cover, and environmental conditions.

The various northeastern, western, and Colorado incidents are part of the diverse reports under the Pentagon’s PURSUE program. The program includes cases investigators suspect could have conventional explanations to those unresolved after analysis. The initiative has received mixed reactions. Transparency advocates appreciate easier access to previously hard-to-find public records, while some researchers criticize the releases for relying mainly on witness testimony, lacking technical data for independent verification. Former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick noted unresolved cases often remain so due to insufficient data for definitive conclusions.

Notably, neither the Department of War nor AARO has concluded the incidents suggest evidence of extraterrestrial life, intelligence, or alien technology. Officials emphasize unresolved cases denote insufficient information for determining a definitive cause. Despite documenting observations and investigations, the records released do not constitute proof of extraterrestrial origins.