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If you are in the United States and have just seen a UFO—called an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) in current federal guidance—write down the event immediately and preserve the original recordings. For an ordinary civilian sighting, the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) currently provides the public written-report route. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) does not currently accept ordinary public sighting reports; its present form is limited to eligible current or former U.S. government personnel, service members, and contractors with first-hand knowledge of U.S. government UAP programs. If anyone or anything may be in danger, contact local law enforcement. Civilian pilots should notify air traffic control promptly, while military and Department of War civilian personnel should use their command or service reporting channels.
A useful report is a contemporaneous, chronological record backed by untouched files and honest uncertainty—not a confident identification made after the fact.
Choose the right reporting route
The correct channel depends on your role and on whether there is an immediate safety risk. These routes are not interchangeable databases.
| Situation | Use this route | What it is for | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary civilian sighting | NUFORC online written report | Public intake for civilian observations; NUFORC says its online form is preferred. | It is a nongovernmental reporting organization, not an emergency service or a federal investigative office. |
| Recent sighting when you need to speak to someone | NUFORC hotline, followed by a written report | Initial telephone contact for recent events. | Callers are still asked to submit the written report, so prepare the same factual account. |
| Current or former U.S. government employee, service member, or contractor with direct knowledge of a U.S. government UAP program | AARO submission page | Initial contact about U.S. government UAP-related programs or activities. | The current form is not a general public sighting form and is not for potentially sensitive or classified information. |
| Concern that life or property may be endangered | Local law enforcement | Immediate safety response. | Report the hazard as a safety incident, not merely as an unusual light. |
| Civilian pilot who observes an anomaly | Air traffic control, promptly | Operational aviation safety reporting; AARO receives UAP-related pilot reports from the FAA. | Follow normal aviation communication and incident procedures first. |
| Military or Department of War civilian witness | Your command or service route | Official internal reporting. | Do not bypass classification or operational-security procedures. |
The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, section 7-7-4, directs people seeking to report UAP or unexplained phenomena to AARO, but AARO’s current eligibility language is narrower than that general referral. An ordinary member of the public should therefore use an available public intake such as NUFORC rather than claiming that AARO currently accepts civilian sighting submissions.
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Act first if there is a safety hazard
Call local law enforcement when the observation is connected to a possible threat to people or property: an object apparently approaching a building, a low-flying vehicle creating a collision risk, debris, fire, hazardous material, or a person in immediate danger. Give the dispatcher the location, time, direction of travel, altitude or height if known, and the behavior that creates the risk. Do not approach the object, trespass, launch a drone toward it, or remain in an unsafe place to obtain better footage.
For an aviation encounter, keep the aircraft safe and follow air-traffic instructions. Civilian pilots are encouraged to report promptly to air traffic control. A photograph or later online narrative is not a substitute for an operational safety report.
Write down the observation while it is fresh
Make notes before searching the internet, comparing stories, or editing the recording. A phone notes app works; a small notebook and pen are also sufficient. The purpose is to retain what you actually observed, not to make the account sound extraordinary.
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Core time and location details
- Date and local time when the object first became visible and when it disappeared. Include the time zone or state that the time came from your device clock.
- Total duration, even if approximate.
- Specific location, such as a street intersection, field, trail, boat position, or aircraft position. Add latitude and longitude only if you can obtain them reliably.
- Your observing position: on land, on a boat, in an aircraft, or elsewhere.
- Weather and visibility if known, including cloud cover, haze, precipitation, darkness, and nearby light sources.
Describe appearance without turning estimates into facts
Record shape, apparent color, number of objects, lights, trails, sounds, and any changes in brightness or direction. State whether you saw the object with unaided eyes, binoculars, a telescope, a phone screen, or another optical device. Note what first drew your attention and what happened in chronological order.
Separate direct observation from interpretation. For example, write that a light appeared to move behind a tree line, not that it was definitely at a particular altitude. If you cannot measure distance, size, or speed, label those values as estimates or leave them blank. A distant object can appear to accelerate when it is actually moving steadily, and without distance a claim of unusual speed or acceleration cannot be tested.
Movement and geometry fields
NUFORC’s form asks for angle of elevation, compass direction, direction of travel, estimated distance at closest approach, apparent size, and speed. Supply these when you have a reference, such as a known building, horizon, aircraft, or fixed landmark. Explain how you estimated them. A simple sketch can show your position, the viewing direction, landmarks, and the object’s apparent path; do not put your home address or other identifying information in the drawing.
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Witnesses and a one-line summary
Record the number of witnesses and, when practical, ask each person to write an independent account before discussing details. Keep names and contact information in a separate private note. In the report, provide a concise summary followed by the full chronology. NUFORC’s form requests a one-line summary and then as much detail as possible about what the objects looked like and did.
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Preserve photographs and video correctly
The original file and its context are more useful than a sharpened screenshot. Treat your first copy as evidence that must not be overwritten.
- Stop editing the original. Copy the photo, video, audio, or screen recording to a separate folder or storage device. Perform cropping, stabilization, color changes, frame extraction, or compression only on a working copy.
- Keep the highest-resolution file. Do not rely on a messaging-app preview or a social-media download, which may remove frames, lower resolution, or rewrite metadata.
- Preserve available metadata. Keep the original creation timestamp, GPS coordinates, device information, resolution, frame rate, and orientation data when present. AARO identifies cellphone GPS coordinates and timestamps, higher-resolution video with associated metadata, and measured radio-frequency data with GPS location and timestamps as potentially useful for analysis.
- Label derivatives. Name edited files as copies and record what was changed, when, and with which application. Never present an annotated or stabilized version as the untouched original.
- Record the recording context. Note the device model, whether digital zoom was used, the recording start and end times, approximate viewing direction and distance, and whether the object was visible to your unaided eye at the same time.
- Back up without stripping data. Keep at least one backup in a location that preserves the original file. Do not convert the only copy to a format that discards metadata.
If a file has already been shared, retain the original device copy and note where and when the shared version was posted. A screenshot of a video player is not equivalent to the source recording.
Make witness and scene records independently
Independent accounts can reveal whether an apparent motion or light was visible from several positions. Before witnesses compare notes, ask each person to record the time, location, direction, duration, sounds, and whether they saw the object without a camera. Store contact details separately and obtain consent before sharing them with a reporting organization.
A map or sketch should show observer locations and viewing directions, nearby landmarks, and the apparent path. Remove street numbers, names, license plates, faces, and other personal information from anything intended for public posting. Keep the unredacted private version only if you have a legitimate reason and can secure it.
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NUFORC asks submitters to review common misidentifications. This check does not prove what you saw; it prevents a readily explainable event from being described as something else.
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Starlink and other satellite trains
A line of satellites can appear as evenly spaced lights moving slowly along a common course. Compare the time, direction, spacing, and number of lights with a reliable satellite-tracking source. If the observation was a single stationary point, this explanation may not fit, but record the comparison rather than declaring a conclusion.
Rocket launches
In regions where launches are visible, an ascending vehicle, exhaust plume, or sunlight reflecting from high-altitude exhaust can look unfamiliar, especially around dawn or dusk. Check whether a launch occurred at the relevant time and whether its direction matches your view.
Bright planets and stars
Venus and Jupiter can appear as bright, stationary lights. Atmospheric turbulence, thin cloud, and phone autofocus can make them seem to pulse or change size. An astronomy app such as SkyView or a web-based sky tracker can provide one comparison, but treat its result as a check rather than definitive identification.
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Camera and foreground artifacts
Lens flare, internal reflections, autofocus changes, digital zoom, compression, and insects or birds close to the lens can create apparent lights or motion. If the object appears only in the recording and was not visible to your unaided eye, say so explicitly. A camera-only artifact should not be described as an object observed in the sky.
Aircraft, drones, balloons, and nearby lights
Look for navigation-light patterns, blinking intervals, steady movement, sound, and alignment with roads or buildings. A light that seems to hover may be an aircraft approaching nearly head-on. Record the possibility as an alternative, not as a forced identification.
Submit an ordinary civilian report to NUFORC
- Open NUFORC’s current public sighting form and choose the written-report option. Its online form is the organization’s preferred method.
- Enter the date, time, duration, specific location, observer position, and optional coordinates.
- Describe the shape, color, number of objects, number of witnesses, lights, sounds, trails, apparent movement, and changes in direction.
- Complete the angle, compass direction, estimated distance, size, and speed fields only when you can explain the basis for the estimate. Use an uncertainty statement when you cannot measure a value.
- Write the account in chronological order. Identify which details came from direct observation and which came from later comparison or inference.
- Attach or reference media only in a way that preserves the original elsewhere. Keep your untouched files and metadata even if the form accepts a compressed copy.
- Review the narrative for identifying information. NUFORC allows a request to omit an exact address from public reports, makes contact details optional, and advises against placing identifying details in the narrative or drawings.
- Submit the report and save any confirmation or reference information. If you use the hotline for a recent sighting, expect to be asked for a written report as well.
NUFORC is a public reporting organization, so a submission is not an emergency call, a guarantee of investigation, or a determination that an object was extraordinary.
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Understand when AARO is the appropriate route
AARO’s current public submission page is for current or former U.S. government employees, service members, and contractor personnel who have direct knowledge of U.S. government UAP-related programs or activities. It describes the form as an initial point of contact and warns that it is not intended for potentially sensitive or classified information. AARO says it will announce when a public reporting mechanism is available.
If you meet that eligibility description, follow the instructions on AARO’s official site and use your authorized security and command channels for any protected information. Do not paste classified details, restricted locations, operational data, or sensitive personal information into an unclassified web form. If you are an ordinary civilian reporting a sighting in the United States, use a public route such as NUFORC instead of submitting to a form whose stated scope does not include you.
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Military and Department of War civilian personnel
Use your command or service reporting route. That process can preserve operational context and classification controls that a public form cannot. Keep personal copies of observations only in accordance with applicable records and security rules.
Civilian pilots
Notify air traffic control promptly when an observation affects flight safety or situational awareness. Include position, altitude, heading, time, bearing, relative motion, and any avoidance action using standard aviation phraseology. Continue with the required aviation safety-reporting process after landing.
Other aviation witnesses
Cabin crew, dispatchers, and airport personnel should follow their employer’s safety and incident procedures. A later public narrative should never replace a required internal report.
Protect privacy and sensitive information
Public-interest reporting does not require public exposure of your identity. Before submitting, remove home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, license plates, faces, children’s names, workplace details, and identifying information about other witnesses unless the recipient specifically needs it and has a secure process.
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NUFORC permits a request to omit an exact address from a public report and makes contact details optional. Keep contact information in a separate private record rather than embedding it in the narrative or drawing. AARO’s initial form is not for potentially sensitive or classified material; use the authorized government route for that information.
What the evidence can and cannot establish
NASA’s 2023 UAP Independent Study Team reported that civilian airspace observations often lack crucial context and metadata and that, at the time of its report, there was no standardized federal civilian UAP reporting system. The team emphasized determining distance before evaluating claims of unusual speed or acceleration. It also stated: “Although such eyewitness reports are often interesting and compelling, they are insufficient on their own for making definitive conclusions about UAP.”
That limitation does not make a careful report pointless. A dated account, original files, location data, independent witnesses, and a documented comparison with ordinary explanations give later analysts something testable. A dramatic conclusion without those materials gives them very little to work with.
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After you submit
- Keep the original files, notes, sketches, and metadata in the same state as when submitted.
- Maintain a simple log of any later edits, exports, uploads, or conversations about the event.
- Answer follow-up questions consistently, distinguishing what you remember directly from what you learned later.
- Do not claim that a report has been verified, investigated, or identified unless the receiving organization actually tells you that.
- If new evidence appears, preserve it as a separate dated item rather than replacing the first account.
Geographic scope
The routes described here are U.S.-specific. Readers elsewhere should use their national aviation-safety authority, local police or emergency channel when people or property may be at risk, and a reputable local reporting organization. The specific non-U.S. channels have not been verified here, so do not assume that FAA, AARO, or NUFORC procedures apply in another country.
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