UFO sightings in California — an analysis1,139 sightings🎥 838 with video111 in the last 12 months🗓️ 1942–2026
What stands out
- 44% of sightings in california with a time were seen at night (9 pm to 5 am), against 44% of all sightings.
- The busiest hour is 9 pm.
- The busiest year so far is 2024, with 244 reports.
- 68% come from the United States.
- The Sky match explains 6% of the sightings in california it has checked (a launch, satellite, fireball, planet or plane), against 6% of all sightings.
- The most-reported shape is light (151).
When
19422026
Show as a table
| Sightings per year | Sightings |
|---|---|
| 1942 | 2 |
| 1943 | 0 |
| 1944 | 0 |
| 1945 | 0 |
| 1946 | 0 |
| 1947 | 0 |
| 1948 | 0 |
| 1949 | 0 |
| 1950 | 1 |
| 1951 | 1 |
| 1952 | 1 |
| 1953 | 0 |
| 1954 | 0 |
| 1955 | 0 |
| 1956 | 1 |
| 1957 | 0 |
| 1958 | 0 |
| 1959 | 0 |
| 1960 | 0 |
| 1961 | 0 |
| 1962 | 1 |
| 1963 | 0 |
| 1964 | 0 |
| 1965 | 2 |
| 1966 | 3 |
| 1967 | 0 |
| 1968 | 0 |
| 1969 | 0 |
| 1970 | 0 |
| 1971 | 0 |
| 1972 | 0 |
| 1973 | 0 |
| 1974 | 1 |
| 1975 | 1 |
| 1976 | 0 |
| 1977 | 0 |
| 1978 | 0 |
| 1979 | 0 |
| 1980 | 0 |
| 1981 | 1 |
| 1982 | 1 |
| 1983 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 |
| 1985 | 0 |
| 1986 | 0 |
| 1987 | 0 |
| 1988 | 0 |
| 1989 | 0 |
| 1990 | 2 |
| 1991 | 1 |
| 1992 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 |
| 1994 | 0 |
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 6 |
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 17 |
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 14 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 20 |
| 2020 | 81 |
| 2021 | 135 |
| 2022 | 111 |
| 2023 | 142 |
| 2024 | 244 |
| 2025 | 187 |
| 2026 | 92 |
Dec 2024Nov 2026
Show as a table
| Last 24 months | Sightings |
|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | 99 |
| Jan 2025 | 38 |
| Feb 2025 | 19 |
| Mar 2025 | 11 |
| Apr 2025 | 8 |
| May 2025 | 21 |
| Jun 2025 | 11 |
| Jul 2025 | 18 |
| Aug 2025 | 6 |
| Sep 2025 | 20 |
| Oct 2025 | 12 |
| Nov 2025 | 13 |
| Dec 2025 | 10 |
| Jan 2026 | 10 |
| Feb 2026 | 11 |
| Mar 2026 | 15 |
| Apr 2026 | 9 |
| May 2026 | 12 |
| Jun 2026 | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | 15 |
| Aug 2026 | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 2026 | 2 |
| Nov 2026 | 0 |
12 am11 pm
Show as a table
| Time of day | Sightings |
|---|---|
| 12 am | 15 |
| 1 am | 21 |
| 2 am | 15 |
| 3 am | 18 |
| 4 am | 10 |
| 5 am | 16 |
| 6 am | 10 |
| 7 am | 6 |
| 8 am | 6 |
| 9 am | 12 |
| 10 am | 4 |
| 11 am | 6 |
| 12 pm | 9 |
| 1 pm | 8 |
| 2 pm | 7 |
| 3 pm | 14 |
| 4 pm | 12 |
| 5 pm | 21 |
| 6 pm | 36 |
| 7 pm | 43 |
| 8 pm | 43 |
| 9 pm | 65 |
| 10 pm | 35 |
| 11 pm | 23 |
JanDec
Show as a table
| Month of the year | Sightings |
|---|---|
| Jan | 91 |
| Feb | 90 |
| Mar | 73 |
| Apr | 58 |
| May | 98 |
| Jun | 97 |
| Jul | 109 |
| Aug | 84 |
| Sep | 105 |
| Oct | 86 |
| Nov | 82 |
| Dec | 166 |
Where
- United States779 68%
- Canada313 27%
- Mexico11 1%
- Switzerland11 1%
- Spain8 1%
- Italy3 0%
- Argentina1 0%
- Brazil1 0%
- New Zealand1 0%
- Denmark1 0%
- California575 50%
- Washington1 0%
- Florida1 0%
- New York1 0%
- Los Angeles, California83
- San Diego, California50
- Toronto, Canada31
- Vancouver, Canada25
- Southern California, United States20
What people saw
- White57
- Red56
- Black39
- Silver33
- Orange29
- Blue24
- Green24
- Multicolored20
- No ordinary match337
- Bright planet (possible)11
- Rocket launch5
- Starlink train (possible)3
- Rocket launch (possible)2
See all 1,139 sightings on a map → More reports
Counted from the sightings on this site, as reported — shapes, times and places are what witnesses said. Updated hourly.
Explore more
What’s that light?Identify a light in the sky tonight — planets, satellites, rockets, planesStarlink in the skyWhy a line of lights looks like a UFO, and when to see oneUAP explainedWhat UAP means — AARO, reports, laws, hearings and whistleblowersUFO newsThe latest UFO and UAP news, official releases and developmentsUFO videos & documentariesThe famous UFO videos and the documentaries, films and books about themArea 51The Nevada base at the centre of UFO lore — history, claims and sightings nearbySkinwalker RanchThe Utah ranch studied by government-funded researchers — history and claimsExplore by placeSightings in every country and US state — shaded maps, rankings and chartsCollectionsTopic deep dives: near nuclear sites, over water, Tic Tacs, triangles, pilot witnesses and moreWhat was that last night?Rocket launches, Starlink trains and fireballs that people reported as UFOsUFO waves & burstsWhen many people saw the same thing — mass sightings by place and date, on a mapOfficial UFO filesGovernment UFO files and releasesUAP EncyclopediaEvery case, person, program and place, with sourcesUAP TimelineDated events in UFO history from 1947, each with sourcesSightings mapEvery sighting with a place, on one map