📊 Analysis

Splitting & merging — an analysis

What 263 reports of splitting & merging have in common: when and where they are seen, shapes, colours, how long they last and what the sky shows — compared with all UFO sightings.

263 sightings🎥 165 with video33 in the last 12 months🗓️ 1938–2026

What stands out

  • 56% of splitting & merging 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 61 reports.
  • 36% come from the United States.
  • The Sky match explains 4% of the splitting & merging it has checked (a launch, satellite, fireball, planet or plane), against 6% of all sightings.
  • The most-reported shape is light (42).

When

Sightings per year
19382026
Show as a table
Sightings per yearSightings
19381
19390
19400
19410
19420
19431
19440
19450
19460
19470
19480
19490
19500
19510
19520
19530
19540
19550
19560
19570
19580
19590
19600
19610
19620
19631
19640
19651
19660
19670
19681
19690
19700
19710
19721
19731
19740
19750
19760
19772
19780
19790
19800
19810
19820
19830
19840
19850
19860
19871
19880
19890
19901
19910
19920
19930
19940
19950
19961
19970
19981
19990
20000
20010
20020
20030
20040
20051
20060
20070
20082
20091
20100
20111
20120
20135
20141
20151
20162
20170
20180
20195
20206
20218
202213
202353
202461
202561
202628
Last 24 months
Dec 2024Nov 2026
Show as a table
Last 24 monthsSightings
Dec 202420
Jan 202511
Feb 20253
Mar 20255
Apr 20252
May 20253
Jun 20253
Jul 20252
Aug 20255
Sep 202510
Oct 20258
Nov 20257
Dec 20252
Jan 20262
Feb 20265
Mar 20262
Apr 20262
May 20264
Jun 20265
Jul 20263
Aug 20263
Sep 20262
Oct 20260
Nov 20260
Time of day local time
12 am11 pm
Show as a table
Time of daySightings
12 am7
1 am2
2 am4
3 am5
4 am1
5 am3
6 am2
7 am0
8 am0
9 am1
10 am0
11 am2
12 pm0
1 pm1
2 pm1
3 pm0
4 pm5
5 pm5
6 pm7
7 pm7
8 pm5
9 pm12
10 pm11
11 pm7
Month of the year
JanDec
Show as a table
Month of the yearSightings
Jan25
Feb20
Mar16
Apr16
May21
Jun18
Jul19
Aug21
Sep29
Oct25
Nov21
Dec31

Where

Top towns and cities
  • Pacifica, California4
  • Phoenix, Arizona4
  • Nuremberg, Germany3
  • Roswell, New Mexico3
  • Rendlesham Forest, United Kingdom2

What people saw

Shapes
Colours
  • White27
  • Orange19
  • Red16
  • Black11
  • Silver9
  • Multicolored8
  • Yellow6
  • Green6
What the Sky match found
  • No ordinary match74
  • Starlink train (possible)1
  • Bright planet (possible)1
  • Rocket launch1

See all 263 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

GalleryBrowseFeedBoardsStatsFavorites Guides What’s that light?Starlink in the skyUAP explainedUFO newsUFO videos & documentariesArea 51Skinwalker RanchExplore by placeData reportsCollectionsWhat was that last night?UFO waves & burstsOfficial UFO files