Black triangle

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Contents 4
Black triangle
Illustration of a triangle of lights overhead
Illustration: a triangle of lights overhead. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.
TypeTerm
Also known asblack triangles, triangular UAP
On the Timeline3 events, 1990–1998

A black triangle is a type of UFO report describing a large, dark, triangular object, usually seen at night. Witnesses often say it is silent, moves slowly or hovers, and carries lights at its corners that may pulse or switch off. Reports have been explained in various ways, including aircraft flying in formation, flares, blimps and classified military aircraft.[1]

Notable reports

Illustration of official papers and files
Illustration: official papers and files. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.
  • 1960: a triangular formation of lights was reported over Tyneside, England, and a triangle over an aircraft plant in Santa Monica, California; the Californian sighting was attributed to a weather balloon.[1]
  • Hudson Valley, New York (1983–1984): hundreds of people reported V-shaped formations of lights; pilots said these were light aircraft flying in formation.[1]
  • Belgian UFO wave (1989–1992): witnesses described a silent, flat, triangular craft; two Belgian F-16 jets chased radar contacts but the pilots saw nothing, and a famous photograph from the wave was later revealed to be a hoax.[1]
  • Phoenix Lights (March 1997): witnesses saw a huge V-shaped group of lights; investigators identified A-10 aircraft and flares dropped during an exercise.[1]
  • Southern Illinois (January 2000): the "St. Clair Triangle" sighting was attributed by the Federal Aviation Administration to an advertising blimp.[1]
  • Tinley Park, Illinois (2004–2006): three red lights seen hovering on several dates.[1]
  • Stephenville, Texas (January 2008): about 40 people reported a large object, one pilot estimating it at half a mile wide and a mile long.[1]

Explanations

An F-35 Lightning II, marked AA-1, takes off Oct. 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The F-35 Integrated Test Force staff concluded an air-start…
An F-35 Lightning II, marked AA-1, takes off Oct. 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The F-35 Integrated Test Force staff concluded an air-start… Photo: U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

A declassified UK Ministry of Defence study completed in 2000, known as Project Condign, attributed most black-triangle reports to "buoyant plasmas" and suggested that groups of glowing objects could appear triangular; it was not peer-reviewed and its conclusions are disputed. A geographic analysis by the National Institute for Discovery Science suggested many reports were linked to U.S. Air Force aircraft, and some sightings cluster around Edwards Air Force Base in California. Claims about secret triangular aircraft such as the "TR-3A Black Manta" have little evidence behind them. More recently, geoscientist Ben McGee has suggested that drones with infrared lights may explain some reports.[1]

On the UAP Timeline

Christopher Mellon
Christopher Mellon Photo: Max Moszkowicz · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

References

This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.

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