⚡ Burst · Famous case

Phoenix Lights (1997)

The Phoenix Lights were a series of widely witnessed unidentified lights that appeared over Arizona and southern Nevada on the evening of March 13, 1997. The event involved two main occurrences: a V-shaped formation of lights in the early evening and a row of stationary or slow-falling lights in the Phoenix area later that night. Investigators and military officials explained the sightings as A-10 aircraft flying in formation and illumination flares dropped during training exercises, though various witnesses and former Governor Fife Symington rejected these explanations.

During this event, 136 different people reported 147 sightings in the area on this site. 70 of the 109 reports that name a shape describe a light. 118 include video.

🗓️ 13 March 1997 📍 Arizona, from the Nevada line through Phoenix to Tucson 147 reports136 different people 🎥 118 with video Busiest day: 13 Mar 1997 (7)

The full story

🛸 Case · 8 min readPhoenix LightsEncyclopedia article, with sourcesThe Phoenix Lights were a series of widely witnessed unidentified lights that appeared over Arizona and southern Nevada on the evening of March 13, 1997. The event involved two main occurrences: a V-shaped formation of lights in the early evening and a row of…

Map

Where each report was made. Tap a pin to open it.

Day by day

Reports per day — the busiest was 13 Mar 1997 with 7. Hover or tap a bar for its count.

12 Mar 199715 Apr 1998

What people saw

Shapes

Light70
Orb13
Triangle9
Formation5
Sphere3
Chevron2
Boomerang2
Cigar1

Colours

Orange8
White4
Red3
Silver3
Multicolored2
Black2
Green1
Grey1

Counted from the reports that name a shape or colour.

Every report (147)

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