The Phoenix Lights were an alien spacecraft
| The Phoenix Lights were an alien spacecraft | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in Arizona saw a giant alien craft fly over Phoenix, and the government covered it up." | |
| Domain | Paranormal & Supernatural |
| Tactic | False Context Conspiracy Theory |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | March 1997 |
| Origin | Mass sightings over Arizona on the evening of March 13, 1997, later promoted in books and documentaries |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Paranormal & Supernatural | |
The Phoenix Lights were sightings of lights over Arizona on March 13, 1997, reported by thousands of people. They are often described as a single giant craft. There were two separate events. The later row of glowing lights over Phoenix was identified as flares dropped by Maryland Air National Guard aircraft on a training exercise. The earlier V-shaped formation seen across the state is widely attributed to aircraft flying in formation.
The claim
Witnesses described a silent, mile-wide craft blotting out the stars.
What the evidence shows
- Flares. The Air National Guard said A-10 aircraft dropped long-burning illumination flares over the Barry M. Goldwater Range during "Operation Snowbird." Video analysis matched the lights' positions to the range behind the Estrella Mountains.
- Formation. Some observers with telescopes reported seeing individual aircraft in the earlier formation.
- Perception. Separate lights at night can easily be perceived as a single solid object.
Sources
- The Arizona Republic, coverage of the Phoenix Lights and the Air National Guard flare explanation, 1997.
- Wikipedia, "Phoenix Lights."