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Field guides / Skywatching

UFO and UAP skywatching: a field guide

Most lights in the sky have boring answers, and that's the point: once you can rule out the satellites, planes, planets and lanterns in a few minutes, the ones left over get a lot more interesting.

8 min readPrintable checklistsUpdated October 2026

The approach: rule things out fast

The sky is busier than it has ever been. Thousands of satellites, constant air traffic, drones, balloons and rocket launches mean the first question is always "what ordinary thing could this be?" The good news: with a phone and a few free tools, you can answer that in minutes.

  1. Watch it, and start recording with the widest view that still shows it.
  2. Note the time, direction and height above the horizon (see the hand trick below).
  3. Check a flight tracker for aircraft at that spot.
  4. Check a satellite tracker and a sky app for satellites, the space station and planets.
  5. Check launches, balloons and drones if it's still unexplained.
  6. Whatever's left, write it up properly and report it.

Where and when to watch

Key

Get away from the glow

City light washes out everything faint. A light pollution map shows where the dark is. Even 30 to 60 miles from a city makes a huge difference.

Dark Sky Places

Parks and reserves certified by DarkSky International have protected night skies, and many welcome night visitors. Check opening hours and parking rules first; some close at dusk.

A wide-open view

Hilltops, big fields, lakeshores and desert flats. You want horizon all the way round, because most odd lights are reported low in the sky.

The right time

The two hours after sunset and before sunrise are the busiest: satellites are still lit by the sun while the ground is dark. That's also when most "UFO" reports happen, for the same reason.

Clear and calm

Check cloud cover with a forecast app built for astronomers (cloud layers, transparency, "seeing"). The moon matters too: a full moon drowns faint objects.

Be a good guest

Get permission for private land, check park hours and overnight rules, stay well off roadsides, and keep clear of airports and military bases. Flying a drone at night or near an airport has its own rules: see the FAA's B4UFLY (in Canada, Transport Canada's drone rules). Drones are banned in US national parks without written permission.

Apps and tools that rule things out

To check forUseTip
Planes and helicoptersFlightradar24, FlightAware, ADS-B ExchangeUse the playback feature to check the exact minute later. ADS-B Exchange shows many military and private flights that other apps hide. Not every aircraft broadcasts, so "nothing on the tracker" isn't proof.
Satellites and StarlinkHeavens-Above, satellite tracker apps, satellitemap.space, N2YOHeavens-Above can predict Starlink passes for your exact location. On some daily pass lists you need to untick "exclude Starlink".
The space stationNASA Spot the StationGives the time, direction and height of every visible pass where you are.
Planets and bright starsStellarium, or any sky app that uses your phone's compassHold your phone up to the light. If the app shows Venus or Jupiter there, you've got your answer.
Rocket launchesNext SpaceflightLaunches from Florida and California create huge glowing plumes visible hundreds of miles away at twilight.
DronesRemote ID scanner apps (Android, for example Drone Scanner)Registered drones in the US generally must broadcast Remote ID. A scanner app can pick it up if you're close enough.
FireballsAmerican Meteor SocietyIf others saw the same bright meteor, it's probably already in their fireball log.

Measuring the sky with your hand

"It was about 30 degrees up and moved 20 degrees in ten seconds" is worth far more than "it was high up and fast". Hold your arm straight out and use your hand as a ruler. It works for most adults because people with longer arms tend to have bigger hands.

Approximate angles at arm's length: little finger 1 degree, three fingers 5 degrees, fist 10 degrees, spread hand 20 to 25 degrees; the full moon is half a degree 1°little finger 5°three fingers 10°fist 20–25°thumb to little finger full moon½° At arm's length. Horizon to straight overhead = 90°, or nine fists.
Rough but repeatable. Note the height when you first saw it and when it vanished, and roughly how big it looked compared with the full moon, which covers only about half a degree.

The usual suspects

These explain the large majority of night-sky reports. Each one has a tell.

Looks likeA line of lights moving in single fileA Starlink train. Fresh batches of satellites travel in a neat string for a few days after launch, silently and steadily, often near dusk or dawn. They get fainter and spread out as they climb to their working orbit. Check Heavens-Above or a satellite app for recent launches.
Looks likeA steady star sliding across the skyA satellite, or the space station if it's very bright. No blinking, no sound, steady speed, crossing in a few minutes. Satellites often fade out mid-sky as they enter Earth's shadow. Some tumbling rocket bodies flash on and off as they turn.
Looks likeA brilliant light hovering low over the horizonVenus, or Jupiter. Venus can be the brightest thing in the sky after the moon, sitting low in the west after sunset or the east before dawn. Low down, the air makes it flicker and flash colours. It "follows" your car because it's so far away. A sky app settles it in seconds.
Looks likeA twinkling star changing coloursA bright star near the horizon, often Sirius or Capella. The turbulent air low down splits the light into red, green and blue flashes. Binoculars make it look even stranger.
Looks likeOrange lights drifting in a group, then going outSky lanterns (Chinese lanterns). They glow and flicker orange, drift with the wind, rise slowly and wink out one by one. Common after weddings, festivals and holidays. Check the wind direction.
Looks likeA hovering light that darts and stopsA drone. Coloured navigation lights, a strobe, stopping and starting, sometimes a faint buzz. Some light shows use hundreds. A Remote ID scanner app may pick it up.
Looks likeA bright light that hangs still for agesA plane flying toward you. Landing lights on an aircraft heading your way look like a stationary bright star for minutes. Check a flight tracker, and wait: it'll eventually turn or pass with blinking lights.
Looks likeA glowing sphere high up at sunrise or sunsetA balloon. Weather services launch balloons twice a day from sites across North America, and research and hobby balloons fly too. At twilight they catch sunlight high up while the ground is dark, glowing like a silver orb.
Looks likeSeveral bright orange lights hanging in a row, slowly droppingMilitary flares, dropped on parachutes during training near ranges and bases. They burn for a few minutes and fade out in sequence.
Looks likeA huge glowing cloud, jellyfish or spiralA rocket launch or a fuel dump, lit by the sun high above you at twilight. Check the launch schedule.
Looks likeA fast streak that breaks up, maybe with coloursA meteor or fireball. Seconds long at most. Report it to the American Meteor Society; other witnesses help pin down its path.
Looks likeOrbs in a photo you didn't see with your eyesDust, raindrops, pollen or insects lit by your flash or IR light, or a lens reflection of a bright light in the frame. If you didn't see it at the time, it's almost always this.

Cameras and settings

Lights in a black sky are hard to film, and a lone blob with no reference is close to useless. Aim for steady footage that shows something else for comparison: the horizon, a tree, a rooftop or a few stars.

Phone

Shoot video, not night mode

Night-mode photos combine several seconds of frames and smear or invent moving lights. Use video on the main (1x) lens. Brace the phone on a car roof, a post or a cheap tripod. Tap and hold on the light to lock focus and exposure, then pull exposure down so the light isn't a blown-out blob.

Don't zoom in digitally

Digital zoom just magnifies blur and noise, and it removes the stars and landmarks you need. Zoom later on a copy.

Camera

DSLR or mirrorless

Wide lens at its widest aperture (f/2.8 or lower), manual focus set on a bright star, ISO 1600 to 3200, tripod. Video at the camera's best low-light setting; stills in RAW.

Long exposures are a lie detector

A 10 to 20 second exposure on a tripod turns movement into lines. A plane makes a dotted line (its strobes). A satellite makes a smooth, even line. A meteor makes a short streak that brightens then fades.

Binoculars

7x50 or 10x50 binoculars are the best value tool here. A "strange light" often turns into a plane's lights, a balloon or a drone in an instant.

An all-sky camera

Keen watchers leave a wide-angle camera running all night pointing up, the same way meteor networks do. It never blinks, and it catches things you weren't looking at.

Time matters

Your phone clock is set by the network and is accurate. A separate camera's clock can be minutes out, which ruins a check against flight or satellite trackers. Photograph your phone's clock with the camera at the start of the night so you can correct it later.

Skywatching kit

Gear

Apps ready offline

What to write down

Write it while you're watching if you can; dictate it into a voice memo if your hands are full. Print the card below and keep it in the car.

Sighting notes card

When and where

What it did

Where to report a sighting

  • Encounter AtlasPut it on our map, with your photos and video
  • American Meteor SocietyFor fireballs and bright meteors
  • AAROThe US Defense Department's UAP office. Its reporting form has been aimed at current and former government personnel; check the site for current options

Pilots report to air traffic control as usual. For what makes any report hold up, see how to write a credible report, and browse 10,000+ historical cases in the Air Force Blue Book files.

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Who you might be looking for

Orbs and lightsaka Balls of light, Foo fightersGlowing balls of light that pace aircraft, dance over deserts or hang in the night sky.Black triangleaka Flying triangle, Triangular UFOHuge, silent, dark triangles with lights at each corner.Tic Tac UAPaka Nimitz encounter, FLIR1The white, wingless object that US Navy pilots tracked from the USS Nimitz in 2004.Flying sauceraka Disc, Flying discThe classic disc-shaped UFO that launched the modern era of sightings.