Table of Contents
Arizona UFO Sightings Analysis
We analyzed all 227 UFO sighting reports in Arizona from 2020 to identify possible patterns and gain insight into the phenomenon:
- The most commonly reported UFO shape or appearance is "light" (65 reports, 28.63% of total).
- April is the month with the most reported UFO sightings (35 reports, 15.42% of total).
- Wednesday is the weekday with the most reported UFO sightings (47 reports, 20.70% of total).
- 04/15/20 is the single date with the most UFO sightings reported (9 reports, 3.96% of total).
- Sightings occur more often during the night, between the hours of 20:00 - 23:59 (91 reports, 40.09% of total).
Arizona UFO Sighting Reports in 2020
This is a sampling of 20 Arizona UFO reports from 2020, presented as they were submitted other than paragraph breaks added for easier readability where necessary.
You can click the 'Report' link to view the original report along with any photos that may have been submitted to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC).
Full Report Text:
orange light traveling east then slows, turns north and stops. 20 seconds later fades out On December 31st at about 21:00 hours I just finished dinner and walked outside and sat down on the patio. I noticed two aircraft flying in the southern sky from the west to east, one larger, higher up and further out and one smaller closer and lower in altitude.
Then out of the corner of my eye I saw another aircraft flying the same path in the space between the two other aircraft but behind. The speed of it did not seem out of the ordinary. This one got my attention.
I got up and walked out away from the patio and watched it. What caught my attention was it was orange with no other blinking lights as general aircraft would have. I was trying to see other lights on it and its altitude verses the other aircraft traveling the same path.
My initial thought was it was higher than both. Then I saw it slow and seemed to turn north but then stop. I thought only a helicopter can do that but its too high and no other lights can be seen on the aircraft.
Now I am wishing I had my camera. It stayed in that position for about 15 to 20 seconds then just faded out. My thoughts where it left the sky in a southern path directly in opposite line with my sight of it.
I have seen over the year’s flairs dropped during military exercised in the very distance and I have seen missiles launched also. This was neither. I stood and watched for about 10 minutes the area where the light faded out to see anything and nothing appeared, it was gone.
During the entire time of this sighting, I witnessed no sound from the aircraft. I am only making this report because of these facts, I have never seen anything like this in my 58 years. We live south east of Sky Harbor Airport and have seen large jets to small aircraft in our southern skies for 35 years.
The sky was clear, and this object traveled in a horizontal path with no discernable arch.
Full Report Text:
Glowing Sphere over roof tops at Merrill Ranch in Florence AZ Driving on our way home in the early evening on Hunt Highway southbound nearing the Florence Hospital. About 1.5 miles away after passing the butte formations, my wife and I immediately noticed a glowing orange-red “jelly bean” shaped sphere hovering over the southern end of Merrill Ranch Sun City residential development near the Police and Fire Station.
We have a lot of air traffic in the area for PHX and nearby AZA. The AZA air traffic is mainly student pilots flying light aircraft at about 5,000 feet (night and day) right over Merrill Ranch and are easily heard from their engine noise and located with their lighting. So when we saw an aerial object not making any noise and stationary it has a high strangeness to us that cannot be ignored.
The glowing sphere was so out of place due to its very low altitude, color and lack of noise such as a medical helicopter would make from the Hospital or an Army Helicopter from the nearby military reservation. Normally the Army Helicopters would fly much higher, i.e.
, 3-5,000 feet AGL. As I made a left turn eastbound off Hunt Highway to a side street. My wife reacted with mounting concern because the object was not moving and it seemed to get a little larger as we were closing distance to it.
So I slowed down to about 10 MPH and she rolled down her window and stared at it for about 30-40 seconds looking south and it was silently stationary at 75-100 feet above the roof tops. We noticed that there were a lot of dogs barking in the neighborhood. At the time we thought it was due to coyotes running through the neighborhood, but in hindsight it may be related to the observed object.
At this point she had the only view of it and told me it decreased its color temperature to a dull rusty red color and then just disappeared. We were 800 feet down range from its position and It seemed to notice that people were observing it. I have had a prior close encounter in November 2020 and this object may be the same one from November.
I will report that separate. The weather at Merrill Ranch was clear skies, some low level dust/haze, cool temperatures in the upper 40’s with light and variable winds from the northwest at about 5-15 knots. I am a former U.
S. Military Service Member with combat experience and my wife is a career management professional. The event left both of us with an uneasy feeing, that something so quiet could silently creep through a populated residential area virtually undetected.
Full Report Text:
White glowing tictac or cigar shaped craft spinning completely silent heading north in the surprise AZ sky We don’t get rain to often in Phoenix and it’s surrounding suburbs but that particular day it was overcast and I was in my backyard looking East when I noticed an unusual objected spinning in the air that had a white glow to the entire thing and was tictac or cigar shaped and had no hard edges it was completely smooth and round on every corner. It immured a white light from the entire object all what would be considered its 6 sides (top, bottom, left side, right side, front and back) it also made no noise what so ever and was heading north. The city of surprise sits about a thousand feet higher in elevation to the entire phoenix valley and surrounding suburbs so you can see the entire valley and sky for over 100 miles.
I’m located near a air force base and see Air Force jets daily and nightly flying around the area and towards the valley and because you can see the entire valley and the skies above it you can also see the commercial airliners who get in line! for landing and after take off that takes place to the east of me approximately 15-20 miles and living out here the last 17 years it’s very easy to identify both the commercial planes along with the air force jets. The craft I saw looked nothing like any of the commercial or Air Force planes I’ve ever seen as this object omitted a glow around the entire object and spinning so you could see the long side of it and the smaller side as it rotated and again omitted a glow from all 4 sides of it. It was in the shape of a tictac or cigar shape where it was long on the sides and half the length on the other two sides and appeared to be completely rounded on all the corners.
It also made no noise what so ever and living here for 17 years you know when the planes are out because you hear them before you see them always. It was traveling North and that made no sense as NO aircraft that I have ever witnessed has traveled North from where this object was sighted, you will see the jets! fly east and then turn north for a brief moment to start head! ing west towards the base again but this object was way to far west and way to high up to be a jet and again it looked nothing like them what so ever. The object continued north for approximately one minute and twenty seconds I recorded it and have the film of the object at which point I lost sight of it due to the roof of the house so I immediately went out front to see continue to recorded the object as it headed North however it was gone and had completely disappeared after that, I stayed out front and looked for the object for over 15 min with no sign of it.
This object caught my attention because of its glow and the way it was spinning, when both commercial planes and air force jets are in the air they are dark and often look black against the blue sky and especially against a white/light grey sky like it was that day and this object was the complete opposite. I’m a avid sky watcher and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a UAP or an object that I couldn’t say was either the ! Air Force jets or a commercial airliner or even a small personal aircraft this object looked nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before.
Full Report Text:
White light duplicating itself in a pattern While driving east on the I-10 between Quartsite and Salome, after passing the mountains, I looked north and seen a bright light in a fixed position in the sky. It split and an exact duplicate of it moved west of it and immediately stopped. The original light then disappeared.
I lowered my window to make sure it wasn't a reflection and at that time, the new positioned light then split up and did the same exact thing, duplicated itself and the prior light disappeared as well. This continued for about 10 seconds and then it completely disappeared. I travel this area often and can confirm it wasn't on a mountain and was in the sky.
It appeared to be a mile away but was hard to judge distance. The duplication it made was in a perfect pattern. The only time I noticed movement was when it was duplicating.
Otherwise it appeared to be paused in a fixed position. The only thing I can compare this to is the intro of older James Bond movies, where there is a white ligh! t duplicated across the screen. Sort of similar but with more of a pause.
Full Report Text:
Two sets of three Red Lights in Western sky that appeared and disappeared 10-15° above the Horizon. Walking my dog after sunset. Saw one three red light in the West.
Didn’t think much of it until the three lights started fading while at the some time three different red lights appeared lower and to the south of the fading lights. The relative distance between the lights was significant and though at the time I should have heard something if it was an aircraft. I heard nothing.
Watched the second set of lights for a minute until they faded too. The lights configuration was middle light slightly higher than the two other lights were slightly lower and equal distance from center light. I waited for maybe 5 minutes for them to return but they didn’t.
Heard no noise. The lights were approximately 10-15 degrees above ground. There are no mountains or roads at that height above the flat Terrane of the Quartsite BLM area that’s 6 miles north of Quartsite, AZ.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 53.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 53.
Full Report Text:
Bubble lights a bunch of bubbles flying through the sky with 2 little lights in the middle of them. There were about two hundred and they didn’t pop like a bubble and hovered and came down from very high in the sky? Very weird. Kinda freaking out.
Some hovered others flew very fast.
Full Report Text:
Strange lights over several hous. Over the past 7 days we have had multiple lights hover, move erratically, flash, disappear and reappear. This goes on for hours.
Photo and video has been taken. At first we thought it was Border Patrol flying drones near our ranch, but it could not have been possible due to the duration and movement of the lights. Also, we have had several strange Government Vehicles from either the NSA or Homeland Security in 3 to 7 vehicle convoys spotted every morning driving to the area of our ranch.
We are very secluded and very rural. The lights are near the Dragoon mountains which are 4 miles from our Ranch.
Full Report Text:
3 bright Spheres in a line north to south When exiting I-19 at exit #56 observed 3 bright glowing spheres in a line from north to south in close proximity to each other. Looking through my windshield at about one o'clock at an approximate altitude of 3 to 4 thousand feet, as I entered the round about they when south at a great speed. I was able to pull over on W Canoa Rd and saw them in the south scattered and intermittently flashing and randomly flitting from here to there.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 74.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 53.
Full Report Text:
Seen at first as a stationary single point of bright red light, against blue sky, then as changing colors of red, white and black Two of us saw, at first a stationary single point of bright red light against blue sky, then as changing colors of red, white and black, as if it was falling and tumbling while stationary at the low flight level over city at 4:50 pm on 12/12/2020 to the east of our house. Then, it blinked out with no sound and no trail. We saw and heard a plane, coming from the west, go over to the same low flight level spot in the sky, three to five minutes later.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 53.
Full Report Text:
MADAR Node 74.
Full Report Text:
A series of unusual lights seen in the Southern skies of Tucson At 3A and unable to.sleep i decided to take a walk and see if that would calm my mind. I always look up.
at the sky.looking for.stars, watching.
aircraft from the airbase, spotting satellites, and identifying.the large number of.drones that are being used in our skies.
I pretty much know what lights are requiired and where they must.be placed on aircraft and drones.my hobby.
has.been.all.
about identifying these things. I noticed two propeller driven aircraft approach from the west in the flightpath to.the airforce base.
I then noticed two lights.some.type of craft with only a simgular light that appeared to be rotating and.
changing color very quickly from red to blue to orange, then green and back.to red. They also had the appearance of blinking, but.
it was not in a synchronous pattern as one would see in all aircraft. These lights quickly.came.
from the east and.then positioned.themselves above and.
below where.the.aircraft would pass.
As.the.aircraft gr! ew close to.
these lights.they both disappeared, only.to reappear after the aircraft had passed.
These lights.then moved erratically, hovering at times. Eventuly.
both went to an area of the sky that was about five miles east of where.they had been. The southernmost light divided and became two lights.
the southernmost light rapidly.accelerated towards Mexico. The two.
lights then proceeded to do a dance.at times.touching.
and moving up towards the level where cirrus clouds could.be seen. The last time they.
hovered just under the.cloud and one could barely see that.there were apx ten other lights.
just above the cloud dancing as well. One light.then disaapeared, the other drifted in a.
drunkenly manner towards the northeast. Nothing else appeared, and it was now 0400. At 6A i went.
back outside just in time to see a similar object enter my field of view and quickly head west were when it reached the Tucson Mountains began to follow the crest if.this small range.northward.
Upon reaching the location of Wasson Peak (highest point.of the range) it gave a brilliant white flash and dissapeared. I sited one other.
odd object during.this.time.
The constellation Orion was low.in the Southwestern sky heading.for its.
setting. I noticed what appeared to be a sattelite moving towards the.northeast, i.
noticed it when it was passing over an orange colored star, both being perhaps 20 degrees to the north of Bettelguese. As i had been looking at Orion i found it odd that the trajectory of.this.
sattelite meant it.had come through.the field if view looking at Orion.
I should have seen it there, but did not. I then noticed that this orange star was.moving.
very slowly.i checked Orion to see.how.
fa! st it was moving towards he horizon. It was moving much slower.than the.
orange star.Orion also.was moving.
in a straight trajectory towards the west. This.star moved in an.
erratic pattern towards WSW.not the direction nor speed that all.stars would.
be seen as doing. I decided it.was time to.
head.in and get ready for.the.
day, so.i did.not see anything elae.
Full Report Text:
Flickering light stops in mid air and starts to shine really bright and ultimately disappears. Went outside and saw a flickering light (red and white) moving from east to west pretty slowly when all of the sudden it stopped in mid air and the light got really bright (white) for about a minute, then it started moving back the direction it came from until it faded away. I can say the aircraft was flying relatively low and the movement was not that of a plane.
Full Report Text:
Glowing balls Left to run to the store at 9:27 pm as I’m walking to my car I glance over and something catches my eye but I thought I must have been tripping because it looked like my neighbors tree was on fire but when I focused I thought it was just an amber street light shining thru but once I got in my truck and to the stop sign the huge amber glowing ball which I then thought was a plane on fire was just chilling with me it was fading in and out moving fairly slow compared to the helicopter that flew by it which I originally thought was there to help (idk what I was thinking my brain was everywhere) a car pulled up behind me and I had to move I had been filming it so I moved and then I couldn’t get my video back on and as I looked up there as another one! Even bigger and seemed closer they both flew slowly west then zoomed out south and disappeared with one still flickering occasionally. I should mention I’ve been seeing several of these every day since and other que! stionable things I can’t really explain but I have lots of video!.
Full Report Text:
2 red orbs , followed by i bright orange,creeping across sky,evenly spaced I-was driving north on rt. 66, 10 miles out of Kingman Az, ahead, over and beyond the music mountain range. I spotted 2 red twinkling lights and a much brighter orange light taking up the rear.
The 3 lights, at arms length, were approx.1/2-3/4 inch apart evenly spaced,traveling west to east in a straight line,moving very slow. I stopped the car, we watched it for nearly 10 min as it slowly faded out in what now appeared a east northeast direction.
as the lights were now at a sight angle and fading fast in the direction of the Grand Canyon.I would guess it was at east 20 -30 miles away.never seen anything like it before.
Full Report Text:
Walking on golf course in Seville neighborhood, formation of lights going in circular rotation, too lights disappearing although no clouds. Started with 2 rows of lights and then on row. Hard to explain so I drew it from memory when I returned from my walk.
Unfortunately left my phone home. Slow rotation, perfectly spaced out lights in uniform. My dog was off the leash and wasn’t responding strange just wanted to go home before our usual route was over.
Arizona UFO Sightings From 2020 By Shape
This is a standardized set of shapes a UFO report can be filed under.
Shape / Appearance | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
Light | 65 reported sightings | 28.63% of all reports |
Circle | 24 reported sightings | 10.57% of all reports |
Triangle | 14 reported sightings | 6.17% of all reports |
Sphere | 14 reported sightings | 6.17% of all reports |
Oval | 12 reported sightings | 5.29% of all reports |
Formation | 11 reported sightings | 4.85% of all reports |
Disk | 10 reported sightings | 4.41% of all reports |
Other | 10 reported sightings | 4.41% of all reports |
Fireball | 9 reported sightings | 3.96% of all reports |
Unknown | 8 reported sightings | 3.52% of all reports |
Changing | 7 reported sightings | 3.08% of all reports |
Rectangle | 5 reported sightings | 2.20% of all reports |
Flash | 4 reported sightings | 1.76% of all reports |
Cigar | 4 reported sightings | 1.76% of all reports |
Diamond | 2 reported sightings | 0.88% of all reports |
Egg | 1 reported sightings | 0.44% of all reports |
Cross | 1 reported sightings | 0.44% of all reports |
Arizona UFO Sightings From 2020 By Month
This data point is an aggregation of all UFO reports by the month the sighting occured in.
Month | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
April | 35 reported sightings | 15.42% of all reports |
March | 27 reported sightings | 11.89% of all reports |
May | 27 reported sightings | 11.89% of all reports |
December | 22 reported sightings | 9.69% of all reports |
February | 17 reported sightings | 7.49% of all reports |
July | 17 reported sightings | 7.49% of all reports |
January | 16 reported sightings | 7.05% of all reports |
June | 16 reported sightings | 7.05% of all reports |
November | 15 reported sightings | 6.61% of all reports |
September | 14 reported sightings | 6.17% of all reports |
October | 13 reported sightings | 5.73% of all reports |
August | 8 reported sightings | 3.52% of all reports |
Arizona UFO Sightings From 2020 By Weekday
This data point is an aggregation of all UFO reports by the day of the week the sighting occured on.
Weekday | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
Wednesday | 47 reported sightings | 20.70% of all reports |
Tuesday | 34 reported sightings | 14.98% of all reports |
Thursday | 33 reported sightings | 14.54% of all reports |
Friday | 31 reported sightings | 13.66% of all reports |
Sunday | 30 reported sightings | 13.22% of all reports |
Saturday | 27 reported sightings | 11.89% of all reports |
Monday | 25 reported sightings | 11.01% of all reports |
Arizona UFO Sightings From 2020 By Date (Top 5)
This data point is an aggregation of all UFO reports by the date the sighting occured on, limited to the top 5 dates with the most sightings.
Date | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
04/15/20 | 9 reported sightings | 3.96% of all reports |
04/17/20 | 6 reported sightings | 2.64% of all reports |
03/23/20 | 5 reported sightings | 2.20% of all reports |
04/16/20 | 3 reported sightings | 1.32% of all reports |
06/02/20 | 3 reported sightings | 1.32% of all reports |
Arizona UFO Sightings From 2020 By Time
This data point is an aggregation of all UFO reports by the time of day the sighting occured during. We took logical 4 hour windows in order to split the day into early morning, morning, afternoon, evening, night, and late night buckets for this analysis.
Time Of Day | Hours | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|---|
Night | 20:00 - 23:59 | 91 reported sightings | 40.09% of all reports |
Evening | 16:00 - 19:59 | 50 reported sightings | 22.03% of all reports |
Early morning | 04:00 - 07:59 | 33 reported sightings | 14.54% of all reports |
Late night | 00:00 - 03:59 | 28 reported sightings | 12.33% of all reports |
Morning | 08:00 - 11:59 | 16 reported sightings | 7.05% of all reports |
Afternoon | 12:00 - 15:59 | 9 reported sightings | 3.96% of all reports |
All Arizona Cities with reported UFO sightings in 2020
These are running counts of how many UFO sighting reports were filed per city in Arizona, in 2020
Other Years with Reported UFO Sightings in Arizona
These are running counts of how many UFO sighting reports are filed per year in Arizona.