Table of Contents
Utah UFO Sightings Analysis
We analyzed all 1,519 UFO sighting reports in Utah to identify possible patterns and gain insight into the phenomenon:
- The most commonly reported UFO shape or appearance is "light" (326 reports, 21.46% of total).
- August is the month with the most reported UFO sightings (206 reports, 13.56% of total).
- Saturday is the weekday with the most reported UFO sightings (256 reports, 16.85% of total).
- 07/27/16 is the single date with the most UFO sightings reported (20 reports, 1.32% of total).
- 2012 is the year with the most UFO sightings reported (112 reports, 7.37% of total).
- Sightings occur more often during the night, between the hours of 20:00 - 23:59 (727 reports, 47.86% of total).
20 Most Recent UFO Sightings in Utah
These Utah UFO reports are 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:
Had my camera with me when I spotted this object moving back and forth in the sky changing colors as well At around 10:20 PM GMT I saw this green ball of light come into view from behind my neighbors house, it was moving back and forth in the sky and stood stationary at times. Not very fast much slower than the planes I usually see departing or landing at the airport. I then noticed the ball shifting from green to red to this white and golden color started picking up a little speed and went over Mount Timpanogos disappearing behind the horizon of the mountains.
it was fairly close to the mountain as well went right above and past the peak of the mountain. Checked the provo airport flight list only one plane left at that time and it was going to Los Angeles so it went south west of me and wouldn't be visible. One plane landed but it was at 10:17 pm so a couple minutes before my sighting.
Full Report Text:
Two lights star or satellite like over 45 min. Was going to my car with my husband and saw what looked like a star or satellite slowly moving above all the air traffic. I left then came back to the same light and it was slowly zigzaging across the sky.
Then my husband spotted a second one moving even slower but the same distance.
Full Report Text:
Outside at about 3 or 4 AM, notice flying object in sky. Barely visible, only illuminated by the moonlight. At around 3 in the morning, my smart lock started beeping for low battery so I got up to turn it off.
Couldn't figure out how, went to the other side(outside) to mess with it and noticed something flying in the air. I could barely see it, it had no lights or sound but the moon was enough to illuminate it. The object was flying fast, and also perfectly straight on a heading for the first few seconds.
After watching it for a few more seconds, it starting moving around erratically and changing directions real fast. The movement almost reminded me of a Lazer dot, how it was moving around so fast with instant direction changes. I went to go get my phone and then it was gone.
The shape this object had was exactly identical to another UFO my neighbors and I saw in the same exact spot, earlier in the summer. We were having a BBQ when a neighbor pointed it out. I was able to successfully capture a photo of this one(attached below).
The thing was hovering in place perfectly still for a few minutes. Maybe 1000ft up, perfect tic tac shape. Went to get some brisket and then it was finally gone when I looked up one last time.
Full Report Text:
Viewed a small red circle moving behind a cloud, when it emerged into clear skies it turned white before disappearing. Noticed a red circle moving behind a cloud, small but not just a point of a light source, but a circle. No flashing and did not appear to be a plane or drone or helicopter, all of which are common to see over Moab.
When it emerged from the cloud it turned white. Then it disappeared in clear skies and did not reappear. It was a bigger light source than your average aircraft moving at the pace and elevation it was at, maintained small circle shape.
Full Report Text:
I was walking to school and seen something and it was a grey ship that was changing with red lights.
Full Report Text:
Seen with the naked eye. Cigar shaped white light that was vertical. The light was not pulsating and there was no other flashing lights on it.
It seemed to be Northwest of the location provided; Around Bear River Bay in the Great Salt Lake. I watched it for 40 minutes before going inside, I'm not sure how long it was there before or after I witnessed it.
Full Report Text:
Lights don’t set behind eastern mountains in the morning Bright object caught my eye out the window. Initially, it looked like plane exhaust, but seemed much farther and too wide of a tail. Slightly bent, between straight and fingernail shape.
Through my telescope, the tail did not expand nor dissipate nor change size and was apparently setting behind eastern mountains. No comets have been reported to be visible.
Full Report Text:
Unidentified lights flying above. I did not see these live. These lights were caught on my Ring doorbell camera and I noticed this four hours after it had happened.
Four bright lights flying, no noise and fading one at a time and three of the lights were flying in a triangular motion. No other reports of sighting from local news websites.
Full Report Text:
About six lights in alignment with lighted straight line connecting each one. I do not know how many objects it was. There appeared to be about six lights in a row that were connected to each other by lighted straight lines.
It disappeared instantly after about five seconds of noticing it. I wondered if it was a reflection, but it was dark, the moon had not risen above the horizon, and there were few vehicles around me. I was traveling at about 8:00 p.
m. northbound on Interstate 15 just north of Holden, Utah, Millard County. I can submit a drawing if desired.
Full Report Text:
Looks like a weird unscheduled launch from a weird angle for the closest base Saw what looked like a weird cylindrical tube in the clouds, watched it and looked like we launched something but it was coming from a weird angle to be from the closest known military base and the scale was weird, as well as the following aerial phenomena. I took video. Maybe nothing but was really weird.
Around 7:15 or so in the morning local time. Do not release my name but you may contact me if needed.
Full Report Text:
Streak of light heading down. 4 days later streak of light heading up toward 3 red lights in triangle formation. 1st sighting, 10/9/2023, 7:32am (cell phone time stamp) - looked like a comet heading downward.
Eastern sky. Lasted 7-10 mins. before disappearing behind mountain.
2nd sighting, 10/13/2023 7:31am (cell phone time stamp) - light streak heading upward. Above traffic light. 7:35am photo taken at angle - 3 red lights in triangle formation above light streak visible.
Full Report Text:
I have been spotting a round light around 6:20-6:50 on my morning walk to work for about two weeks now. I have been seeing this stationary light in the west sky from south salt lake for about two weeks now. The light seems to be bouncing within a shadow behind it and seems to almost pulsate different colors.
Unfortunately I cant seem to catch the shadow with my iphone. Today a small light seems to fly in from the left side of the screen bounce up past the main light and almost take a right turn up and to the left and then disappears. The first two videos are form today 10/09/2023 and the third video and picture are from September 21st.
Full Report Text:
A storm was coming in so the coloring of the sky was beautiful. I was at the front door looking at the sky when I spotted it There was a very bright cigar shaped object in the sky above the houses. I was facing north.
There was a storm coming in. It did not move. I watched for about 4 minutes and it was motionless.
Took 3 pics, went to get binocs when I came back it was gone.
Full Report Text:
Object seen going from the south to the north east A white orb sting from the my backyard and it was still pretty close that I knew it was not an airplane. It didn’t have any flashing lights or really loud noise. It’s pretty quiet.
I like to hear was crickets in the backyard and as it was flying by I was saying that I could see you and it slowly turned off like I could not see any more like his lights went dim, but you can still kind of family see it.
Full Report Text:
My 7 year old took a picture of this fireball he saw in the sky. By the time he came inside to show us it was gone. 7 year old and his friend noticed a fireball in the sky while jumping on the trampoline.
It was just before sunset. They took pictures and ran in to tell us but when we went to look it was gone.
Full Report Text:
Every night around 11:30 PM. they have disabled my truck. I'm on a different job site so they are not doing anything at the distance I'm at.
This has been going on for weeks. At another job site, a few weeks ago, they were brighter and more numerous. You can see in the video they are moving in a circle.
They are not as steady as the video shows. They move like fireflies, and I almost got video of them going high to low. They changed course once I started recording.
Full Report Text:
From what I have video of they are circling above three peaks at the big dipper Every night thy show up. Circling around. They move directly depending on the night.
There was less of them last night. You best send someone out to get good videos before they are gone. I have full video if you wanted me to send them.
The files are to large. I do not dare edit them. The last time I did that, the video was erased!.
Full Report Text:
They come into view as the circle around, sometimes in pairs Every night, they are flying around three peaks. One has been close, once on video it left. They disabled my fuel truck twice, and I have seen two beings on the ground with me.
They are large, and fast. Every night you guys can go out on highway 56, or be north of there and see them now at 11:30 PM. I'm not at the same job site, that I had the close encounter of the 3rd kind.
I will warn you, you will have flu like symptoms if they get close to you, and would not suggest being alone after dark west of cedar city after dark.these guys can run on all fours.
Full Report Text:
White Tic-tac shaped object hovering stationary over foothills near Payson, Utah. Driving south on I-15, I saw a smooth, Tic-tac shaped object about the size of a helicopter. This object had no propellers, wings, engines, tethers, or any other identifiable features.
It was smooth white with two flat spots on the bottom at each end. It hovered in place, unmoving just about 100 feet above the nearest foothill peak. It did not move the entire time it was within my sight.
Full Report Text:
Orange orb that was slowly moving and then disappeared My girlfriend and I were sitting at a pool when I jokingly said hey look a ufo thinking it was a plane. It was orange though, no flashing of green or red lights like a plane or a drone. It was traveling slowly then seemed to stop and hover after 25 seconds, hovered for 5 and then just disappeared in the clear sky.
Utah UFO Sightings By Shape
This is a standardized set of shapes a UFO report can be filed under.
Shape / Appearance | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
Light | 326 reported sightings | 21.46% of all reports |
Circle | 167 reported sightings | 10.99% of all reports |
Triangle | 137 reported sightings | 9.02% of all reports |
Disk | 99 reported sightings | 6.52% of all reports |
Unknown | 99 reported sightings | 6.52% of all reports |
Other | 94 reported sightings | 6.19% of all reports |
Sphere | 93 reported sightings | 6.12% of all reports |
Fireball | 86 reported sightings | 5.66% of all reports |
Formation | 69 reported sightings | 4.54% of all reports |
Oval | 56 reported sightings | 3.69% of all reports |
Changing | 53 reported sightings | 3.49% of all reports |
Cigar | 35 reported sightings | 2.30% of all reports |
Flash | 28 reported sightings | 1.84% of all reports |
Chevron | 23 reported sightings | 1.51% of all reports |
Cylinder | 22 reported sightings | 1.45% of all reports |
Rectangle | 19 reported sightings | 1.25% of all reports |
Diamond | 17 reported sightings | 1.12% of all reports |
Teardrop | 17 reported sightings | 1.12% of all reports |
Egg | 12 reported sightings | 0.79% of all reports |
Cone | 10 reported sightings | 0.66% of all reports |
Orb | 3 reported sightings | 0.20% of all reports |
Cross | 3 reported sightings | 0.20% of all reports |
Cube | 2 reported sightings | 0.13% of all reports |
Utah UFO Sightings By Month
This data point is an aggregation of all UFO reports by the month the sighting occured in.
Month | Sightings | % Of Total |
---|---|---|
August | 206 reported sightings | 13.56% of all reports |
July | 159 reported sightings | 10.47% of all reports |
September | 132 reported sightings | 8.69% of all reports |
June | 129 reported sightings | 8.49% of all reports |
October | 124 reported sightings | 8.16% of all reports |
April | 123 reported sightings | 8.10% of all reports |
May | 114 reported sightings | 7.50% of all reports |
January | 106 reported sightings | 6.98% of all reports |
March | 104 reported sightings | 6.85% of all reports |
December | 103 reported sightings | 6.78% of all reports |
November | 100 reported sightings | 6.58% of all reports |
February | 95 reported sightings | 6.25% of all reports |
Utah UFO Sightings 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 |
---|---|---|
Saturday | 256 reported sightings | 16.85% of all reports |
Tuesday | 228 reported sightings | 15.01% of all reports |
Thursday | 222 reported sightings | 14.61% of all reports |
Friday | 208 reported sightings | 13.69% of all reports |
Sunday | 206 reported sightings | 13.56% of all reports |
Wednesday | 204 reported sightings | 13.43% of all reports |
Monday | 171 reported sightings | 11.26% of all reports |
Utah UFO Sightings 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 |
---|---|---|
07/27/16 | 20 reported sightings | 1.32% of all reports |
03/05/20 | 7 reported sightings | 0.46% of all reports |
12/09/17 | 5 reported sightings | 0.33% of all reports |
08/11/20 | 5 reported sightings | 0.33% of all reports |
12/31/14 | 5 reported sightings | 0.33% of all reports |
Utah UFO Sightings 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 | 727 reported sightings | 47.86% of all reports |
Evening | 16:00 - 19:59 | 235 reported sightings | 15.47% of all reports |
Late night | 00:00 - 03:59 | 207 reported sightings | 13.63% of all reports |
Early morning | 04:00 - 07:59 | 129 reported sightings | 8.49% of all reports |
Afternoon | 12:00 - 15:59 | 115 reported sightings | 7.57% of all reports |
Morning | 08:00 - 11:59 | 82 reported sightings | 5.40% of all reports |
Years with Reported UFO Sightings in Utah
These are running counts of how many UFO sighting reports are filed per year in Utah.
Cities with Reported UFO Sightings in Utah
These are running counts of how many UFO sighting reports are filed per city in Utah