Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
Were reports of UFO sightings on Nov. 29, 2024 in Arizona substantiated?
Geospatial analysis by science writer Mick West, an expert in debunking UFOs, suggests the lights—which went viral in a TikTok video—were projecting from a hill, not flying. The lights align with roads and were likely coming from cars or off-road vehicles, West said.
The Southwest is known for UFO sightings as a result of incidents like the mysterious “Phoenix Lights,” which moved over Nevada and Arizona in 1997.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Mick West Bullhead Arizona UFOs - Explained
- Bullhead City Press Officer Email Correspondence with Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.pdf
- Federal Aviation Administration Email Correspondence with Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.pdf
- Department of Defense Press Officer Email Correspondence with Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.pdf
- Axios Phoenix Lights became Arizona UFO legend in 1997
- FBI Roswell UFO Part 1 of 1
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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