Overview
The Phoenix Lights refer to a series of widely reported UAP sightings that occurred on the evening of 13 March 1997 across Arizona, with additional reports from parts of Nevada and Sonora, Mexico. The event is regarded as one of the largest and most extensively witnessed UAP incidents in modern history, with thousands of people reporting unusual lights over a period of several hours.
The sightings consisted of two distinct events, which have often been conflated in public discussion. The first involved reports of a large V-shaped formation of lights travelling slowly across the state, while the second involved a line of stationary lights observed south-west of Phoenix later that evening.
The First Event: V-Shaped Formation
Beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m., witnesses across northern and central Arizona reported observing a large formation of lights moving from north to south.
Many described the lights as forming a V-shaped or boomerang-shaped pattern. Some witnesses believed they were observing a single enormous object, while others interpreted the lights as a formation of separate aircraft maintaining close formation.
Reports came from:
- Private citizens.
- Police officers.
- Pilots.
- Air traffic personnel.
- Military personnel.
Witnesses commonly described the object or formation as moving silently at relatively low altitude and maintaining a steady course across the state.
The Second Event: Stationary Lights
At approximately 10:00 p.m., many residents of the Phoenix metropolitan area observed a row of bright lights appearing almost stationary above the Estrella Mountain range to the south-west of the city.
These lights remained visible for several minutes before gradually disappearing.
The U.S. Air Force later stated that these lights were LUU-2B/B illumination flares dropped during a military training exercise conducted by A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from the Maryland Air National Guard at the nearby Barry M. Goldwater Range.
Subsequent video analysis has shown that the behaviour of the later lights is broadly consistent with descending military flares.
Reported Characteristics
Descriptions of the first event varied considerably, but common features included:
- A large V-shaped or triangular formation.
- Five to seven bright lights.
- Silent movement.
- Slow, steady flight across Arizona.
- Apparent low altitude.
- Extremely large apparent size, according to some witnesses.
The second event was characterised by:
- A line of bright stationary lights.
- Gradual fading over several minutes.
- Visibility from much of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Investigation
The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) collected hundreds of witness statements, while journalists, researchers and aviation experts reviewed photographs, video recordings and eyewitness testimony.
The U.S. military confirmed that illumination flares had been dropped during exercises that evening and maintained that these accounted for the later stationary lights observed south-west of Phoenix.
However, many witnesses to the earlier V-shaped formation argued that the flare explanation did not account for what they had observed earlier in the evening, as they described a large moving object travelling across the state rather than stationary lights.
No official explanation has been universally accepted for the first series of sightings.
Public Response
The Phoenix Lights attracted significant media attention throughout the United States.
One of the most notable public figures associated with the incident was Fife Symington, then Governor of Arizona. Shortly after the event, Symington held a press conference in which a member of his staff appeared in an alien costume, an event widely interpreted as an attempt to reduce public anxiety through humour.
Years later, after leaving office, Symington stated that he himself had witnessed an unusually large aerial object on the night of the sightings and believed the event deserved serious investigation.
Historical Significance
The Phoenix Lights remain one of the most significant mass-sighting events in modern UAP history.
The case is notable because it involved:
- Thousands of witnesses.
- Multiple independent reports over a large geographical area.
- Civilian and law enforcement observers.
- Extensive photographic and video documentation.
- Official military acknowledgement of one portion of the event.
Many researchers distinguish between the two principal events, noting that while the later stationary lights are widely attributed to military flares, the earlier V-shaped sightings remain the subject of continuing debate.
For this reason, the Phoenix Lights continue to feature prominently in discussions of modern UAP investigations and mass eyewitness events.