UFO's in Santa Cruz County
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THE 1947 FLYING DISK WAVE In July 1947, newspapers across the United States and Canada were filled with reports of mysterious objects appearing in the skies. Within days, eyewitness accounts had been reported from 31 states and parts of Canada, while Army aircraft were being sent into the skies to search for the strange objects. Witnesses described objects that appeared disk-shaped, round, flat, or unlike any aircraft they had ever seen. Reports came from ordinary citizens, police officers, military personnel, and even entire aircraft crews. Whatever the objects were, the sheer number of reports quickly made the phenomenon impossible for newspapers and military authorities to ignore. One of the most intriguing reports came from the crew of a United Airlines flight. On July 4, 1947, United Airlines Flight 105 departed Boise, Idaho, bound for Seattle. Approximately eight minutes after takeoff, Captain E. J. Smith and First Officer Ralph Stevens noticed several strange objects in the sky over Idaho. At first, Stevens believed they might be aircraft and flashed the plane's landing lights toward them. There was no response. The two men continued watching the objects and called stewardess Marty Morrow into the cockpit so she could verify what they were seeing. She reportedly saw them as well. The crew initially observed a formation of five objects. Then four more appeared—nine objects in all. Contemporary newspaper accounts described them as flying discs traveling near the aircraft's route over Emmett, Idaho. They were far from the only witnesses. Reports of mysterious discs were spreading rapidly across the country. By July 7, the Medford Mail Tribune carried the headline: “Tales of ‘Flying Saucers’ Come From 31 States, Canada.” The article reported that Army aircraft were being prepared to search for the objects and that military planes equipped with cameras had already been searching portions of the Pacific Northwest. What had begun as scattered reports was quickly becoming a national phenomenon. And then, on July 8, 1947, the story took another turn. ROSWELL On July 8, 1947, the Army Air Forces at Roswell, New Mexico, announced that a “flying disc” had been recovered from a ranch near Roswell. According to the Army's initial announcement, the object had been recovered after rancher W. W. “Mac” Brazel notified authorities. Major Jesse A. Marcel, of the 509th Bomb Group intelligence office, and other personnel traveled to the ranch and recovered debris, which was taken to Roswell Army Air Field for examination. The announcement would soon become one of the most famous—and controversial—episodes in UFO history. What exactly had been recovered near Roswell? And why did the Army later identify the debris as a weather balloon? The questions surrounding that July remain part of the enduring mystery of 1947—the summer the flying saucers entered the American imagination. Then, according to the Army's own announcement, it was sent to “higher headquarters.” The Roswell Daily Record put the story across its front page: “RAAF CAPTURES FLYING SAUCER ON RANCH IN ROSWELL REGION.” The newspaper reported that the intelligence office at Roswell Army Airfield had announced that the field had taken possession of a flying saucer. It also stated that no details about the object's construction or appearance had been released. For a brief moment, the impossible seemed to have become official. The Army had announced that it had a flying disc. But the story would change almost as quickly as it had appeared. Military officials soon offered a different explanation, identifying the recovered object as a weather balloon or radar target. The flying-disc reports continued, however, and many witnesses remained unconvinced by the explanations that followed. THE MYSTERY CONTINUES The events of 1947 would become the beginning of decades of UFO reports, investigations, explanations, arguments, and unanswered questions. Some sightings undoubtedly had ordinary explanations. Others remain difficult to explain from the historical record alone. And the UFO mystery would eventually reach far beyond the skies over American towns and cities. It would follow humanity into space. UFOs AND THE APOLLO MISSIONS In July 1969, Apollo 11 carried the first humans to the Moon. Four months later, on November 14, 1969, Apollo 12 launched on the second crewed lunar landing mission. Years later, another UFO claim emerged involving both missions. On November 10, 1975, the Daily Independent Journal reported claims made by Professor James Harder, an engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a UFO investigator. Harder claimed that Apollo 11 had been followed by a UFO for part of its journey to the Moon. He also claimed that an unidentified object had followed Apollo 12 for three orbits around the Moon. According to the contemporary report, Harder said he had discovered the Apollo 11 incident while examining recorded communications between the spacecraft and Mission Control. He said the Apollo 12 information had come from a member of the space team whose identity he declined to reveal. Those claims have remained controversial. The official Apollo mission records provide detailed transcripts of communications between the spacecraft and Mission Control, allowing the events to be examined decades later. So, were astronauts actually followed by unidentified objects? Or were ordinary pieces of spacecraft hardware, reflections, or objects in space later interpreted as something more mysterious? The historical record gives us the claims. It also gives us the opportunity to examine them. THE UNFINISHED QUESTION The story of UFOs is not simply a story about strange objects in the sky. It is a story about eyewitnesses. It is a story about pilots who reported seeing things they could not identify, military personnel who investigated them, newspapers that documented the reports, and governments that sometimes-offered explanations that satisfied some people, but left others unconvinced. From the flying-disc wave of 1947, to Roswell, to reports associated with the Apollo missions, the same question continues to appear: What were these objects—and, perhaps more intriguingly, who was flying them? 
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2020
From Flying Saucers to UAPs: The Government Acknowledges the Reports! For decades, Americans have reported seeing strange objects in the sky. In the 1940s and 1950s, newspapers commonly called them “flying saucers.” Pilots, military personnel, and civilians described unusual lights, discs and objects whose identities were unknown. What began as scattered reports eventually became a matter of official government investigation. The terminology changed over the years—from flying saucers, to UFOs, and now UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena)—but the basic question has remained the same: What were people seeing? In 2022, the Department of Defense established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to investigate UAP reports. AARO has examined decades of government records, including material dating back to 1945. Its historical review found that many sightings ultimately had ordinary explanations, while some remained unresolved because investigators lacked enough reliable information. One of the most well-known modern cases occurred in 2004 off the coast of Southern California. Navy Commander David Fravor testified that he and other Navy aviators encountered a white, roughly Tic Tac-shaped object during a training exercise involving the USS Nimitz and USS Princeton. Fravor described the object as having no visible wings, rotors or obvious means of propulsion. He said it moved abruptly over the water and then rapidly accelerated away. The encounter was later associated with infrared video recorded by another Navy aircraft. In 2020, the Department of Defense officially released that 2004 video, along with two 2015 Navy videos, confirming that the footage was genuine Navy material and stating that the phenomena shown remained unidentified. The Tic Tac incident was not the only military case to receive official attention. The Navy's Gimbal and Go Fast videos also became widely known. AARO continues to list some military encounters as unresolved, while other cases have subsequently been identified as balloons, birds, aircraft or sensor artifacts. For example, AARO determined that the object in the Go Fast video did not demonstrate anomalous speed after analyzing its altitude, wind conditions and movement. The government has also made clear what it has not established. AARO reports that it has found no verifiable evidence that UAP sightings represent extraterrestrial technology. At the same time, the government continues to investigate cases that cannot yet be definitively identified. And that brings the story back to those old newspaper clippings. The objects being reported today may have different names, and the technology used to observe them is far more sophisticated. But the basic mystery remains remarkably familiar. 
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National UFO Reporting Center
Recent UFO Reports — Santa Cruz County
2012 — Red-Orange Lights Over Monterey Bay On November 11, 2012, four witnesses in Santa Cruz reported seeing a formation of 10–15 bright red-orange lights over Monterey Bay. They described the lights as silent, apparently close to the surface of the bay, moving smoothly in multiple directions, spreading apart, and then disappearing sequentially toward the open Pacific.
Source: Original NUFORC report #94371
2013 — The Aptos Disc
On October 5, 2013, two witnesses in Aptos reported watching a disc-shaped object for approximately an hour. They described a changing multicolored light array beneath what appeared to be a dome or disc. The object appeared to remain in approximately the same position while the stars moved relative to it.
NUFORC noted that it suspected the object might have been the star Capella, although the witnesses disagreed with that explanation.
Source: Original NUFORC report #103011
2013 — Orange Fireball Over Monterey BayOn December 31, 2013, five people leaving the Crow's Nest restaurant in Santa Cruz reported seeing a reddish-orange spherical light over Monterey Bay. The witness initially thought it might be an aircraft, but all five people observed the object.
Source: Original NUFORC report #105940
2016 — Three Orbs Over Santa Cruz
On April 29, 2016, a Santa Cruz witness reported seeing three illuminated spherical/egg-shaped objects traveling toward the ocean in the direction of Monterey. The witness said two of the objects appeared to stop in the sky for approximately ten seconds before continuing, and their lights then disappeared rather than simply fading into the distance.
A fourth, faster-moving object was also reported.
Source: Original NUFORC report #127110
2022 — Seven Lights and Saucer-Shaped Objects
On February 15, 2022, a Santa Cruz resident reported that a security camera captured seven flashes of light in a clear daytime sky. According to the witness, seven shadowy, saucer-shaped objects then appeared and remained stationary. They reportedly disappeared one at a time over approximately three minutes.
The NUFORC entry includes images associated with the report.
Source: Original NUFORC report #166722
2023 — Highway 1, Santa Cruz to Davenport
Two witnesses traveling Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Davenport reported a brilliant white object that appeared to travel alongside their vehicle. The witness estimated it at approximately 40 feet across and said it came within roughly 20 feet of the ground. The object reportedly accelerated away and disappeared over the horizon.
The witness also reported missing time and other unusual details, so I'd give this one a more prominent “unusual encounter” designation rather than treating it as simply another light in the sky.
Source: Original NUFORC report #178462
2024 — Low-Flying Object Over Santa Cruz and Soquel
On May 3, 2024, multiple people on Reddit reported seeing what they described as a bright, very quiet, low-flying object traveling over the Westside of Santa Cruz and toward Soquel.
One witness described it as somewhat butterfly-shaped; another said it looked like a helicopter or airplane but was unusually quiet. Other commenters reported seeing what appeared to be the same object from different locations.
There were also suggestions that it could have been space debris, so I would classify this as an eyewitness report with competing explanations, rather than an unexplained UFO.
Source: Original Santa Cruz discussion and eyewitness reports
2024 — Blue Orb Over Santa Cruz
On December 11, 2024, a video was posted claiming to show a blue orb/UAP over Santa Cruz. The original post contains the video and discussion from witnesses/viewers. There is considerable disagreement about what the object actually was, including suggestions that it may have been a drone.
Source: Original report and video discussion
2026 — Orange Orb Over Aptos
On April 23, 2026, a witness in Aptos reported seeing an orange, marbled, glowing orb appear from behind clouds over the ocean. The witness estimated it at approximately 100 feet in diameter and said it remained stationary for about 30 seconds before disappearing.
The report is now in the NUFORC database and includes an image.
Source: Original NUFORC report #197372
2026 — Object Viewed Toward the Santa Cruz Mountains
On June 20, 2026, a witness in San Jose reported seeing a faint white object while looking southwest toward the Santa Cruz Mountains. It initially appeared to behave like a satellite, but the witness reported that it suddenly reversed direction approximately 150 degrees and then traveled away at a much higher apparent speed.
Source: Original NUFORC report #198848
Recent UFO Reports — Santa Cruz County
2012 — Red-Orange Lights Over Monterey Bay On November 11, 2012, four witnesses in Santa Cruz reported seeing a formation of 10–15 bright red-orange lights over Monterey Bay. They described the lights as silent, apparently close to the surface of the bay, moving smoothly in multiple directions, spreading apart, and then disappearing sequentially toward the open Pacific.
Source: Original NUFORC report #94371
2013 — The Aptos Disc
On October 5, 2013, two witnesses in Aptos reported watching a disc-shaped object for approximately an hour. They described a changing multicolored light array beneath what appeared to be a dome or disc. The object appeared to remain in approximately the same position while the stars moved relative to it.
NUFORC noted that it suspected the object might have been the star Capella, although the witnesses disagreed with that explanation.
Source: Original NUFORC report #103011
2013 — Orange Fireball Over Monterey BayOn December 31, 2013, five people leaving the Crow's Nest restaurant in Santa Cruz reported seeing a reddish-orange spherical light over Monterey Bay. The witness initially thought it might be an aircraft, but all five people observed the object.
Source: Original NUFORC report #105940
2016 — Three Orbs Over Santa Cruz
On April 29, 2016, a Santa Cruz witness reported seeing three illuminated spherical/egg-shaped objects traveling toward the ocean in the direction of Monterey. The witness said two of the objects appeared to stop in the sky for approximately ten seconds before continuing, and their lights then disappeared rather than simply fading into the distance.
A fourth, faster-moving object was also reported.
Source: Original NUFORC report #127110
2022 — Seven Lights and Saucer-Shaped Objects
On February 15, 2022, a Santa Cruz resident reported that a security camera captured seven flashes of light in a clear daytime sky. According to the witness, seven shadowy, saucer-shaped objects then appeared and remained stationary. They reportedly disappeared one at a time over approximately three minutes.
The NUFORC entry includes images associated with the report.
Source: Original NUFORC report #166722
2023 — Highway 1, Santa Cruz to Davenport
Two witnesses traveling Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Davenport reported a brilliant white object that appeared to travel alongside their vehicle. The witness estimated it at approximately 40 feet across and said it came within roughly 20 feet of the ground. The object reportedly accelerated away and disappeared over the horizon.
The witness also reported missing time and other unusual details, so I'd give this one a more prominent “unusual encounter” designation rather than treating it as simply another light in the sky.
Source: Original NUFORC report #178462
2024 — Low-Flying Object Over Santa Cruz and Soquel
On May 3, 2024, multiple people on Reddit reported seeing what they described as a bright, very quiet, low-flying object traveling over the Westside of Santa Cruz and toward Soquel.
One witness described it as somewhat butterfly-shaped; another said it looked like a helicopter or airplane but was unusually quiet. Other commenters reported seeing what appeared to be the same object from different locations.
There were also suggestions that it could have been space debris, so I would classify this as an eyewitness report with competing explanations, rather than an unexplained UFO.
Source: Original Santa Cruz discussion and eyewitness reports
2024 — Blue Orb Over Santa Cruz
On December 11, 2024, a video was posted claiming to show a blue orb/UAP over Santa Cruz. The original post contains the video and discussion from witnesses/viewers. There is considerable disagreement about what the object actually was, including suggestions that it may have been a drone.
Source: Original report and video discussion
2026 — Orange Orb Over Aptos
On April 23, 2026, a witness in Aptos reported seeing an orange, marbled, glowing orb appear from behind clouds over the ocean. The witness estimated it at approximately 100 feet in diameter and said it remained stationary for about 30 seconds before disappearing.
The report is now in the NUFORC database and includes an image.
Source: Original NUFORC report #197372
2026 — Object Viewed Toward the Santa Cruz Mountains
On June 20, 2026, a witness in San Jose reported seeing a faint white object while looking southwest toward the Santa Cruz Mountains. It initially appeared to behave like a satellite, but the witness reported that it suddenly reversed direction approximately 150 degrees and then traveled away at a much higher apparent speed.
Source: Original NUFORC report #198848