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It was the year of the UFOs in 2025. From new-age documentaries to decades-old mysterious reports coming to light, experts and civilians alike have been baffled by a wealth of new information about otherworldly objects appearing in the country's skies.
Here's a look at the most compelling out-of-this-world UFO headlines of 2025, as questions continue to arise about the validity of such claims and whether we really are alone in the universe.
Decades-old images reveal new clues to UFOs in strange explosions over nuclear test sites
Earlier this year, scientists at California's Palomar Observatory discovered several cases of transient star-like flashes in photographs taken more than 70 years ago that may hold the key to answers about cases of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), or UFOs, appearing near nuclear test sites, according to a research paper published in Nature's Scientific Reports on October 20, 2025.
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The United States government is required to investigate UFO reports to identify any issues related to threats to national security. (iStock)
The images originated from digitized astronomical plates (pieces of glass that capture images of the night sky) compiled by the observatory between 1949 and 1957, although they also predate the launch of the first artificial satellite in October 1957.
“We speculate that some transients could potentially be UAPs in Earth orbit and, if they descend into the atmosphere, could provide the stimulus for some UAP sightings,” the paper states.
While scientists determined that many of the objects were errors or marks on the physical plates, thousands of other sightings supposedly correspond with several documented sightings of UFOs appearing near nuclear test sites.
In one case, bright objects were observed in the night sky within the same two weeks when witnesses reported numerous UAPs over Washington, D.C., from July 19 to 27, 1952, according to the report.
The last documented sighting within that period took place at a nuclear test site on March 17, 1956, just one day after the “Joe 21” test conducted by the Soviet Union. according the New York Post.
Researchers subsequently also observed floating transients at at least 124 surface nuclear tests at sites that were active from 1951 until the launch of Sputnik in 1957. However, further investigation reportedly led them to the conclusion that the phenomenon was the result of “high-energy particles” present in the atmosphere, due to nuclear test materials.
Similarly, the study noted findings that revealed transients were 45% more likely to be seen in the air within 24 hours of nuclear testing, and “significantly more” UAP sightings were documented within the test windows.
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UFO sightings increased in 2025 as new reports, archival discoveries and government documents fueled renewed national interest. (iStock)
The researchers ultimately concluded that sightings of transient star-like objects by eyewitnesses that directly correlate with the conditions created by nuclear weapons testing are “small but statistically significant associations.”
“Our findings provide additional empirical support for the validity of the UAP phenomenon and its possible connection to nuclear weapons activity, providing data beyond eyewitness reports,” the scientists wrote.
UFO Drones Target Police Helicopter Over US Air Base and Disappear
Newly released police records and videos directly contradict officials' explanations of a near-collision between a UK police helicopter and UAP over a US air base last year, ultimately discrediting reports by officials who claim it was simply a routine sighting of a fighter jet.
According to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, the incident unfolded at around 10pm on November 22, 2024, when a National Police Air Service (NPAS) EC135 helicopter was forced to deviate from its course while taking emergency evasive action after the pilot reported that two fast-moving craft were “targeted” and pursued the crew over RAF Lakenheath, a major US military installation in Suffolk.
The move required pilots to do a dive to ultimately avoid hitting the objects, which matched the plane's speed at about 190 mph in what was later described as an “unprovoked pursuit.”
“They had to conduct an emergency dive and described that during the dive they were chased by two drones that matched their speed, and then chased for several minutes out of the area,” a police entry states.
Separate police reports compiled between 20 and 22 November documented approximately 20 drone sightings at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell, with witness accounts describing “between 10 and 15 drones”. [flying] potentially into the base's airspace,” which ultimately grounded surrounding aircraft.
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Experts continued to question the explanations for the 2025 UFO reports as public attention and unanswered questions grew. (iStock)
Additionally, a witness wearing night vision goggles described seeing “five or six drones” flying over the A1065 motorway. Another individual reported seeing “large, ticking, stationary things, they're not birds.”
However, despite sightings from both government officials and civilians, Britain's Airprox Board concluded in its final report that the objects were actually the lights of a US Air Force F-15 operating nearby, pointing to radar data that indicated the two planes came within 1,700 feet of each other on the night of the raid.
UFO tracker maps mysterious clusters of objects beneath US coasts
Popular UFO reporting app Enigma took the nation by storm after its collected data recorded thousands of mysterious objects flying up and down the coasts of the United States.
Since August, Enigma has documented more than 9,000 sightings of unidentified submersible objects (USO) within 10 miles of the coasts of the United States or other major bodies of water, Marine Technology News. reported.
Of the documented sightings, approximately 500 reportedly occurred within five miles of the country's coast, and 150 objects were seen floating over (or entering and exiting) bodies of water.
According to Enigma, several activity groups seemed to focus on specific coastal spots, with California and Florida being the places with the most sightings nationwide.
“There seem to be five or six areas where there is really high UFO activity around the water,” Kent Heckenlively, author of “Catastrophic Disclosure: Aliens, The Deep State and The Truth,” told Fox News Digital.
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Data collected in 2025 mapped clusters of UFO and underwater object sightings along the coasts of the United States. (iStock)
“It would make a lot of sense, and I think the problem that the average person faces is that they say to themselves, 'Okay, if these things are real, how could they come to earth and hide?' “And the ocean seems like a great place to hide.”
New UFO documentary claims US hid evidence of non-human intelligence for decades
The release of a new UFO documentary titled “The Age of Disclosure” has pulled back the curtain on the decades-old mystery surrounding strange and unknown objects seen in US skies.
“For a long time, the public, Congress and even the president have stayed out of this issue,” director Dan Farah told Fox News' Bret Baier. “In recent years, senior members of Congress, senior members of the administration – thanks to whistleblowers – have discovered what's going on and are now seeking the truth for themselves and for the American people.”
Director Dan Farah's documentary “The Age of Disclosure” features 34 senior U.S. officials revealing an alleged 80-year government coverup of non-human intelligence. (The age of disclosure)
The documentary features interviews with 34 senior members of the US government, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to pull back the curtain on an alleged “80-year global cover-up” of non-human intelligence potentially existing on other planets and its intrusion on Earth.
“We've had repeated cases of something operating in the airspace over restricted nuclear facilities, and it's not ours,” Rubio said in the trailer.
The documentary seeks to expose what has been a notoriously secretive topic among US government officials, and Farah reveals that members of Congress and the Trump administration are working to break decades of refusal to disclose information to the public.
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Additionally, the film reveals how the US government is currently engaged in a “secret, high-stakes Cold War race with adversary nations such as China and Russia” to investigate objects that are not of human origin, with high-level officials corroborating the information.
The film also notes cases of non-human bodies recovered from mysterious objects, further heightening the mystery (and sense of urgency) surrounding extraterrestrial life reaching Earth.
“I think the human race would grow a lot if we discovered that we lived in a very populated neighborhood,” Heckenlively said. “We would be curious, we would want to fit in. I think we would up our game if we knew that there are species that don't have some of the negative aspects associated with the human race.”
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
