Observer handbook (UAP field guide)

Your life is more valuable than any footage. Things can get intense, but keeping an eye on your surroundings is what matters most.

If you're driving, please pull over safely first. Trying to film while moving just isn't worth a crash. Avoid traffic, cliffs, or hazardous terrain while looking at the sky.

Do not trespass on private or restricted property. No "evidence" justifies breaking the law or risking a confrontation. If there is an immediate safety risk (fire, medical issue, or collision risk), contact 112 (EU) or 911 (U.S.) immediately.

Seeing something you can't explain can seriously spike your adrenaline. It's just a normal physical reaction to an intense situation, nothing mystical.

If you feel overwhelmed or panicked: Stop filming. Close your eyes for a moment. Breathe slowly. Focus on the physical world around you to regain control using this cycle:

5 things you see · 4 you can touch · 3 you can hear · 2 you can smell · 1 you can taste.

Disclaimer: This section is not medical advice.

The mind often tries to "fill in the gaps" during strange events. If you feel like you're getting internal 'messages' or impressions, try to keep them separate from what you physically saw.

It often helps to write down just what you saw first, before adding what you think it might mean. First log what you saw, heard, or felt in plain language, then add a separate line for what you think it "might" mean.

Separate description from meaning. Later, when you or others review the case, it stays clear which parts are raw perception and which parts are theory, belief, or narrative.

Whether you think the experience has a normal explanation or something stranger: writing down what you sensed (separately from what you think it means) keeps your notes useful to both perspectives.

Stay rational: Do not take rash actions or follow perceived "instructions" that involve secrecy, isolation, illegal acts, or physical risk. If the experience causes lasting distress or disrupts your sleep, please reach out to a trusted person or a professional. For more on perception and cognitive bias, see the FAQ bias section.

Small heads-up: night mode / heavy HDR can "smear" point lights and create weird shapes. If your phone keeps changing the look of the light, try switching night mode off for one clip (then do another clip with it on).

Modern smartphones are incredible tools, but capturing anomalies at a distance or in low light is a specific technical challenge. These quick tips just help keep the video clear, whether you look at it again later or share it with someone else.

1. Stability is key: Even with high-end optical stabilization, the human hand can't stay perfectly still during the excitement of a sighting. To help the sensors resolve detail, lean your phone against a solid object — a car roof, a wall, or a tree. Tucking your elbows into your chest also significantly reduces shake.

2. The Zoom Trade-off: While tempting, avoid digital zoom during the recording. Digital zoom merely crops the image and enlarges pixels, which can hide fine details and make the footage much harder to stabilize later. Recording at the widest native resolution (4K/8K) preserves the most raw data for later processing.

3. Securing Focus: Phone cameras often struggle to find focus in dark skies, which can lead to "pulsing" or blurry footage. Tap and hold on a distant, fixed light source (like the moon or a far-off streetlight) to activate AE/AF Lock. This ensures the camera stays focused on "infinity" even if the object moves.

If "AE/AF Lock" is unfamiliar: it just means the phone stops hunting for brightness/focus every second, which usually makes the footage calmer and easier to compare later.

4. Establish Spatial Context: A light in a void provides no data for speed or size calculations. Always try to include the horizon, buildings, or trees in the frame. These fixed reference points are essential for any scientific measurement of the object's flight path.

5. Create an Audio Log: Use the microphone to record your live observations. Describe what your eyes see that the camera might miss: "Object appears to have a metallic sheen, moving toward the North-West, no audible sound". Mention your location and the exact time for the record.

Note: For advanced users, manual camera apps (like ProCamera or Filmic) can disable internal "beauty" filters and noise reduction, providing even cleaner data for analysis.

If you want your report to be useful, angles beat vague language. Instead of "it was high" or "it moved far", write down approximate degrees above the horizon and how many degrees it traveled. The thumb rule is a simple way to estimate angles without equipment.

How to use it: Extend your arm fully (roughly 65 cm / 26 in). Keep your elbow locked. Use your hand as a reference while looking at the horizon line, then estimate the object's elevation (up from the horizon) and its travel distance (degrees across the sky).

[ MEASURING ANGLES AT ARM'S LENGTH ]


             * <--- object
             |
THUMB        |  ≈  2°
             |
FIST         |  ≈ 10°
             |
SPREAD HAND  |  ≈ 20°
             |
_______O_____|________________  horizon
    

These are approximate, but they are good enough to preserve geometry for later cross-checks (flight tracks, satellite passes, balloon drift, etc.).

Example entry (plain): "Object at ~20° elevation (about two fists above horizon), moved left ~10° in ~15 seconds, then faded."

If you can, also note direction (e.g., "NW"), wind direction, and whether motion appeared steady or erratic. Even a rough angle log helps later identification more than zoomed video alone.

Why save the original? Every time you upload a video to social media or send it via messaging apps, the file is re-encoded to save space. This creates a "digital photocopy" effect where fine details are replaced by compression artifacts.

A re-uploaded or edited video is not useless, but it is significantly harder to analyze. What might look like a physical glow or an unusual shape could simply be a mathematical error caused by the platform's compression.

Pro-tip: It is your experience — share and edit it however you like! But save one clean, untouched original copy in a safe place (cloud or external drive) before you post it. This ensures the highest quality data remains available for future study.

In digital forensics, "provenance" and "chain of custody" describe the verifiable journey of a file from the camera sensor to the analyst.

In normal words: it's just "who had the original file, when, and what was done to it". Even a simple note like "recorded on my phone, copied to my PC, then I posted a trimmed clip" helps a lot.

An untouched original file with its metadata (time, location, cameras settings) is the most helpful thing you can keep. It makes checking the footage much easier later. It allows others to verify that the footage has not been tampered with or misinterpreted through repeated re-exporting.

A video found on a forum with an unknown origin and stripped metadata is nearly impossible to authenticate. By keeping your original, you provide the necessary "paper trail" to make your observation scientifically relevant.

Optional (advanced): Generate a "checksum" (hash) of your original file immediately after recording. This acts as a permanent digital fingerprint to prove the file has never been modified.

If "checksum/hash" sounds like too much: skip it. Keeping one untouched original file already gets you most of the benefit. For definitions of related terms, see the FAQ glossary.

It is surprisingly easy to accidentally destroy your original file just by trying to back it up.

Sending a video to yourself via email or messaging apps usually triggers automatic compression. The app shrinks the file to save bandwidth and strips the metadata along the way.

How to move it without breaking it:

• Cable: Copy the file directly to a computer via USB. This is usually the safest method.
• AirDrop / Quick Share: Generally safe for local, uncompressed transfers between nearby devices.
• Cloud drives: If you use cloud storage, upload it directly as a "file" or "document", rather than through a gallery app that might "optimize" it.

Small heads-up: watch out for features like "Optimize Storage" on your phone. They sometimes leave only a compressed, lower-quality preview on your actual device while the raw original lives in the cloud.

The video itself is only one part of the data. The state of the sky at that exact moment is just as important for ruling things out later.

Historical flight and weather data often disappear behind commercial paywalls after a few days. You can capture a factual baseline right in the field with three quick screenshots on your phone:

• Flight tracker: Open a tracker app, center on your location, and screenshot the live air traffic.
• Weather app: Screenshot the current wind direction, cloud cover, and time.
• Compass / Map: Screenshot your GPS location and the direction you are facing.

In normal words: grabbing these screenshots takes 20 seconds. It saves you the headache of hunting down archived weather data or hitting 7-day limits on flight trackers later on.

Checking for everyday explanations isn't about dismissing what you saw — it just helps narrow things down. By identifying known objects, you protect the integrity of the data that remains unexplained.

Good news: you can do a lot of "identify/rule-out" with just time + location + direction, even if the video itself is shaky or blurry.

Many observations initially labeled as "UAP" are eventually identified as aircraft, satellite trains (like Starlink), weather balloons, meteors, or bright planets like Venus. Even camera artifacts — like lens flares or internal reflections — can appear remarkably "anomalous" under specific conditions.

Finding out a "light" was just a drone or satellite isn't a failure — it's a good reality check. Ruling out the normal stuff simply makes the truly unexplained cases stand out more.

I keep a list of tracking tools over at: Resources → Science tools.

If you saw blinking strobes, steady navigation lights, approach patterns, or a sound delay, check aircraft first.

Quick check (ADS-B Exchange):

• Open ADS-B Exchange and zoom to your location.
• Use the time controls (if available) to match your observation window.
• Compare direction, speed, and altitude to what you saw.

Coverage note: Global in principle, but completeness varies by region and by aircraft equipment; MLAT/receiver density can be uneven.

Tool link: Resources: ADS-B Exchange.

If it was a steady point moving smoothly across the sky (no blinking), or a "train" of lights, satellites are a common explanation.

Quick check (Heavens-Above):

• Set your location (city or coordinates).
• Check visible passes for the time window.
• If it looked like a train, check Starlink-related passes.

Coverage note: Worldwide (predictions are computed for your selected location).

Tool links: Resources: Heavens-Above · Resources: CelesTrak / Supplemental GP.

Bright "jellyfish" clouds near dawn/dusk, expanding spirals, or slow plume structures can come from rocket launches at altitude.

Quick check (launch timeline):

• Check launch windows for your date/time and region.
• Compare direction and timing with what you observed.
• Confirm candidates on provider pages (for example SpaceX, NASA, or national launch agencies).

Practical note: Use aggregator calendars as a fast filter, then verify with official launch providers before concluding.

Tool list: Resources: launch schedule cross-check.

Slow drift, high altitude, and long duration often points to balloons or radiosondes.

Quick check (SondeHub):

• Open the live map and center on your region.
• Look for a track that matches the time and direction.
• If you find a candidate, open its details and compare altitude and drift.

Coverage note: Global dataset, but practical visibility depends on local receiving stations and what is being captured.

Tool link: Resources: SondeHub.

If it was extremely bright, lasted seconds, and possibly left a trail or fragmented, check fireball logs.

Quick check (IMO / AMS):

• Search fireball events/reports around your date and local time.
• Check whether multiple witnesses reported it in your region.
• If you saw it, consider submitting a report (helps triangulation).

Coverage note: International program with reports from many countries; density varies by region.

Tool links: Resources: IMO fireball program · Resources: AMS fireball logs.

Venus and Jupiter can look surprisingly bright and "close". If the "object" stayed fixed relative to the horizon, check the sky map.

Quick check (Stellarium):

• Set location, date, and time to match your observation.
• Point to the direction you were facing.
• Check whether a bright planet/star was in that position.

Coverage note: Worldwide (it simulates the sky for the location/time you set).

Tool link: Resources: Stellarium Web.

The human eye and brain are easy to trick at night. Before concluding a light is moving anomalously, consider common illusion patterns.

Autokinetic effect: staring at a single bright stationary point can create perceived motion.

Size vs. distance: without reference points, scale and distance estimates become unreliable.

Parallax: while you are moving (driving/walking), distant objects can appear to match your speed or move "too fast".

Many "impossible" shapes or motions come from how cameras and sensors work, not from the object itself. A few recurring patterns:

• Autofocus hunting – focus shifts back and forth, making lights pulse, smear, or change size as the camera searches for contrast.
• Digital zoom distortion – heavy digital zoom enlarges pixels and noise, turning small lights into blocks, blobs, or apparent "craft" silhouettes.
• Rolling shutter – fast motion or strobes get sliced line‑by‑line, producing slanted, stretched, or segmented shapes in single frames.
• Infrared blooming – hot or very bright sources bleed into neighbors on IR sensors, creating halos, flares, or apparent extra objects.
• Parallax shift – nearby foreground (window reflections, insects, wires) appears to move against distant backgrounds in ways that feel non‑intuitive.
• Starlink trains – lines or curves of evenly spaced lights crossing the sky shortly after sunset or before sunrise are often satellite constellations.
• Atmospheric refraction – temperature layers can bend and shimmer light, making distant aircraft or stars wobble, jump, or change color.

When you evaluate footage from others (viral clips, historical cases, or submissions), you cannot verify the original capture conditions. The goal shifts from documentation to triage: what is verifiable, what is missing, and what remains uncertain.

Initial review (first pass):

1. Provenance: Who uploaded it, and can you trace it to an original source such as the filmer, a news outlet, or an official release? Reuploads reduce analytical value because metadata and chain of custody are often lost.
2. When/where: Can the claimed date, time, and location be checked independently? Vague attributions reduce value even if the footage looks impressive.
3. Corroboration: Are there independent angles, witness notes, or matching sensor/context data from the same window?
4. Compression check: Blocky edges, banding, smeared light sources, or unstable detail may indicate heavy re-encoding rather than object structure.

Metadata extraction (if you have the file):

• Technical data: Check creation date, codec, resolution, and frame rate. A mismatch between the claimed history and the file record is a warning sign.
• Geolocation: If GPS data exists, compare it against the claimed location. Terrain, street layout, and landmarks can sometimes be cross-checked separately.

Tool: exiftool (command line) or an online EXIF viewer. Many platforms remove metadata on upload, so absence alone is not proof of manipulation.

Frame-level inspection:

• Object consistency: Does shape, lighting, and motion remain coherent across frames, or does it flicker and deform in ways that suggest generation, editing, or compression artifacts?
• Scene consistency: Do motion blur, parallax, reflections, and lighting fit the claimed environment and camera movement?
• Audio context: Does the sound match the scene, timing, and distance, or does it feel detached from the footage?

When to flag as "unverifiable":
If there is no original file, no reliable metadata, no reachable source, and no independent corroboration, label the footage as "claim only" and move on. High visual fidelity without provenance is often a warning sign, not a validation.

Reference: For synthetic media and authenticity checks, see FAQ: Visual fidelity vs. authenticity.

For immediate safety issues, use emergency services first. For non-emergency sightings, start with the most official public-facing channel available: aviation safety reporting, meteorology/astronomy reporting, or a dedicated national program (if one exists).

If no official intake fits or you want independent review: long-running civilian/professional groups like NUFORC (database), MUFON (field investigators), or TBV Investigations (The Black Vault). Read their scope first.

Start with the most official public-facing channel in your country. The canonical, most up-to-date list is maintained under Resources → International.

A few key examples include:

• France: GEIPAN (CNES)

  A public-facing national program for witness reports.

• Chile: SEFAA (DGAC)

  An aviation-safety-focused channel that invites pilots and citizens to report.

• Canada: CADORS (Transport Canada)

  A public aviation occurrence database. OCSA's "Sky Canada Project" describes how UAP reports are managed, but is not a direct intake form.

• Germany: IFEX / GEP e.V.

  IFEX is the official academic partner of the Federal Aviation Office for pilot reports. GEP e.V. investigates civilian sightings.

If there is an immediate safety issue (medical emergency, fire, collision risk), treat it like any other emergency and call 911 first.

1) Civilian, non-emergency sightings:
The U.S. does not currently provide one single federal public "UAP sightings" intake for general civilian reports. If your report is safety-relevant (especially near aviation), route it through aviation safety channels rather than trying to find a "UAP hotline".

2) Aviation safety (pilots / near-airport / near-aircraft):
If you are airborne, treat it as an aviation safety observation: follow normal procedures and advise ATC. FAA air traffic procedures include internal escalation when UAP/unexplained phenomena are reported or observed by ATC personnel.

After the event (civil, non-classified):
Consider filing a NASA ASRS report for safety-relevant observations (near-miss, unusual traffic behavior, UAS/drone conflict, etc.). ASRS is designed to capture structured safety reports and protect data quality better than social media posts.

3) U.S. Government / contractor program knowledge (AARO):
AARO's public reporting form is intended for current or former U.S. Government employees, service members, or contractor personnel with direct knowledge of U.S. Government UAP-related programs or activities (historical scope), and it is not intended for general public sighting reports.

AARO also states: do not submit classified or sensitive information via the public form, do not submit hearsay/secondhand reporting, and do not use the form for current operational sighting reports encountered during official duties (use your agency/service process).

Links are maintained under AARO submit/reporting channel, NASA ASRS safety reporting, and FAA ATC UAP reporting procedure.

This is not aviation advice. If you experienced a near-miss (UAP/aircraft within safe separation distance) or airspace conflict, report it via official aviation channels first (ATC, ASRS, national equivalent) — this is a safety issue, not just a UAP sighting.

Direct links: FAA ATC UAP procedure · NASA ASRS submit (ERS) · ECCAIRS 2 reporting portal (EU).

Social media is great for sharing, but it is aggressive toward data: platforms compress files and often strip metadata.

Idea: try to save the original, untouched file first. If a clip is reuploaded repeatedly, provenance is lost and analysis becomes harder.

Easiest ways: leave the original file untouched on your phone, then copy it to a PC (cable) or upload it to a cloud drive as-is. Messengers and social apps often reduce quality automatically.

Privacy: blur faces and plates, avoid doxxing, and avoid revealing sensitive locations. Separate what you observed from what you think it means.

This is not a requirement. It is a "best possible" structure that tends to make reports easier to review and compare. Many reporting workflows are essentially "who/what/where/when + clear narrative". (Example: NASA ASRS explicitly asks for WHO/WHAT/WHERE/WHEN/WHY/HOW in the narrative.) ASRS example.

• When: Local time + timezone + duration.
• Where: Country/region (or "redacted"), environment; add facing direction + elevation if known.
• What (observation first): Shape/light, motion, sound, changes over time; keep interpretation separate.
• Conditions: Clouds, visibility, wind, lighting; any known aircraft/satellite checks you did (optional).
• Witnesses: Count + positions (optional).
• Recording: Device, settings if relevant, and whether originals/metadata are intact.
• Files: Prefer original, untrimmed files; note any edits/re-uploads.

For a copyable template and a short clean example, see Send. For the full field workflow (capture → preserve → identify → report/share), see Handbook. For analytical background on reading and evaluating reports, see the FAQ method section.

If you submit to official programs, follow their exact process and forms (some require a dedicated questionnaire and may request attachments). GEIPAN example.

Yes, optionally. The Send page provides an encrypted contact route (PGP optional) and a report template.

This is a personal inbox (not an official authority); replies are not guaranteed. Do not send classified information or doxxing material.