The private startup Enigma Labs said that more than 2,500 users of its alert sightings app filed reports in December.
SEDONA, Ariz.—Mike O’Sedona stood out as a dark silhouette in a snap-brim hat against the purple twilight sky, staring at the stunning conjunction of the crescent moon and Venus.
“There’s the Dog Star, Sirius. There’s Rigel, and there’s Orion—along with the belt,” O’Sedona said as his finger moved among the stars and constellations.
On the eve of Jan. 31, he led a small group of curious visitors on a 90-minute crash course in astronomy while searching for satellites, drones, spacecraft, and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
The goal was to learn how to navigate the night sky and identify celestial and man-made objects while examining anomalies with a healthy dose of skepticism.
The tool they used consists of night vision goggles designed by O’Sedona that enhance ambient light by a factor of one thousand.
“There’s a spaceship about 850 miles [up],” he said, peering through his night vision scope. He recognized the object by its relative speed and path.
“That’s your weather satellite right there. I’m going to try to find a [communications] satellite in a minute,” he said.
What was once invisible to the naked eye can now be observed through a bright, glowing green field in the viewfinder.
And there was much to see that night under the celestial dome over Sedona Airport in central Arizona.
“Okay. See this guy right here? He pulsed. Let’s see if he pulses again,” O’Sedona said. “These guys—they are cruising. They’re spacecraft. Now, there’s an airplane.”
“This is going on 24/7, guys. Our [U.S.] Space Force stuff is pretty heavy.”
Since 2018, O’Sedona, owner of Arizona UFO Tours, has guided groups on nighttime adventures, aiming to spot elusive and difficult-to-explain “exotic” objects.
About four years ago, he remembered seeing a peculiar ball of red light moving at a low altitude near Thunder Mountain, one of the highest peaks in Sedona.
“It couldn’t have been a falling star because it was below the mountaintop—no trail, just a red ball,” he said.
It has been about 13 months since O’Sedona last saw an exotic object, and tonight, he and his three customers are hopeful.
By Allan Stein
