Phil Plait

An astronomer and the writer behind the Bad Astronomy column. In the archive he appears as a sceptic, weighing in on viral footage after the fact. On the El Bosque Air Show UFO of 2010, he dismissed the object as a tiny thing in a low-res video. The Jerusalem Dome of the Rock videos of 2011 he called pretty cool, but an obvious hoax. December 22, 2017. A glowing teardrop hung over Los Angeles. Plait explained the physics: a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched at twilight, its exhaust spreading wide in thin air and lit by the sun high above darkened ground.

Stories4

Pro early

Romanian MiG-21 LanceR Struck by Unidentified Objects Near Gherla

c. 2007 · Airspace near Gherla, Cluj County, Romania

Romania

UAP · Triangle · 17 sources

37Partially documented

Skeptical commentator, Bad Astronomy

The El Bosque Air Show UFO

November 5, 2010 · El Bosque Air Base, Santiago

Chile

UAP · Other · 23 sources · 1 photos

36Partially documented

Jerusalem Dome of the Rock UFO Videos

January 28, 2011 · Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem (filmed from the Armon Hanatziv promenade)

Israel

UAP · Orb / light · 27 sources

9Thinly documented

Bad Astronomy blogger who called it an obvious hoax

The Los Angeles "UFO" of December 22, 2017 (SpaceX Falcon 9 Iridium-4 launch)

December 22, 2017 · Greater Los Angeles, California (launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Santa Barbara County)

United States

UAP · Other · 49 sources · 2 photos

45Partially documented

Bad Astronomy writer (SYFY Wire) who explained the plume's physics