Phoenix Lights — light phenomenon that occurred on March 13 1997 over Arizona and Nevada, United States
One of the most widely witnessed UFO incidents in U.S. history, observed by thousands across Arizona and Nevada on a single night.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 13, 1997
- Observation window
- 7:30–10:30 p.m. MST
- Geographic span
- Approx. 300 miles from Nevada line to edge of Tucson miles
- Distinct events
- Two: moving triangular formation and stationary lights
- Skeptical explanation
- A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and illumination flares (Operation Snowbird)
- Arizona governor at the time
- Fife Symington, later described lights as 'otherworldly'
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On the evening of March 13, 1997, A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft participating in Operation Snowbird, a winter pilot training program run by the Air National Guard from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, were conducting flights and dropping illumination flares over the Barry Goldwater Range in southwest Arizona, producing unusual light patterns visible across a wide area.
Thousands of witnesses across Arizona and Nevada reported seeing unidentified lights between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. MST over a roughly 300-mile corridor. Two distinct phenomena were observed: a slow-moving triangular or carpenter's-square-shaped formation of lights passing over the state, and a separate series of stationary lights hovering near Phoenix.
The event generated lasting public fascination and debate over extraterrestrial explanations. Skeptics attributed both sightings to military aircraft and flares, while Governor Fife Symington later said he personally witnessed the lights and found them otherworldly. Similar reports emerged in 2007 and 2008 and were likewise linked to military and civilian flare activity.