Here Are the New UFO Photos Released by Pentagon

This is a screenshot taken from a video of a UAP in the Middle East in 2013. The video was released by the Department of War on May 8, 2026. (Department of War)

By Jacki Thrapp

Jacki Thrapp

Jacki Thrapp is an Emmy® Award-winning journalist based in Nashville. She previously worked at The New York Post, Fox News Channel and has written a series of Off-Broadway musicals in NYC. Contact her at jacki.thrapp@epochtimes.us

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May 8, 2026Updated: May 8, 2026

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The federal government unveiled decades-old documents, photos, and videos of unresolved unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records on May 8.

The document dump was ordered by President Donald Trump’s directive for transparency on U.S. government information regarding UAPs, often referred to as unidentified flying objects or UFOs.

The Department of War marked the files as “unresolved cases” that the federal government was “unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena.”

“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation—and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in a statement when the files were released on Friday.

Here is a collection of the UAP photos and videos released by the Trump administration.

Apollo 12 Images

Unidentified phenomena were visible from the lunar surface during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969.

This archival photograph released on May 8, 2026 was “modified from its original state” by NASA to assist viewers in “identifying specific areas of interest.” The image was taken during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. [NASA] — This archival photograph, released on May 8, 2026, was “modified from its original state” by NASA to assist viewers in “identifying specific areas of interest.” The image was taken during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. (NASA)

The Apollo 12 flight crew observed two separate incidents of an unidentified phenomenon in November 1969.

In the first incident, Apollo 12 astronaut Alan L. Bean described observing particles of light “sailing off in space.”

Bean said it looked as if the light particles were “escaping the Moon.”

This archival photograph released on May 8, 2026 highlights a bright dot in the sky. The image taken during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 was “modified from its original state” by NASA to assist viewers in “identifying specific areas of interest.” [NASA] — This archival photograph, released on May 8, 2026, highlights a bright dot in the sky. The image taken during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 was “modified from its original state” by NASA to assist viewers in “identifying specific areas of interest.” (NASA‚

In the second observation, Charles “Pete” Conrad said he saw floating debris outside the lunar module.

NASA unveiled a series of unidentified phenomena seen from the lunar surface during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. The image released on May 8, 2026 was “modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest.” [NASA] — NASA unveiled a series of unidentified phenomena seen from the lunar surface during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. The image released on May 8, 2026, was “modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest.” (NASA)

Apollo 17 Mission

Apollo 17 astronauts reported three different unexplained events on three separate days of their 1972 mission, which included a flash on the lunar surface and “very bright particles or fragments” drifting near their spacecraft.

The Department of War opened a case to investigate an image of three “dots” in a triangular formation photographed during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

The department was still reviewing the original film from the mission when the image was released on May 8, 2026, and plans to release additional information once an analysis is completed.

Three “dots” were photographed in a triangular formation during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. The image was released on May 8, 2026. [NASA] — Three “dots” were photographed in a triangular formation during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. The image was released on May 8, 2026. (NASA)

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP)

The United States Central Command also released a video of an eight-pointed star moving in the sky.

The video, which lasted one minute and 46 seconds, was filmed from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in the Middle East in 2013.

In 2024, the United States Central Command captured a video that showed an “uneven ball of white light” on a U.S. military platform in Syria.

It was described as a “light/glare halo effect.”

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) from a full-motion video (FMV) camera aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. The five-second video was released on May 8, 2026. [Department of War] — The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) from a full-motion video camera aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. The five-second video was released on May 8, 2026. (Department of War)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported a UAP that was captured from a U.S. government system. The date and location of the event have not been provided.

The FBI provided this image of a UAP to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The date and location were not provided but it was released on May 8, 2026. — The FBI provided this image of a UAP to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The date and location were not included when it was released on May 8, 2026.

UAPs have been identified across the world, including in England, when an unidentified object was seen passing over a joint U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force Base “always almost into the wind and an apparent speed of 2,000 to 4,000 miles per hour.”

The report noted “no sonic boom was mentioned.”