politics
Science advisors offer explanations for some orb sightings but call one 2023 case unexplained
Advisors to the Trump administration said some glowing orbs could result from lasers or ball lightning. They stated that an October 2023 encounter near a western U.S. military site does not match those explanations.
Jul 18, 1:13 PM·1m read1 source
New York PostAudio version
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Science advisors to the Trump administration said conventional causes could account for some sightings of glowing orbs listed in U.S. government records. Dr. Avi Loeb stated that many reports could describe plasmas formed at the focal point of powerful lasers or at the intersection of two beams.
He noted that such lasers are already used by the United States for defense against drones and ballistic missiles. Loeb said the October 2023 sighting of orange and red orbs near a secured western U.S. military facility cannot be explained by current laser technology.
2023 sighting details The objects included an orange “mother orb” that appeared to launch smaller red orbs, remained stationary for several hours, and showed coordinated horizontal motion and altitude changes, according to a June 5, 2026 letter from the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
Admiral Tim Gallaudet said ball lightning and laser plasmas are possible explanations in some cases but do not account for the 2023 objects.
Additional context A separate U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command report described 18 seconds of infrared video footage recorded in 2025 and forwarded to the same office. Officials stated that footage is distinct from the 2023 western U.S. incident.
