Field Guide

Craft Types

The 13 shapes that turn up again and again in the reports — drawn as schematics, with what defines each and where it's been logged. Classification is descriptive, not a claim about what they are.

MORPH-01

SIZE 5–30 m · FIRST LOGGED Arnold, 1947

Disc / Saucer

also: Flying saucer

The archetype: a domed, rotationally symmetric disc. Reported hovering in silence, then departing at implausible speed.

Domed topSilent hoverSudden acceleration

Logged: Trindade , Roswell (alleged)

MORPH-02

SIZE 20–200 m · FIRST LOGGED Hudson Valley, 1980s

Black Triangle

also: TR-3B (alleged)

A large, silent, matte-black triangle with a light at each corner. The signature craft of the modern era.

Three corner lightsNear-silentVery large

Logged: Belgian Wave , Phoenix Lights

MORPH-03

SIZE ~12 m · FIRST LOGGED Nimitz, 2004

Tic Tac / Cylinder

also: AAV

A smooth, wingless capsule with no visible propulsion or flight surfaces. Defined by the Nimitz encounter.

No wings or exhaustInstant accelerationFeatureless hull

Logged: USS Nimitz

MORPH-04

SIZE 0.3–3 m · FIRST LOGGED WWII

Orb / Sphere

also: Foo fighter

A self-luminous sphere, often small and highly manoeuvrable — the most commonly reported modern form.

Self-luminousErratic motionOften in groups

Logged: Aguadilla

MORPH-05

SIZE 30–300 m · FIRST LOGGED 1896 airship wave

Cigar

also: Mothership

A long cylindrical craft, sometimes reported releasing smaller objects. A staple of the earliest sightings.

Elongated bodyOccasional windowsMay deploy smaller craft

MORPH-06

SIZE up to 1.5 km · FIRST LOGGED Hudson Valley, 1983

Chevron / Boomerang

also: V-craft

A wide V or boomerang — often a rank of lights holding perfect formation, gliding slow and silent.

V formationSlow, silent glideImmense span

Logged: Phoenix Lights , Hudson Valley

MORPH-07

SIZE 3–10 m · FIRST LOGGED Levelland, 1957

Egg / Ovoid

also: Oval

A seamless oval, frequently tied to electromagnetic effects — stalled engines and dead headlights.

Seamless shellEM interferenceLow hover

Logged: Levelland

MORPH-08

SIZE 10–30 m · FIRST LOGGED Cash–Landrum, 1980

Diamond

also: Faceted craft

An angular, faceted craft, occasionally reported venting flame and shadowed by conventional aircraft.

Faceted hullHeat beneathSometimes escorted

Logged: Cash–Landrum

MORPH-09

SIZE 2–4 m · FIRST LOGGED Kecksburg, 1965

Bell / Acorn

A small acorn- or bell-shaped object, famously linked to a rumoured military recovery in Pennsylvania.

Bell / acorn profileOften smallAlleged recoveries

Logged: Kecksburg

MORPH-10

SIZE 10–40 m · FIRST LOGGED Trindade, 1958

Saturn / Hat

also: Ringed disc

A sphere or dome girdled by a broad ring — one of the more frequently photographed classic forms.

Body + ringPhotographed casesRotational symmetry

Logged: Trindade

MORPH-11

SIZE 8–20 m · FIRST LOGGED Devon, 1967

Cross / Plus

also: Flying cross

A cruciform craft — two booms or ranks of light crossing at right angles. A recurring form in the British and European waves.

Cruciform outlineTip lightsSlow drift

MORPH-12

SIZE 15–60 m · FIRST LOGGED Belgium, 1990

Delta / Flying Wing

also: Manta, arrowhead

A swept, wing-like delta with no fuselage or tail — closer to a stealth flying wing than a flat triangle.

Swept wingNo tailBanking turns

Logged: Belgian Wave

MORPH-13

SIZE varies · FIRST LOGGED Washington, 1952

Sphere Cluster

also: Fleet, formation

Not one craft but many — a formation of orbs or lights moving together, splitting apart and re-forming.

Multiple objectsFormation flightSplit & merge

Logged: Washington D.C.

Shapes are reader-reported and overlap freely — many cases fit more than one. See where they were logged on the sightings map.

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