Howdy, Chattanooga. Chloé here, and I hope you had fun and got some rest over the weekend. But what I really want to talk about right now is UFOs and Netflix’s new “Unsolved Mysteries.”

If you grew up in the late ‘80s + early ‘90s like I did, you probably know the show or at least its ominous music.

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Gif by Giphy

I’m a true crime junkie, and I watched all six episodes of the revamped show during my long holiday weekend. Every episode brought chills, but did you see the one about the UFOs?

A Knoxville man appeared in the episode about a 1969 sighting in Massachusetts, and it made us wonder — have there been any eerie sightings around Chattanooga? Thank goodness there’s a website for that.

Fast facts

○ July 2 was World UFO Day, an observance of the 1947 Roswell, NM incident anniversary, a case where many claim a UFO crash-landed in the area.

○ While the word UFO is simply defined as an “unidentified flying object,” the term has come to represent spaceships and possible alien life.

Reported Chattanooga sightings

👽 March 27, 2020

Time of sighting: 11:30 p.m.
Duration: 1-2 minutes
Shape of object: Oval
The report: In this report, a Chattanooga resident said that they saw a flat, oval-shaped object in the sky that their sister first mistook for a star. According to the report, the object had three lights in the front and back, and made a light noise similar to an airplane’s (but not as loud).

👽 July 31, 2019

Time of sighting: 9 p.m.
Duration: 1 minute
Shape of object: Fireball
The report: This report says that three people in a car saw a bright orange fireball that rose from behind a treeline and moved quickly to the right before vanishing. The person who filed the report said that they also experienced a weird “haziness” during the night and saw lights flashing in their window.

👽 Nov. 27, 2017

Time of sighting: 3:45 p.m.
Duration: 3 minutes
Shape of object: Unknown
The report: This former flight attendant reported that they saw two objects whose shapes were difficult to distinguish merge into one. They also mentioned that this was their second daytime UFO sighting (the first was in California).
Quoteworthy: “My family is generational Air Force. I am a former flight attendant, and I have been an observant sky watcher for many years.”

👽 Oct.17, 2017

Time of sighting: 8:30 p.m.
Duration: 15 minutes
Shape of object: Triangle
The report: This person living on a ridge overlooking the river + City of Chattanooga said that they saw two objects in the sky with triangular rims that changed colors. This person also said that they noticed a red orb hovering over the interstate in Athens, TN 15 years ago.

👽 July 30, 2017

Time of sighting: 3:45 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour+
Shape: Oval
The report: This short report describes two oval crafts with lights blinking red, white, and green. The person who made the report said that they left + returned after 15 minutes to find the crafts still there, spinning silently.

👽 Aug. 21, 2015

Time of sighting: 12:17 a.m.
Duration: 3 minutes
Shape: Unknown
The report: This Hixson resident reported that they saw what looked like a black military helicopter chasing a “bright, orange star” that was “silent and moving fast.”

👽 Dec. 28, 2011

Time of sighting: 5:50 p.m.
Duration: 30 minutes
Shape: Unknown
The report: Four family members saw 14-18 bright yellow/orange lights moving slowly over the city. An 8-year-old brought the lights to her mother’s attention. They were “clearly moving” in what seemed like the same direction. They passed over an area mountain before two more family members came to witness the event. The three adults said they’d never seen anything like it.
Quoteworthy: “We have been watching a lot of internet and TV shows about UFO sightings and we found our experience very similar to the ‘Lights Over Phoenix’ experience.”

Poll