Photo of four mysterious lights above US Capitol ignites UFO speculation

A viral photo showing four mysterious lights hovering above the Statue of Freedom on the US Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., has sparked panic and fueled theories of an extraterrestrial coup. The image, captured by US Air Force veteran and licensed tour guide Dennis Diggins, has prompted a mix of concern, curiosity, and skepticism among online users.

The photo quickly spread across social media, igniting debates about whether the lights were evidence of extraterrestrial activity. Some onlookers believed the lights were UFOs and that aliens "have arrived on Earth."

Adding to the intrigue, the alleged UFO sighting comes just weeks after a U.S. Congressional hearing titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth," where witnesses testified about secret government programs allegedly aimed at concealing evidence of non-human intelligence.

While speculation ran rampant, skeptics and experts have been quick to offer alternative explanations. John Greenewald Jr., a ufologist and researcher, took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the controversy surrounding the lights captured in Diggins's photo. Greenewald explained that the lights at the U.S. Capitol building have been causing "UFO sightings" in camera lenses for decades, attributing the lights in Diggins's photo to a common optical phenomenon.

Similarly, "Average Chris," a former paranormal investigator, argued that the lights were merely lens flares. "The picture is clearly a glare reflection off of the lens of the camera of the street lights below it. Same spacing, just inverted pattern," he stated, as reported by Vice News. Despite these explanations, other eyewitnesses in the Washington area believed they had recorded similar UFOs on video during the same afternoon, Newsbomb reported.

An anonymous witness who recorded the event on video stated, "My girlfriend and I spotted a mix of multiple steady hovering and slowly moving lights from the rooftop of her apartment in Washington. They seem to be hovering over the hill."

An ominous quartet of gleaming lights above the US Capitol building, like landing lights on some otherworldly craft, have left some afraid the alien invasion has finally arrived. The photo (above) was taken by US Air Force veteran Dennis Diggins, now a licensed tour guide in… pic.twitter.com/aJYCMydcCO

— Evan Kirstel #B2B #TechFluencer (@EvanKirstel) November 29, 2024

Officials, including Department of Defense spokesperson Susan Gough, remained tight-lipped about the glowing orbs. Vice News reported that Gough stated to Daily Mail, "I don't have anything for you on this," and suggested reporters check with local police.

Former Pentagon intelligence officer Chris Mellon highlighted concerns about unidentified aerial phenomena. In an interview with Daily Mail.com, he stated that the "craft are making no effort to remain concealed."

In its March report, the Pentagon addressed ongoing UFO sightings, concluding that most were misidentified ordinary objects or natural phenomena.

ReadWrite, The Economic Times, and The Daily Mail reported on the incident, among others. 

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq