Metallic flying orbs seen around the world, baffling NASA and the Pentagon

Unidentified flying orbs have been spotted at several different velocities, NASA says. Some do not appear to move at all while others have been observed in active flight.

Mysterious metallic orbs have been spotted flying in numerous locations around the world, but officials from both NASA and the Pentagon are still without answers as to what they are.

During an independent NASA panel studying unidentified flying objects (UFOs) — now categorized as “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” or UAPs, by the U.S. government — officials on Wednesday shared new details about the strange orbs.

The panel teased the findings as part of a new study into the presence of UAPs, which, unlike UFOs, can include unexplained phenomena in oceans, space and on the ground. The full study is expected to be released later this summer.

Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), said the “metallic orbs” are the most common type of UAPs and are reported from “all over the world.”

Kirkpatrick said the spherical objects, which are about one to four metres in diameter, are not an “apparent threat to airborne-asset safety.” They are, however, capable of “very interesting apparent maneouveres.”

The orbs have been spotted flying at several different velocities. Some do not appear to move at all while others have been observed in active flight. The UAPs do not show evidence of “thermal exhaust,” like heat created by a vehicle’s engine.

Based on footage, the orbs can be white, silver or translucent. They are usually observed at an altitude between 10,000 and 30,000 feet, around the same height as most commercial aircraft.

The metallic orbs are not evidence of extraterrestrial life, the panel stressed — despite many theories circulating online — and better data is still required to understand the orbs and the possibility of life beyond our planet.