Pilot shares shocking photo of '1,000-ft UFO' as people all spot the same detail
A newly released image allegedly showing a massive, 1,000-foot-wide UFO flying over the American Southwest has sent social media into a frenzy — but the internet quickly picked up on one specific detail that’s casting serious doubt on the entire thing.
The photo, unveiled during a UAP Disclosure Fund panel hosted by former State Department employee Luis “Lue” Elizondo, claims to show a gigantic, silver disc-shaped craft hovering near the Four Corners region — where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet.
✈️ NEW PHOTO (civilian pilot)
— UAP Disclosure Fund (@UAPDF) May 1, 2025
Captured near Four Corners at FL210—estimated 600-1,000 ft in diameter, silver-hued, disc-shaped.
Released moments ago by @LueElizondo during our “Science, National Security & Innovation” panel. Several speakers confirmed DoD & IC hold hundreds of… pic.twitter.com/KHxkywz8JR
According to a post by the UAP Disclosure Fund on X (formerly Twitter), the object was “Captured near Four Corners at FL20 — estimated 600 – 1,000 ft in diameter, silver-hued, disc-shaped.”
They added: “Several speakers confirmed [Department of Defense] and [Intelligence Community] hold hundreds of similar UAP images + sensor files still classified. It’s time for full declassification and open scientific analysis.”
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Elizondo claims the photo was snapped by a commercial airline pilot back in 2021 while flying at 21,000 feet, using what he described as an “average camera.”
During the panel, he pointed to what he says is a shadow cast by the enormous “lenticular” craft — using it as evidence to support the image’s authenticity.
However, he was quick to add: “I could not vouch for the veracity of this photograph, because I didn’t take it.”
⬅️LEFT: a photo of a "UFO" presented by UFO lobbyists to credulous members of Congress today
— Steven Greenstreet 🐷 (@MiddleOfMayhem) May 1, 2025
➡️RIGHT: a photo of normal irrigation circles
The UFO lobby asked @RepLuna, @RepEricBurlison and @RepTimBurchett for $1 billion in taxpayer funds to hunt UFOs. pic.twitter.com/33houNLLJS
But despite the dramatic reveal, critics aren’t buying it — and they’ve all noticed something suspicious about the supposed UFO. Notably, several debunkers argue the image looks eerily similar to irrigation circles, which are common in arid farming regions like the one surrounding Four Corners.
Mick West, a well-known sceptic and UAP debunker, weighed in, pointing out that the shadow patterns in the nearby hills don’t match up with Elizondo’s claims. He suggested that the object in the photo isn’t casting a shadow at all, undermining the argument that it’s a solid, physical craft.
Elizondo, who’s previously drawn criticism for presenting questionable UFO footage, has often been accused of overhyping unverified evidence — with the Pentagon itself pushing back on suggestions that alien life is here on Earth.
The panel, held in Washington, D.C., wasn’t short on big claims. Alongside Elizondo were US Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett, and Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. Also present was astrophysicist and nuclear engineer Eric Davis, who confidently claimed that there are “four types” of alien species that have visited Earth — “grays, Nordics, reptilian and insectoid.”
Despite the bold declarations, the UAP Disclosure Fund has yet to respond to requests for comment — and with no independent verification of the image, the debate around it is likely to rage on.
Whether you believe it’s a flying saucer or just a field, everyone seems to be spotting the same thing — and it’s not aliens.