Disclosed

Apollo 17, 1972

Date
Dec 1972
Place
Moon
Record
Pentagon file
Assessment
Not assessed
Evidence strength
467 case pages by decade; this one falls in 1970s with 41 othersAll cases

What was reported

A previously-released and long-discussed Apollo 17 lunar-surface photograph (December 1972) showing three "dots" in a triangular formation in the lower-right quadrant of the lunar sky, clearly visible on magnification. The manifest states DOW has opened a case to investigate the image, that there is no consensus among outside observers about the anomaly's nature, that new preliminary US government analysis suggests the feature is potentially the result of a physical object in the scene (rather than, e.g., a film artifact), and that the government has obtained the original mission film for full NASA/DOW analysis, with results to be released when complete.

What officials concluded

Unresolved

No consensus previously existed on the anomaly's nature; per the manifest, new preliminary US government analysis suggests it is potentially the result of a physical object in the scene, and DOW/NASA have obtained the original film for a…

Agency
NASA
Released in

Evidence profile

Sensors2 of 9
  • Visual
  • Infrared
  • Radar
  • Video
  • Photo
  • Film
  • Audio
  • Night vision
  • Other sensor
Witnessescount not stated
  • Civilian
  • Military aircrew
  • Military ground
  • Airline crew
  • Sensor operator
  • Law enforcement
  • Scientist
  • Astronaut
  • Intelligence official
  • Other
ShapeTriangle
  • Light only
  • Orb or sphere
  • Disc
  • Triangle
  • Cylinder
  • Cube
  • Other shape
Effectsnone reported
  • Physiological
  • Physical trace
  • Electromagnetic
  • Sound
  • Silent

Why this rating A single still-camera image of three point-like features with a long, unresolved public debate over its nature (commonly attributed by skeptics to lens flare, film-processing artifacts, or reflections given similar patterns on other Apollo frames); the government's own preliminary lean toward a physical-object explanation and its decision to re-examine the original film are notable procedurally but do not change the underlying evidentiary weight of one unscaled photograph.

As described in the file

Sensors
Still camera (archival lunar-surface photograph); original film now held for renewed government analysis
Shape
Three point-like "dots" arranged in a triangular formation
Altitude or range
Lower-right quadrant of the lunar sky in frame, distance unstated

Pentagon files

1

What the file claims

2
  • Unverified

    Three dots in a triangular formation appear in the lower-right quadrant of an Apollo 17 lunar-surface photograph, clearly visible on magnification.

  • Unverified

    Preliminary new government analysis suggests the feature is potentially the result of a physical object rather than an artifact, and the original mission film has been obtained for a full analysis.