In a previous episode, we explored
the phenomenon of UFO sightings near active volcanoes.
In that instance, it was this volcano in Iceland.
But the real hotspot for such sightings
is over here in North America, just south of the Rio Grande.
And this latest video caused an internet eruption of its own.
January 24, 2017.
It's early evening in the skies over Mexico City.
Webcams around the country livestream
images of Mexico's national monuments and cultural
treasures.
But no one ever expected them to capture this.
A small light appears to launch from
the top of Popocatépetl Volcano, known locally as El Popo.
But look closely.
The light flies closer and closer
to the camera when, suddenly, it explodes into a glowing orb
and climbs up into the atmosphere.
[ominous music]
And look at this, the second camera facing
El Popo on a different day.
What are these glowing orbs we're seeing at different times
around the volcano?
And are they related?
Paty Contreras, director of Digital Strategy
for Webcams de México, says she wasn't even
sure what was going on.
PATY CONTRERAS: My first thought was, what is happening here?
This is not a plane.
This is not a drone.
What is this thing exploding in the sky?
TONY HARRIS: In fact, Mexico is seventh in the world
when it comes to UFO sightings, with several reported
near El Popo each year.
But why do these unidentified objects seem
to be attracted to volcanoes?
According to journalist MJ Banias,
it may be because UFOs need volcanoes
for camouflage and energy.
MJ BANIAS: Some people believe that the UFOs
are attracted because of all the heat it emits.
TONY HARRIS: Banias says some believe
UFOs are using cracks in the volcano to hide and refuel.
On one side of the volcano is a large vent that often
is spewing hot ash and lava.
And some people believe this is the point of entry and exit
for UFOs.
They use the volcano as a sort of base of operations.
From March to May 2021, state cameras over El Popo
captured at least five instances of lights
flashing above the volcano.
Are the lights a product of Mother Earth,
or are they from mother someplace else?
We turn the footage over to our experts to decide.
First, we ask Rich Hoffman to examine
the video of the bright light seen over Mexico City.
Could it be a real UFO?
In this case, Hoffman is skeptical.
RICH HOFFMAN: The brilliance of this light going
over a major city should have yielded all kinds of reports
about this huge ball of light.
But then you look to see if there's
any evidence or any kind of an indication
of UFO reports or sightings on that given day,
and there are none.
It was a big ball of light that came from the volcano,
and none of the geologists are talking about it,
none of the people in the city?
TONY HARRIS: So what are we looking at?
Hoffman says the location and the light itself yields a clue.
RICH HOFFMAN: It just so happens that a little bit to the right
of that camera, over in the distance,
there is Puebla International Airport, where aircraft are
supposed to turn on their landing lights
when they're below 10,000 feet.
They don't use landing lights when they just are landing.
They use them when they're also taking off
or if they're also going to be changing their altitude.
TONY HARRIS: By looking at a map of the city
and using a little math, Hoffman has
more evidence for his theory.
RICH HOFFMAN: I also did a thing to compute the speed.
If it would be coming from the airport,
it would be about 6 and 1/2 miles away.
You put that in terms of the fact
that it took 55 seconds before it came just directly
above the web camera, and you come up with the fact
that it's within about 425 miles per hour,
which is typically about the speed of a commercial aircraft.
I also used flight radar to be able to see
the air traffic coming out of that particular airport.
And I was able to actually look at the actual type of aircraft.
It's an Airbus 321 that takes off from there,
that heads over to Cancun.
TONY HARRIS: But what about the video
with the floating, glowing orbs?
Next, we go to astronomer and video effects
designer Marc D'Antonio.
Could the objects have come from the volcano itself?
MARC D'ANTONIO: One of the things
that I thought about when trying to look at these objects,
I was trying to say, are those embers?
And the problem is, if they're embers,
they seem to stay the same brightness for quite
a long period of time.
And that's the problem I have with it.
TONY HARRIS: What if the camera is
simply capturing a light source from the natural world
up close?
Namely, the insect variety.
MARC D'ANTONIO: One would think that these could also
be fireflies except that, fireflies,
they're not like a constant light flying around.
They actually flash their light, and then that's it.
You see a bright dot followed by a trail,
and that's not what we see here.
So I don't think they're fireflies at all.
TONY HARRIS: In fact, D'Antonio isn't sure if they're
from the natural world at all.
MARC D'ANTONIO: If they're real, they're acting
unlike anything I've seen.
Our verdict-- we're going with a mixed decision here.
While Hoffman makes a solid case for the exploding light being
an airplane, we're still not sure what we're
seeing in the other video.
But one thing is for sure, strange objects near volcanoes
appear to be a real phenomenon around the world.
So while some strange sightings near El Popo can be explained,
we're still on the lookout, and you should be too.