Apollo 13 view of the surface of the moon and Earth. Image Credit: NASA.

What Were the Strange Lights Apollo 8 Astronauts Saw on the Moon?

Just as the spacecraft was leaving the far side, astronauts started talking about a strange light on the lunar surface.

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There are countless theories about aliens on Earth. Many of these theories are based on empty claims, and scant to no evidence. When it comes down to UFOs, things change. There is evidence. And some of this evidence is beyond compelling. The UFO subject has taken off in recent years. It all began probably back in 2017 when three Navy videos were declassified. These videos show Navy pilots interacting with unidentified flying objects. Fast forward five years, and everything about UFOs has changed. NASA has recently revealed the list of astrophysicists that are researching UFOs. NASA, which has previously denied all ties to the UFO phenomenon, is now actively studying them.

The Pentagon rebranded its UFO office. But more importantly, it put special effort into studying so-called transmedium UFOs. These types of UAP display characteristics as if they could manipulate the air or water surrounding them. An example of a transmedium UFO was recorded off the coast of Puerto Rico, and you can see a video of the object here. And even though many of us have seen UFOs at least once. We have now seen actual military footage of these objects. Special interest should probably go toward sightings in space. What I mean by that is that we should look into the many UFO reports and comments about UFOs by astronauts and former astronauts. Several such examples can be found in the comments made by astronauts on the famous Apollo eight mission.

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The Apollo 8 mystery

In a documentary about the unexplained, we recall the time when Apollo eight saw something truly remarkable on the lunar surface. When the spacecraft was orbiting the Moon, and as it entered just around the far side of the Moon, the astronauts saw something they could not explain on the lunar surface. During the orbit around the Moon’s far side, communications with Houston were cut off. So the astronauts could not report back to Earth what they had seen. The mission was a success, and the astronauts made it safely home. And then, a few years after the mission, information about what they had seen finally resurfaced.

As it would later become known, and thanks to declassified transcripts of the radio communication that took place on the Mission, we learn what Apollo eight saw. Just as the spacecraft was leaving the far side, astronauts started talking about a strange light on the lunar surface. Astronaut Anders comments seeing a strange light on the lunar surface, to which Astronaut Borman answers, “Is that a bonfire?” Astronaut Anders answers, “It might be campfires.” The commentary from the astronauts on board Apollo 8 is fascinating because they saw, on the lunar far side, lights on the surface. However, there is no visual record of what the astronauts saw.

Apollo 11 confirms it

The story gets even more interesting when Apollo 11 saw something similar. So, now we have two Apollo missions reporting the same thing. Apollo 11, however, provides photographic evidence of what they observed. And as Nick Pope pointed out, this isn’t a rumor or a conspiracy. It is something that was documented. Eventually, a natural phenomenon was ruled out. What the astronauts of Apollo 8 saw remains a mystery, although several theories have been put forward. As is usual with unexplained sightings, these are swept under the carpet more often than not. Whatever the case, it is interesting to see what future astronauts on the Moon will uncover.


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Written by Ivan Petricevic

I've been writing passionately about ancient civilizations, history, alien life, and various other subjects for more than eight years. You may have seen me appear on Discovery Channel's What On Earth series, History Channel's Ancient Aliens, and Gaia's Ancient Civilizations among others.

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