IBTimes UK: Trump’s UAP Council Head Admits One UFO Encounter Left Them Totally Clueless
Summary
IBTimes UK (Briane Nebria, Jul 19 2026) surveys UAP Science Advisory Council members’ attempts to find prosaic explanations for Trump-era UAP files, contrasted against their admitted bafflement over the October 2023 “mother orb” case. avi-loeb proposes that many glowing-orb sightings are laser-induced plasma (a luminous, non-physical hot spot formed at a laser’s focal point or beam intersection, capable of supersonic apparent motion with no sonic boom) or ball-lightning (a rare, poorly understood electrical phenomenon usually lasting only seconds). Neither explanation, Loeb argues, fits the October 2023 case near a secure western-U.S. military facility, described in jon-kosloski’s June 5, 2026 aaro letter: an orange “mother orb” that launched smaller red orbs and persisted for hours with “varied kinematic profiles including seemingly coordinated horizontal motion.” tim-gallaudet concurs the case has no conventional explanation. This article covers the same “mother orb” incident discussed by Loeb in his companion Medium essays — see src-loeb-ball-lightning-orbs-2026-07 and src-loeb-laser-plasma-orbs-2026-07.
Key Claims
- A luminous sphere can form at a laser’s focal point or at the intersection of two beams; because it is not a physical object, it can move at supersonic speed with no sonic boom or fiery trail (attributed to avi-loeb).
- Ball lightning is a genuine but poorly understood atmospheric-electrical phenomenon, usually appearing during/after thunderstorms and lasting only a few seconds (attributed to avi-loeb).
- The October 2023 “mother orb” case does not fit either explanation: reported durations of hours exceed both laser-sustained plasma and known ball lightning, and would require lasers “much more powerful than currently available” (attributed to avi-loeb).
- jon-kosloski’s June 5, 2026 AARO letter describes the orange orb disgorging smaller red orbs with “varied kinematic profiles including seemingly coordinated horizontal motion and apparent changes in altitude” (attributed to AARO/Kosloski).
- tim-gallaudet states that while ball lightning and laser-produced plasma explain many other cases, he cannot think of any conventional explanation for the “orbs launching orbs” event (attributed to Gallaudet, told to the Washington Post).
- The U.S. already fields laser weapon systems for counter-drone/counter-missile defense, including on bases tied to operations against Iran, providing a plausible mundane source for some glowing-orb reports.
- Much technical detail on the case remains classified, so no extraterrestrial origin is confirmed and claims should be treated cautiously.
Notable Quotes
“A glowing sphere could potentially be generated at the focal point of a powerful laser or at the intersection of two laser beams.” — Avi Loeb
“I cannot think of any conventional explanation.” — Tim Gallaudet (on the “orbs launching orbs” case, to the Washington Post)