The Popocatépetl Webcam Objects
A webcam watching Mexico's most active volcano caught a glowing object that seemed to dive straight into the crater.
What was reported
Popocatépetl is an active volcano south-east of Mexico City, watched around the clock by cameras. In October 2012, a television network broadcast footage from one camera that appeared to show a long, glowing object descending straight into the crater.
More clips followed over the years showing lights and shapes near the summit, and the volcano gained a reputation as a 'UFO base' online.
Explanations offered
Analysts pointed out that the webcam takes images at intervals, which makes anything passing through look much faster and stranger than it is. The 2012 object is widely thought to be a meteor or an aircraft caught across several frames, and other clips show insects, birds, lens reflections or volcanic debris.
- When
- From 2012
- Where
- Popocatépetl volcano, Puebla, Mexico
- Witnesses
- A volcano webcam and TV viewers
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.