Within Sightings Map
Why Cheyenne Tops Wyoming's UFO List
Cheyenne leads Wyoming's modern city reports, but its airport, missile-base setting and population make caution essential.
On this page
- Cheyenne's report count in context
- F.E. Warren, aircraft and ordinary sky traffic
- What recent reports can and cannot prove
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Cheyenne sits at the top of Wyoming’s modern UFO reporting map, but that fact is less mysterious than it first appears. As the state capital, one of Wyoming’s largest population centres, a regional aviation hub and the home of F.E. Warren Air Force Base, it combines several ingredients that tend to generate unusual-sky reports. NUFORC-based rankings have consistently placed Cheyenne first among Wyoming cities for reported sightings since the mid-1990s, with around 50 reports in recent counts. [Stacker]stacker.comcities most ufo sightings wyomingStackerCities With the Most UFO Sightings in Wyoming12 May 2025 — Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Wyo…
The more interesting question is why Cheyenne produces so many reports. The answer lies in the overlap between public UFO reporting and a landscape filled with military aircraft, missile operations, training flights, satellites, weather conditions that favour long-distance visibility, and a population accustomed to watching the sky. That does not mean every report has an ordinary explanation. It does mean that any attempt to understand Cheyenne’s reputation has to start with aviation and military activity rather than leap immediately to extraordinary conclusions.
Why Cheyenne Tops Wyoming’s UFO List
Cheyenne’s position at the top of Wyoming’s NUFORC rankings has remained broadly stable across different database snapshots and media analyses. Recent compilations based on NUFORC records place the city ahead of Casper and Laramie, even though the absolute numbers remain relatively small compared with major metropolitan areas elsewhere in the United States. [Stacker]stacker.comcities most ufo sightings wyomingStackerCities With the Most UFO Sightings in Wyoming12 May 2025 — Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Wyo… [Cowboy State Daily]cowboystatedaily.comcheyenne reports more ufo sightings than anywhere else in wyomingCheyenne tops the list of Wyoming places with the most sightings, reporting 50 aerial…Read more…
Several factors help explain the concentration:
- Cheyenne is one of Wyoming’s largest population centres, increasing the number of potential observers.
- Interstate travel corridors bring large numbers of motorists into open-sky environments.
- The city sits close to Cheyenne Regional Airport and military air traffic routes.
- F.E. Warren Air Force Base operates one of the most significant nuclear missile commands in the country.
- The surrounding plains provide unusually long sightlines, allowing distant lights and aircraft to remain visible for extended periods.
These conditions create what researchers sometimes call an “opportunity to observe” environment. People are simply more likely to notice lights, aircraft manoeuvres, satellites, re-entering space debris, atmospheric effects or military operations than they would in heavily wooded or densely built-up regions.
The pattern is important because it changes how the sighting numbers should be interpreted. A high report count does not automatically indicate a high rate of unexplained phenomena. It may instead reflect a high rate of sky observation combined with many potential sources of confusion.
F.E. Warren, Nuclear Missiles and the UFO Reputation
No discussion of Cheyenne’s UFO history can avoid F.E. Warren Air Force Base. The base has long occupied a special place in UFO literature because of its role in managing intercontinental ballistic missiles across a vast missile field stretching through parts of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.
The connection dates back decades. Declassified Project Blue Book material shows that Wyoming generated military-era UFO reports during the 1950s and 1960s, and later UFO researchers increasingly focused on nuclear weapons sites as potential hotspots for unusual sightings. [National Archives]archives.govNational Archives Project BLUE BOOKAir Force Fact Sheet on UFOs and Project BLUE BOOK; Reference… Base, whose personnel no longer receive, document, or investigate UFO… [2trib.com]trib.comAir Force's long-shuttered Project Blue Book, its program to collect UFO sighting reports…
Within UFO culture, Warren became associated with recurring stories that unidentified objects had been observed near missile facilities. Some of those claims come from former service personnel interviewed years after the alleged events. Researchers such as Robert Hastings have argued that sightings around nuclear installations deserve special attention because similar stories appear at multiple missile bases. [RR0]rr0.orgWarren 1965RR0F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming (1965)10 May 2025 —… AFB, to report several UFO sightings at Warren's Minuteman missile sites…. pilot i…
The difficulty is that many of the most dramatic Warren stories rely heavily on retrospective testimony rather than publicly available technical evidence. In numerous cases there are no released radar records, photographs or official investigative files capable of independently confirming what witnesses believed they saw.
That does not mean witnesses were necessarily mistaken. It means the evidential foundation is often weaker than later retellings suggest.
The 2010 Missile Communication Failure and UFO Claims
The event most responsible for keeping F.E. Warren in modern UFO discussions occurred in October 2010.
During the incident, personnel temporarily lost normal communication with 50 Minuteman III nuclear missiles under Warren’s command. News reports at the time described a serious but ultimately resolved technical failure involving communication systems. Senior officials emphasised that the missiles remained secure and that there was no danger of accidental launch. [WIRED]wired.comcommunications dropped to 50 nuke missiles in icbm snafuGulp. Backup security…Read more… [Arms Control Center]armscontrolcenter.orgArms Control Center Aliens Disrupt ICBMs at F.EWarren?26 Oct 2010 — A power failure at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming that took 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICB…
The UFO connection emerged later.
Some former missile personnel and UFO researchers claimed that unusual aerial objects had been seen over parts of the missile field during the same period. Accounts circulated describing a large cigar-shaped object or other unexplained lights near missile sites. Those claims became a staple of documentaries, books and television programmes dealing with alleged UFO-nuclear interactions. [The World from PRX]theworld.orgdid ufos bring us brink nuclear launchThe World from PRXDid UFOs bring US to brink of nuclear launch?1 Aug 2016 — Did a UFO cause power failure at nuclear missile base? Missil… 2theufochronicles.com
However, the publicly documented evidence remains mixed.
What is well established:
- A significant communications disruption affected 50 missiles.
- The incident was serious enough to receive national attention.
- The Air Force attributed the problem to equipment and communication failures. [WIRED]wired.comcommunications dropped to 50 nuke missiles in icbm snafuGulp. Backup security…Read more… [Arms Control Center]armscontrolcenter.orgArms Control Center Aliens Disrupt ICBMs at F.EWarren?26 Oct 2010 — A power failure at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming that took 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICB…
What remains disputed:
- Whether unusual aerial objects were actually present.
- Whether any sightings were connected to the technical malfunction.
- Whether later witness recollections accurately reflected events as they occurred.
For sceptics, the lack of direct evidence linking the outage to unidentified objects is decisive. For UFO researchers, the combination of missile disruption and witness testimony keeps the case open. More than a decade later, the event remains unresolved rather than confirmed.
Aircraft, Training Flights and Ordinary Sky Traffic
One reason Cheyenne produces so many UFO reports is that genuine mystery cases share airspace with a large number of entirely ordinary objects.
Cheyenne Regional Airport generates regular civilian traffic, while F.E. Warren contributes military aircraft activity and support operations. Aircraft viewed at unusual angles, especially at night, can appear stationary, suddenly accelerate or seem much larger or smaller than they really are.
Several recurring features appear in modern Cheyenne-area reports:
- Bright lights hovering near the horizon.
- Multiple lights moving in formation.
- Objects appearing to stop and then change direction.
- Silent lights observed at night.
- Long strings of lights crossing the sky.
Each of those descriptions can sometimes correspond to ordinary causes. Aircraft flying directly toward an observer can appear motionless for long periods. Landing lights can create unusually bright points. Satellite trains, particularly during the early years of Starlink deployments, generated numerous UFO reports across Wyoming and elsewhere. One widely discussed 2022 Cheyenne sighting was publicly explained by meteorologist Don Day as a likely Starlink satellite formation rather than alien craft. [Cowboy State Daily]cowboystatedaily.comcheyenne reports more ufo sightings than anywhere else in wyomingCheyenne tops the list of Wyoming places with the most sightings, reporting 50 aerial…Read more…
This does not mean every sighting has been solved. It does explain why investigators approach Cheyenne reports cautiously.
What Recent Reports Can and Cannot Prove
Modern reporting databases preserve many sincere accounts from Cheyenne residents. Some describe lights moving in unusual ways. Others involve multiple witnesses. A few come from people with aviation or military backgrounds. Recent discussions online continue to show observers trying to identify objects seen near the airport or over the city. [Reddit]reddit.comRedditUAPs in Cheyenne, Wyoming?: r/UFOsOur post office is located near the Cheyenne Regional AirPort, so there's always the possibility…
Yet the limits of the evidence are just as important as the reports themselves.
Most modern cases lack:
- Precise flight data.
- Multiple camera angles.
- Radar information.
- Independent corroboration.
- Physical evidence.
As a result, the majority cannot be firmly classified either as extraordinary events or as conventional misidentifications.
The city’s military setting further complicates interpretation. Some residents naturally view unusual lights through the lens of Warren’s missile mission. Once a place acquires a UFO reputation, later observers may be more likely to interpret ambiguous events as potentially significant. That feedback loop is common in recognised UFO hotspots.
Cheyenne therefore illustrates a broader lesson about modern UFO databases. High report numbers can identify places worth studying, but they do not by themselves establish the presence of unexplained craft.
The Lasting “F.E. Warren Effect”
The strongest explanation for Cheyenne’s prominence is not a single dramatic incident but a combination of geography, infrastructure and reputation.
F.E. Warren Air Force Base gives the city a unique position within Wyoming’s UFO history. Nuclear missile operations, military secrecy, restricted airspace and decades of rumours provide a framework through which many sightings are interpreted. The 2010 missile communication failure reinforced that connection and ensured that Warren would remain a recurring reference point in UFO discussions. [Arms Control Center]armscontrolcenter.orgArms Control Center Aliens Disrupt ICBMs at F.EWarren?26 Oct 2010 — A power failure at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming that took 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICB… [The World]theworld.orgdid ufos bring us brink nuclear launchThe World from PRXDid UFOs bring US to brink of nuclear launch?1 Aug 2016 — Did a UFO cause power failure at nuclear missile base? Missil… from PRX
At the same time, the evidence does not support the stronger claim that Cheyenne’s report count proves ongoing encounters with genuinely unknown technology. The city’s population, aviation environment and military activity provide plenty of ordinary reasons for unusual observations.
That tension is exactly what makes Cheyenne important within Wyoming’s modern UFO landscape. It is not merely a place with many reports. It is a place where military history, public curiosity and genuine observational uncertainty intersect, making it one of the state’s most persistent and debated UFO locations.
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Endnotes
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Source: stacker.com
Title: cities most ufo sightings wyoming
Link: https://stacker.com/stories/wyoming/cities-most-ufo-sightings-wyomingSource snippet
StackerCities With the Most UFO Sightings in Wyoming12 May 2025 — Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Wyo...
Published: May 2025
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Source: nuforc.org
Link: https://nuforc.org/subndx/?id=lWYSource snippet
NUFORC Reports for State WYThree year old boy witnesses from back the seat of a car the approach of three flying disks. 07/04/1997. Open...
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Source: archives.gov
Title: National Archives Project BLUE BOOK
Link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufosSource snippet
Air Force Fact Sheet on UFOs and Project BLUE BOOK; Reference... Base, whose personnel no longer receive, document, or investigate UFO...
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Source: trib.com
Link: https://trib.com/news/state-regional/collection_67a30167-c71d-51f1-8c74-2fb3c7928456.htmlSource snippet
Air Force's long-shuttered Project Blue Book, its program to collect UFO sighting reports...
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Source: rr0.org
Title: Warren 1965
Link: https://rr0.org/time/2/0/0/6/02/24/Hastings_UfosightingsAtIcbmSites/Warren_1965/Source snippet
RR0F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming (1965)10 May 2025 —... AFB, to report several UFO sightings at Warren's Minuteman missile sites.... pilot i...
Published: May 2025
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Source: theworld.org
Title: did ufos bring us brink nuclear launch
Link: https://theworld.org/stories/2016/08/01/did-ufos-bring-us-brink-nuclear-launchSource snippet
The World from PRXDid UFOs bring US to brink of nuclear launch?1 Aug 2016 — Did a UFO cause power failure at nuclear missile base? Missil...
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Source: wired.com
Title: communications dropped to 50 nuke missiles in icbm snafu
Link: https://www.wired.com/2010/10/communications-dropped-to-50-nuke-missiles-in-icbm-snafu/Source snippet
Gulp. Backup security...Read more...
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Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: huge ufo sighted near nuclear missiles 19
Link: https://www.theufochronicles.com/2011/06/huge-ufo-sighted-near-nuclear-missiles_19.htmlSource snippet
Warren Air Force Base, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, temporarily lost the ability to communicate with 50 of its Minuteman...Read more...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1emo3y9/uaps_in_cheyenne_wyoming/Source snippet
RedditUAPs in Cheyenne, Wyoming?: r/UFOsOur post office is located near the Cheyenne Regional AirPort, so there's always the possibility...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: I’m assuming it’s space debris, but I’m not sure as it seems to have
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/askastronomy/comments/1ec0p9v/saw_this_unknown_object_over_cheyenne_wyoming/Source snippet
RedditSaw This Unknown Object Over Cheyenne, Wyoming: r...I was taking a walk last night (07/25/24) at 9:10 and I noticed this in the s...
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Source: nuforc.org
Link: https://nuforc.org/map/ -
Source: nuforc.org
Link: https://nuforc.org/subndx/?id=lMTSource snippet
NUFORC Reports for State MTNUFORC Reports for State MT.; Open, 10/18/2024 19:40, Billings, MT, USA; Open. 09/29/2024 21:50, Bozeman, M...
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Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: New Reports of UFO Activity Near F.E
Link: https://www.theufochronicles.com/2012/01/new-reports-of-ufo-activity-near-fe.htmlSource snippet
Warren AFB's...5 Jan 2012 —... UFOs Spotted Near Air Force Base Missile Silos: Five glowing orbs witnessed over F.E. Warren Air Force B...
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Source: theufochronicles.com
Title: UF Os & NUKES | Civilians Report UFOs in F.E
Link: https://www.theufochronicles.com/2011/04/ufos-nukes-civilians-report-ufos-in-fe.htmlSource snippet
Warren's...30 Apr 2011 — On October 23, 2010, an event took place that would appear to come right off the pages of a Tom Clancy story. F...
Published: October 23, 2010
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Source: reddit.com
Title: wyoming ufo sightings by city cheyenne leads
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UfoUapNews/comments/1sdx79g/wyoming_ufo_sightings_by_city_cheyenne_leads/Source snippet
Wyoming UFO Sightings by City: Cheyenne Leads...6 Apr 2026 — Based on NUFORC data dating to 1995 (with cross-city sightings excluded), W...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/wyoming/comments/ydk55w/weird_experiences_in_wyoming/Source snippet
Weird Experiences In WyomingAt FE Warren air force base in the Cheyenne the original officers house's are said to be haunted. Several yea...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: list of Incidents at nuclear facilities involving UFOs
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/16lbl43/list_of_incidents_at_nuclear_facilities_involving/Source snippet
Add...2010: Several Minuteman nuclear missiles at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming temporarily lost communication after a large cig...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1nqqeqm/unknown_object_cheyenne_wy/Source snippet
Unknown object Cheyenne, WY: r/UFOsIs a coincidence that starlink was launched the same morning as your sighting though so it's got me s...
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Source: cowboystatedaily.com
Title: cheyenne reports more ufo sightings than anywhere else in wyoming
Link: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/01/01/cheyenne-reports-more-ufo-sightings-than-anywhere-else-in-wyoming/Source snippet
Cheyenne tops the list of Wyoming places with the most sightings, reporting 50 aerial...Read more...
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Source: armscontrolcenter.org
Title: Arms Control Center Aliens Disrupt ICBMs at F.E
Link: https://armscontrolcenter.org/aliens-disrupt-icbms-at-f-e-warren/Source snippet
Warren?26 Oct 2010 — A power failure at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming that took 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICB...
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Source: cowboystatedaily.com
Link: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/05/11/cheyenne-man-spots-ufos-over-city-don-day-says-wyoming-not-under-alien-attack/Source snippet
Cowboy State DailyDon Day Says Wyoming Not Under Alien AttackMay 11, 2022 — 11 May 2022 — Cheyenne Man Spots UFOs Over City; Don Day Says...
Published: May 11, 2022
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Source: cowboystatedaily.com
Link: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/16/35-years-after-ufo-encounter-cheyenne-man-still-trying-to-figure-out-what-he-saw/Source snippet
35 Years After UFO Encounter, Cheyenne Man Still Trying...16 May 2026 — The son and father kept their UFO sighting to themselves for man...
Published: May 2026
Additional References
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Source: facebook.com
Title: the national ufo reporting center has recorded more than 150000 ufo sightings ac
Link: https://www.facebook.com/WTNH8/posts/the-national-ufo-reporting-center-has-recorded-more-than-150000-ufo-sightings-ac/574908844681445/Source snippet
The National UFO Reporting Center has recorded more...Wyoming's Cheyenne leads with 50 sightings since 1995. Total sightings in the US e...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: uncover the secret history of 3 ufo crash sites and the bizarre phenomena they e
Link: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnXplainedZone/posts/uncover-the-secret-history-of-3-ufo-crash-sites-and-the-bizarre-phenomena-they-e/1214136700915760/Source snippet
Uncover the secret history of 3 UFO crash sites2010, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, USA: A cigar-shaped UFO was reported near the b...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: for more than 13 months swarms of ufos have been appearing over a wyoming power
Link: https://www.facebook.com/BroBible/posts/for-more-than-13-months-swarms-of-ufos-have-been-appearing-over-a-wyoming-power-/1331379789029146/Source snippet
For more than 13 months, swarms of UFOs have been...Wyoming's Cheyenne leads with 50 sightings since 1995. Total... Nevada's Lincoln Co...
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Source: ryan-sprague51.medium.com
Title: the ufo incident over [f e warren]({{ ‘f-e-warren/’ | relative_url }}) air force base 29e1afe34948
Link: https://ryan-sprague51.medium.com/the-ufo-incident-over-f-e-warren-air-force-base-29e1afe34948Source snippet
UFO Incident over F.E. Warren Air Force BaseAccording to witnesses, these objects were seen hovering over the missile silos and displayin...
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Source: metabunk.org
Title: nuforc sightings categorized by decade and shape.14610
Link: https://www.metabunk.org/threads/nuforc-sightings-categorized-by-decade-and-shape.14610/Source snippet
NUFORC sightings categorized by decade and shape1 Dec 2025 — The number of reports with unambiguous shapes and valid report dates comes o...
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Source: kingfm.com
Title: ufo shows highlight warren afb encounter over cheyenne
Link: https://kingfm.com/ufo-shows-highlight-warren-afb-encounter-over-cheyenne/Source snippet
101.9 KING FMUFO Shows Highlight Warren AFB Encounter Over...9 Sept 2014 — Witnesses say a large cigar-shaped UFO was sighted over the b...
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Source: slashlore.com
Title: UF Os Over Military Bases: National Security Mystery
Link: https://www.slashlore.com/ufo-sightings-military-bases-security/Source snippet
Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming became the epicenter of another extraordinary nuclear weapons incident when Colonel Charles Halt documen...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/1110kfab/posts/mysterious-swarms-of-ufos-have-been-appearing-over-a-wyoming-county-for-over-a-y/1456680859800448/Source snippet
activity, suggesting that people are spotting real objects...Read more...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/cowboystatedaily/posts/a-cheyenne-attorney-and-his-father-a-former-wyoming-attorney-general-saw-what-th/1425824292893602/Source snippet
rol saying that an object had been spotted in the area...Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi-VvMa0y_USource snippet
FE Warren AFB UFO sightings Audio Recording of Witness's Terrifying UFO Sighting | UFO Witness | Travel Channel Travel Channel...
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