Why You Probably Shouldn't Get Worked Up About NJ's Mysterious Drone Sightings
The news that something is happening in the skies over New Jersey is unavoidable. Online denizens are reporting mysterious lights and "drones" flying over their neighborhoods, and people have generally gotten worried that the drones belong to anyone from Iran to Russia to aliens planning a hostile takeover of Earth. Fortunately, like most unidentified aircraft sightings, it's almost definitely nothing to worry about if you do some research into how air traffic works and know what to look for.
In all the hubbub surrounding the sightings, it's sometimes easy to forget that air travel and the traffic it creates is heavily regulated and monitored by authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration and the United States military. There are even a number of hobbyists and private companies that keep an eye on the skies in the name of safety. Not a lot happens in the skies over the United States without someone knowing about it. Just last year, a surveillance balloon belonging to the Chinese government made its way to U.S. airspace. It was identified and dealt with very quickly in the form of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet shooting it down.
Modern aircraft are covered in lights
In many videos of the craft that have surfaced online, you may have noticed a lot of blinking lights of varying colors. According to the FAA, aircraft that fly at night are mandated to have safety lights in a specific orientation. Such lights allow the aircraft to be identified in low-light conditions, and prevent in-air collisions.
For most aircraft, a red light is on the left wing tip, a green light is on the right wing tip, and the white light is on the tail. If you see an aircraft at night that you can't immediately identify, and it is running green, red, and white lights, it is very likely not anything you have to worry about. The air forces of hostile nations/galaxies are probably not going to bother complying with FAA safety regulations.
That, however, does not explain large white lights that seemingly hover in place or in formation. This too has a rather mundane explanation. In its handbook on flying at night (which you can read here), the FAA notes that simply it's difficult to see at night and there are a number of factors that can distort your vision. In most instances, the large white lights can be attributed to aircraft headlights flying towards the general direction of the camera taking footage or person watching on the ground. At night, it can be hard to judge distance and speed, so the "floating orb" looks stationary.
There are a lot of things in the sky at any given time
Despite what you may hear or see on the ground, the airspace above the United States is actually very crowded and there are thousands of aircraft in the sky at any given time, especially in crowded metropolitan areas like New Jersey. The FAA handles more than 45,000 flights a day. There are dozens of airports in the Northeast that see heavy daily traffic, especially around the holidays. The "formations" of lights are very likely commercial airliners lining up to land or take off from a nearby airport. In fact, most flight data is public, and you can see for yourself what flights are taking off nearby, removing the mystery entirely. This can be done through apps like FlightAware or Flightradar24. Who knows, you might even discover a new hobby.
And while it is unlikely, we can't completely rule out some sightings potentially being connected to government projects or otherwise clandestine activities. At any given time, companies like Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman are testing military or surveillance aircraft that just outright look weird. The unmanned RQ-4 Global Hawk, for instance, looks ungainly and odd, and planes like the B-21 Raider stealth bomber are downright alien in appearance.
The next time you see something you can't quite explain in the sky, do some reading and look at the data before jumping to otherworldly conclusions. It will save you some stress.