Well, Missoula, we did it again. We saw some glowing lights in the sky, freaked out, and immediately jumped to aliens. Because obviously, the first place an advanced extraterrestrial civilization would visit is a city known for craft beer, hippies, and a movie about fly fishing.

This past Friday night, residents flooded social media with grainy, zoomed-in videos of mysterious orange lights floating above town. The theories? Oh, they were chef’s kiss perfect:

  • “It’s a UFO fleet! They’re finally here!”
  • “Is this a military experiment? Secret government drones?”
  • “I KNEW IT! The truth was out there all along!”
@user664866805 Please, someone tell me what is going on in our skies?! 😫 These were flying in clusters, streaming orange glow, no flashing lights… this footage was all caught within 3 minutes. They were low, below the clouds and definitely moving quickly. My mind is blown at what I saw tonight. #whatisinoursky #orbs #drones #missoula #montana ♬ original sound - Danielle Haacke

Folks, take a deep breath and put down your tinfoil hats. Turns out, those glowing orbs weren’t here to abduct you or probe your dog. They were Chinese lanterns. You know, those beautiful, harmless floating lights people release during celebrations? And guess what’s happening right now? Chinese New Year. Yep, all across the world, people are lighting up the sky to ring in the Year of the Dragon, and we somehow took that as a sign that aliens had put Missoula on their intergalactic bucket list.

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This isn’t even the first time we’ve mistaken floating lanterns for little green men. It’s practically a Montana tradition at this point (Don't even get me started with the Chinese spy balloon debacle). And sure, I get it, watching those lights drift through the sky does look eerie. But let’s use some common sense before we start calling the Men in Black. Not every blinking light is an unidentified flying object. Sometimes, it’s just Steve from down the street celebrating with a lantern he bought on Amazon.

So next time you see mysterious lights floating overhead, maybe don’t assume it’s a close encounter of the third kind. Instead, grab a beer, enjoy the view, and remind yourself: if aliens ever do show up, they’re probably skipping us and heading straight for Bozeman.

LOOK: The states with the most UFO sightings

For each state, we’ve also included details of famous UFO sightings in that state. Of note is that almost three-quarters of all UFO sighting reports in the United States occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, and tend to peak between 9 and 10 p.m. Food for thought next time you're out scoping for alien life. Keep reading to see which states have had the most UFO sightings.

Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi

READ ON: Weird, wild UFO sightings from throughout history

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