Apollo 17 blue dots
The Apollo 17 blue dots are tiny dots visible on a 1972 Apollo 17 photo, which the Pentagon published, highlighted, among its UFO files in May 2026. Some UFO researchers consider them unknown objects; according to skeptical experts, they are common flaws of the film stock and its development.
The term Apollo 17 blue dots refers to one of the photographs from Apollo 17, the last crewed Moon landing, in December 1972, on which three tiny dots arranged in a triangle are visible above a lunar mountain range. The Pentagon published the image on May 8, 2026, in the first batch of the declassified “UFO files,” with the dots highlighted. Of the 158 files, 14 relate to NASA's crewed spaceflights, including material from Gemini 7, Apollo 11, Apollo 12 and Skylab.
What some researchers claim
According to some UFO researchers and online communities, the dots show objects or light phenomena of unknown origin. Interpretations differ: some consider them objects of alien origin, others simply an unexplained anomaly. The Pentagon provided no explanation of the dots' origin.
Skeptical explanations
The Apollo photos have been public in NASA's archive for decades. According to astrophysicist Grant Tremblay, the Pentagon merely drew boxes on images known for half a century, and many Apollo shots show film defects. According to graphic designer Jason Major, blue spots, dots, scratches, light spots and contamination are common on images shot on film, later developed and scanned. The typical causes:
- dust, contamination and scratches on the film or the scanner;
- flaws in the film emulsion and traces of the development process;
- artifacts of copying, digitization and compression.
Summary
The term is tied to a specific, public photograph. The origin of the dots has not been officially explained; according to skeptical experts, they are common flaws of the film technology of the time.