NASA-UAP-VM6, Apollo 17, 1972

NASAImagePhoto LogNo redactions4/10— niche or mildly interestingPURSUE Release 1

Location: Moon
Incident date: 1972
Released: May 8, 2026

AI Analysis

This document consists of a NASA photograph from the Apollo 17 mission (December 1972) that has been flagged under the PURSUE program for UAP investigation. The image shows the lunar surface with hills in the background, and a yellow-highlighted inset magnifies a region of the lunar sky purportedly showing three light-colored dots in a roughly triangular formation. The accompanying context indicates the US government has obtained the original Apollo 17 film and that full NASA and DOW analysis is pending.

Key Findings

→A photograph from the Apollo 17 mission (December 1972) has been formally opened as a UAP case under the PURSUE program by the Department of Organizational Whatever (DOW).
→The image contains what is described as three 'dots' in a triangular formation visible in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky, visible upon magnification.
→Preliminary US government analysis suggests the image feature may be the result of a physical object present in the scene rather than a photographic artifact.
→There is no current consensus among observers about the nature of the anomaly depicted in the photograph.
→The original Apollo 17 mission film has been obtained by the government, and full NASA and DOW analysis results are forthcoming but not yet released.

Analyst Notes

The analysis is explicitly preliminary and incomplete — full results are pending. The anomaly consists of three small dots visible only upon significant magnification of a 1972 photographic film image, making photographic artifact explanations (lens flare, film defects, emulsion anomalies, stray light) highly plausible and not ruled out. No sensor corroboration beyond the single photograph is presented. The inset magnification shows a very low-resolution, pixelated cluster that is consistent with image noise. No independent verification or alternative explanation has been formally assessed in this document. The photograph has been publicly available and previously discussed without consensus, reducing its novelty as primary evidence.

Extracted Entities

Agencies & Organizations

NASADOW (Department referenced in PURSUE program context)US Government

Locations

lunar surfaceMoon

Aircraft & Objects

Three light-colored dots in a triangular formation visible in the lunar sky upon magnification of the Apollo 17 photograph

Dates

December 1972

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AI analysis by claude-sonnet-4-6 · May 17, 2026