NASA Confirms Strange Glowing 'Rhode' Spotted Over Arizona Sky Was Not a Drone
A viral video claiming to show a mysterious, glowing orb dubbed the "Rhode light" hovering over the Sonoran Desert has racked up 20 million views in 48 hours. The clip, shot by a Phoenix hiker, shows a pulsating, translucent blue sphere that briefly split into two before vanishing. Conspiracy theorists quickly labeled it a secret government experiment or an alien probe. However, fact-checkers have confirmed the footage is real—but the explanation is not extraterrestrial. The "Rhode" object was a rare, naturally occurring electrical phenomenon known as a "spherical glow discharge," triggered by a lightning strike 40 miles away that ionized the upper atmosphere. Meteorologists from NOAA verified the event's timing with radar data, dismissing claims of a hoax or drone. While not alien, the clip remains a stunning capture of a rare weather event.