A new AI-assisted study is bringing unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) orb sightings back into focus, pointing to flight behavior that appears inconsistent with known physics — including incidents tied to a US Navy vessel seven years ago.
James Beecham, a retired physician and independent researcher, dropped findings based on six pre-registered surveys — a standard method used to limit bias in scientific studies.
He used SuperGrok AI to independently process and code patterns across reported orb encounters drawn from high-profile military cases.
The dataset includes the widely reported July 2019 encounter off San Diego, where sailors aboard the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Omaha (LCS-12) tracked a swarm of UAP.
Radar detected as many as 14 objects zipping around the ship. At least one was recorded moving at speeds exceeding 160 miles (257 kilometers) per hour.
Separate footage from the incident shows a spherical object descending into the Pacific, with crew members observing it in real-time. No wreckage or debris was recovered.
Glowing and Metallic Orbs, Both ‘Splashless’
Beecham’s AI-assisted analysis categorizes the UAP objects into two groups: luminous orbs and more solid-looking metallic forms.
Across both categories, one recurring pattern is the so-called “splashless” transition between air and water, with no visible disturbance such as spray or ripples. This behavior is considered unusual under conventional fluid dynamics.
“That splash-less entry is a clue,” Beecham said. “It tells us these orbs are within a medium or substrate that protects them from normal effects of our gravity and of the surface tension of sea water.”
The study reports splashless entry rates above 40 percent across both categories, with higher consistency observed in luminous objects.
Other reported motion patterns include hovering, rapid acceleration, and abrupt changes in direction.
Beecham said the dataset supports his broader “Space-Phase” physics framework and has been made available for further independent analysis.