Man spots a ‘UFO’ from his balcony in Chicago resembling an alien FACE – and experts are baffled

As we know from official Pentagon documents, UFOs are usually circular, triangular, or even white rectangles like “tic-tacs.”

Now, the US government can add another variant to its list – something we've never seen before.

A Chicago photographer shared his stunning shot of a scary object changing color while stationary in the night sky.

Depending on the observer, it resembles a mask, an alien face, a local totem, or even Rafiki the ape from The Lion King.

Experts are confused about what this image could be, although they described the image as “beautiful and stunning.”

This stunning shot was captured by Dietrich Ziegler, a Chicago-based photographer, and shared exclusively with MailOnline.

“It was around evening as the sun was dipping below the horizon,” he said.

“I noticed some colorful flash and took out my 70-200mm lens and took this photo.

The look of the piece was eye-catching, with a palette of purple, gold and green.

“The colors seem to change, but the shape stays the same and looks like a mask.”

“After quickly heading inside to examine the images, I was unable to locate it in the sky again.”

Ziegler said it “appears as stationary as a star” to the naked eye, although slight differences in the images he took suggest it may have been moving slightly.

“I was absolutely blown away when reviewing the images on a larger screen,” he said.

“Even now, I often stare at the sky, both during the day and at night, hoping to witness something wonderful.”

“However, nothing similar has occurred to me since that interesting evening.”

Depending on the observer, it resembles a mask, an alien face, or a local totem (pictured)

With its elongated and colorful 'face', the creature resembles the ape Rafiki from The Lion King (pictured).

UFO stands for “unidentified flying object” and so the term does not necessarily describe an object of extraterrestrial origin.

Nick Pope, a UFO expert who formerly worked for the British Ministry of Defence, described the image as a “beautiful image” but was unable to identify an “unidentified aerial phenomenon” (UAP), the term now preferred by authorities.

“Often, when looking at UAP images, we don't necessarily see an accurate picture of the object,” Pope told MailOnline.

“Distortions can occur for example when photographing an object through glass, when magnifying it, or as a result of various anomalies and light effects related to the camera.”

Another British UFO researcher, Philip Mantel, said the object could be plasma or even ice crystals in the clouds.

“I've seen these ice crystals myself and they look really amazing,” he told MailOnline.

“(But) it is difficult to reach a final conclusion.”

The US Department of Defense – known as the Pentagon – refused to comment on the photo.

However, the usually secretive branch of government has been more transparent about what it knows regarding UFOs in recent months.

A Pentagon document published in the summer revealed this A typical foreign body has a round shape, usually spherical or orbital, and is white or silver in color.

Most UFOs have been described as “orb,” “round,” or “ball,” but other reported shapes include polygon, triangle, and “tic-tac-toe,” the Pentagon says.

Based on what he knows from reported sightings between 1996 and 2023, other UFO shapes include rectangle, oval, triangle, disc, cylinder, square and even polygon.

Meanwhile, 16 percent are described as having lights, although in many cases this may be due to their reflective properties.

The Pentagon also released a map of hotspots that reveal the location of UFO sightings, including Japan and the Middle East.

World's UFO hotspots revealed – with the Pentagon admitting hundreds of objects have been spotted 'all over the world'

The US government is notoriously secretive when it comes to sharing what it knows about extraterrestrial life.

But in a possible effort at transparency, the Department of Defense has released a new document revealing the world's “UFO hotspots.”

It includes a map revealing the places where most UFO sightings have been recorded, based on reports between 1996 and 2023.

The map reveals where the most sightings have been recorded based on reports between 1996 and 2023 – with Japan and the US coast identified as particular hotspots.

Among them are Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan, and the eastern and western coasts of the United States, including California, in addition to parts of the Middle East.

Another remote mountain village in Japan has already been described as a hotspot for mysterious sightings.

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