All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S05E01.Ring.of.Fire.UFOs.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-SLAG_track3_[eng]

Okay, let's do this!

my team travels
into the notorious
Ring of Fire,

a hotbed of seismic activity,

to one of the world's
most volatile volcanoes...

Look at the smoke
coming out of there!

[Josh] ...where they dig
into eyewitness accounts...

Wait, the plane
hit the object?

-In the sky?
-Yeah.

[Josh] ...and
dramatic videos...

[man speaking]

[Josh] ...of UFOs.

[Phil] Oh!

-[Jessica] What?
-Just saw a red flash.

Did you really?

[Josh] To find out
why mysterious flying objects

seem drawn to this
smoke spewing crater,

Phil takes to the skies...

[Phil] Wait,
what is that flying?

You see that?

[Josh] ...while Jess
breaks out
high-tech cameras

and tracking devices...

-[Phil] All set?
-We're all good.

Let's do this.

[Josh] ...on a mission
to investigate one
of mankind's oldest questions.

[Josh reading]

Holy [bleep]!
Danny, look, look, look.

Do you see that?

All right, that's a problem.

[Josh] It's a dangerous
journey to uncover...

-[Jess] [bleeping] [grunts]
-[Phil] Jess!

...Ring of Fire UFOs.

My name is Josh Gates.

In my travels,
I've experienced
strange things

that defy logic.

and made me question
everything.

Oh, my God!

Now, I've put together
a team to investigate

the stranger side
of the unknown.

Let's go!

[Josh] Phil Torres
is a scientist

who hunts
for rational explanations.

[Josh] Jessica Chobot's
paranormal research

has made her
a true believer.

If you're here with us,
knock again.

[Josh] Together,
we're searching
for answers...

[Phil] What is happening
here, Jess?

[Josh] ...to the world's
most extraordinary mysteries.

This isExpedition X.

All right, Jess, Phil,
how many flights would you say
you've been on at this point?

-Oh!
-Ooh!

I mean, too many to count.

-Hundreds, probably.
-[Josh] Yeah.

Wait, are we looking
for ghosts on a plane?

Are we looking
for snakes on a plane?

'Cause I'd get on that plane.

No, it's not ghosts
or snakes on a plane.

But, it is about
something mysterious

flying over the skies
of Mexico.

Both commercial
and military pilots

have recently come forward
with reports

of strange objects,
and mysterious lights

that they've seen over
Mexico City.

So strange objects,

mysterious lights,

so we're talking UFOs.

-Yeah, I mean--
-[Jessica] Listen!

You can still be a skeptic
and use the term UFOs.

Yes! These are Unidentified
Flying Objects.

-Can I try?
-Go for it.

UFO.

-Oh, yay!
-Feels good, doesn't it, Phil?

-Felt kind of good.
-Yeah, yeah.

Oh, and UFOs
have become

quite the hot topic
these days,

especially since the Pentagon
released that report in 2021,

basically admitting
these things are flying around

and they don't know
what they are.

So now the whole world
is starting to focus
on this phenomenon.

And in this particular case,

it's not just these pilots.

There are air traffic
controllers that have
come forward with reports.

And hundreds of eyewitnesses
on the ground.

And all this activity seems
to be centered around one
geological feature.

An active volcano.

December, 1994.

43 miles southeast
of Mexico City,

the Popocatepetl volcano
re-awakens.

At nearly three and a half
miles high,

El Popo becomes
one of the largest active
volcanoes in the world,

spewing plumes
of ash and smoke.

And it hasn't stopped.

Over 20 million people
live in El Popo's shadow,

and the threat of a major
eruption is so great

authorities have set-up
24/7 live video feeds
of the volcano.

But it seems these cameras
are catching more than just
volcanic activity.

Some say
they're documenting UFOs.

In the years
since the re-awakening,

mysterious objects
are often spotted

in the sky around the crater.

But unlike rock fragments
expelled from eruptions,

these objects seem to have
a life of their own,

with unpredictable
trajectories.

And, there are witnesses

who have reported
close encounters with these
airborne anomalies.

January 10, 2007.

A commercial aircraft
from the state of Tabasco

prepares to land
in Mexico City.

As the plane
cruises past El Popo,

the crew spots an intensely
bright light in the sky

traveling alongside
the aircraft.

Suddenly,
the object accelerates,

vanishing into the thick
clouds around the volcano.

The pilots can't believe
their eyes,

and immediately report it
to air traffic control.

But no one can explain
what the flight crew saw.

Since then, the sightings
of strange, luminous objects

flying all around
the smoking volcano

have dramatically increased.

[man speaking]

They're seen by pilots
in the air

and people on the ground.

A few recent witnesses

have even managed
to capture

their own video evidence
of the phenomena.

So what is it
about this hotspot

that seems to attract
unexplained activity?

Are these lights coming
from somewhere beyond
this world?

And what is their connection
to the volcano?

So, what do you make of this?

Well, there's a popular theory
among investigators

that UFOs are coming here
looking for elements
that they need.

Something like uranium

which would be found
in a volcano.

Okay, before we start thinking
about the motivation
for these UFOs,

we need to figure out
what people are actually
seeing there.

Could be satellites.
Could be meteorites.

Could be some other
natural phenomenon.

There's a thing
called earthquake lights

that happens in areas
of high seismic activity,

like, Mexico City.

Yeah, but here's the thing.
Those videos didn't look
like anything natural.

So this is the mission.

The videos and the eyewitness
reports, they're undeniable.

People are seeing something.

So get down to Mexico City
and find out what.

Is there
an actual explanation?

Meteorites. Satellites.
Weather phenomenon.

Or, is it something
other-worldly?

Either way, you gotta
bring back some proof.

-All right, we're on it.
-Okay.

And hey, if you guys have
never been this close
to an active volcano before,

trust me, you're gonna
'lava' it.

-[sighs in exasperation] Wow.
-Jeez.

You guys can go now.

Gladly.

[Josh] Phil and Jess travel
2100 miles from New York

to the Benito Juarez
International Airport
in Mexico City,

Latin America's
busiest airport.

[folk music playing]

Back in Mexico City,
your favorite place.

This city has so much
culture here.

Okay, Jess, Aztec quiz.
Let me hear it.

How do you pronounce
the volcano?

Uh...

-Come on.
-Um...

Uh... Popo...

Let me see if I can mimic you.

-Popo...
-Popo...

-ca...
-ca...

-te...
-te...

-...petl.
-...petl.

-Popocatepetl.
-Yeah!

Popocatepetl in Nahuatl

actually means
"The Smoking Mountain."

People here call it El Popo.

I'll go with El Popo.

[Jessica] Josh has
arranged for us to meet
Enrique Kolbeck,

one of the longest serving
air traffic controllers
in the country

and a former pilot.

Enrique.

-Hola.
-Hola!

-Buenos dias.
-Buenos dias.

[Jessica] Enrique's career
spans 40-plus years,

so he knows what should
and shouldn't

be flying in the skies.

Not only has he heard
numerous stories from pilots

about UFOs near the volcano,

he has personally
seen them on radar.

When did you start seeing
these strange objects?

[alarm beeping]

-Wait, the plane
hit the object?
-Yes. Yeah.

-In the sky?
-Yeah.

And we closed the airport.

Gosh.

I've never heard of a plane
actually getting hit

-by an Unidentified
Flying Object before.
-Oh, yes. Of course.

[Jessica] Enrique says
an inspection of the plane

revealed damage
to the front wheel hydraulics.

But no one could determine
exactly what caused it.

So then what's
the government's
take on this?

I mean, that's
really dangerous.

Of course, in our case,

we made the reports
our supervisors,

or Mexican authorities,

but nobody knows
nothing about it.

The Mexican
aeronautical authorities,

another part
of the government also.

Nobody pay attention.

In my country,
nobody cares about it.

[Phil] It seems like
there's a hotspot

of sightings around this
whole Popocatepetl.

Are you even allowed to fly
over the volcano?

[Phil] And that's because
it's an active volcano?

It doesn't follow a schedule.

Yeah, that it could blow
at any moment.

[Phil] Okay.

Have you noticed
any volcanic activity
when these sightings occur?

Yes, of course.

We have the reports
about the many objects

going up to the volcano area,

especially inside of the cone

and leaving the volcano
in a fast way.

How often would
these sightings occur?

Sometimes we receive
a report about

three times a day,

three times a week
or three times a month.

And perhaps

-three months
we never have nothing.
-[Phil] Yeah.

So if the volcano has
this 10 mile radius around it,

there should be nothing
flying in there.

-Yes.
-Yet, on your radar,
you're seeing

objects flying around.

Sometimes appears
very close and inside
of the prohibit area.

What patterns
are you seeing them do?

Is it just a blip?
Is it something moving around?

These objects moves
in different way

than the aircrafts
normally way...

Wow.

[Jessica] According
to Enrique,

there are frequent sightings
of mysterious objects

flying where no aircraft
should be.

Around the crater of El Popo.

We're going to try to capture
evidence of that phenomenon

for ourselves.

-Here's a bumpy road, Jess.
-That's nice.

[Jessica] El Popo is located
about 40 miles from the city,

and if the webcam UFO videos
are any indication,

we should be able to get
a clear view of the volcano

and the airspace around it
from the northwest.

We just have to find
the best vantage points
through the clouds.

-Oh, yeah!
-Is that it?

-Check that out!
-Wow!

Oh, my goodness, Jess!

That is awesome!

[Phil] I think
we found El Popo.

Look at that!

Oh, you can still see--
Yeah, looks like it's smoking
on the top.

[Phil] To make sure no one
gets caught in an eruption,

hiking to the crater
is prohibited by
the government.

But I've got
an even better idea.

Our plan is to get
a closer look

without causing
an international incident.

Hello, Capitan!

-[speaking Spanish]
-[pilot] Okay.

Whoo! Okay, let's do this!

Next stop, El Popo.

Whoo! Okay, let's do this!

So the plan here is that
Jess will be on the ground

with a giant lens

basically focused at the top
of this volcano.

just to see if we can document
any activity from the ground.

We're gonna be in the air.

This is where we've got
a great bird's eye view

and I'm really hoping that
El Popo doesn't decide
to pop off today.

I mean, maybe just a little.

Our permitted flight plan
to get us to El Popo

starts over the city.

Right below us right now,

that is Mexico City,

actually what technically
makes El Popo

one of the most dangerous
volcanoes in the world.

Because if it blows,
everybody out here
could be at risk.

Mexico City's basically built
in a field of volcanoes.

All of these hills that
we're seeing around here,

those are all
dormant volcanoes.

But where we're heading,
that's an active volcano.

This whole area
is seismic activity central,

thanks to Mexico's location
within the world's so called
Ring of Fire,

a 25,000 mile stretch

that contains 75%
of the world's volcanoes

and 90% of all earthquakes.

During earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions,

rock friction near
the Earth's crust

releases energy
into the atmosphere,

that some scientists
believe can result

in startling flashes of light
seen for miles.

They're known
as earthquake lights.

And I'm wondering
if that light

is what people
are mistaking for UFOs.

[walkie talkie beeps]
Right, Jess, we're scanning
in the skies.

All right...

So we've got the seismometer
set up.

It's actually really sensitive

so if we do get a little
mini earthquake around here,

it'll give us an indication
of that.

And then we also
have the camera

pointed right at the top
of the volcano

where people say
they see a lot of these

unidentified balls of light

and unidentified objects
coming in and out of.

My camera is equipped
with a telephoto lens

with 40 times
magnifying power.

And a polarizing filter
to reduce glare
and reflections

from filming the daytime sky.

I'll also be monitoring
reports of seismic activity
in the area.

Phil, you copy?

To see if there might be
a correlation between
volcanic rumbling

earthquake activity

and UFOs.

So I've got the camera set up
and I've got my seismometer
and everything.

Also, just as a heads up,
my earthquake app here
says that we just had

a 4.0 about
36 kilometers away

this morning.

Wow, okay.
That's fantastic.

Just let us know if there's
any seismic activity on
the ground while we're up here

because I wanna look
in the air and see
if anything matches.

[Phil] It's already
a seismically active day.

A series
of smaller earthquakes,

known as an earthquake swarm,

can last days
or even weeks.

Swarms are
especially prevalent

in close proximity to,
you guessed it, volcanoes.

I hope we can catch
the next rumble

and any strange lights
it might generate.

We've asked the pilot
to manoeuvre the chopper

for the best vantage point
of the volcano,

so we can get as close
as possible.

But we also don't want
to set off any alarm bells

by entering
government-restricted
airspace.

Captain, what's our elevation
right now?

9500 feet.

Look at that!

That's Popocatepetl,
right in those clouds.

Wow.

The upper slopes of El Popo
are covered nearly year round
with snow and ice,

both of which make
great reflectors.

Any sunlight that bounces
off and hits some ash and rock
in the air

at the right angle,

well, that combination
could add up

to a reported UFO sighting.

Look at that volcano!

Oh, my God!
Look at that smoke
coming out of there!

[Jessica over radio] Phil!
I can see you
approaching the volcano!

[Phil over radio] Oh,
I see you! I see you!

Did you see that plume
of smoke that came
out of the volcano?

Yes, I did!

[Phil over radio] This thing
is active!

Look how big
that plume is.

That is an active volcano.

Right now, that thing
is smoking,

there's lava inside of it.

If they are UFOs,

maybe they're coming here
because they need resources.

An area that has a high
concentration of heavy metals.

Everybody thinks
they're here to, like,

always just keep an eye on,

like the military
or this or the other thing,

but maybe they're actually
using us for mining.

Who knows? Who knows what kind
of resources they would need?

And who knows what's
potentially in there that's
usable for them.

Since the development
of nuclear weaponry
in the 1940s,

military personnel have
reported sightings of UFOs

near nuclear storage
facilities, and weapons
training bases.

According to employees
at America's first nuclear
testing site,

in White Sands, New Mexico,

UFO sightings were
so prevalent

that a secret team
was assigned to monitor
the activity.

Nuclear weapons
use uranium,

so I'm still wondering
if elevated uranium levels
around El Popo

could explain why UFOs
are attracted to this volcano
in particular.

Do you wonder
why they call this thing
an active volcano?

Look no further
than all that smoke billowing
out of this thing.

In addition to the crater
and the plume,

I'm also keeping an eye out
for major cracks in the earth
going up the volcano.

Anything that could give rise
to possible earthquake lights.

Holy [bleep]! Danny,
look, look, look!

Is that them?
Or is that something else?

Do you see that?

[Jessica over radio] Phil!
I see something!

What are you seeing?

Oh, my God! What is that?

Scratch that.
That's a plane.

False alarm.

Okay, well, that's still great
intel so we can review some
of the other videos

of what people claim are UFOs

and maybe mark some of them
off as aircraft.

So I mean, that's exactly what
Enrique was talking about.

How these flights,
these commercial flights

have to actually fly
around the volcano

and not over the top of it
because it's still active.

So that's probably
a designated flight path

for the Mexico City airport.

The more time we spend
around this volcano,
the more I think

two things are happening here.

Jess just said herself
that she's seeing

airplanes in the path
of the volcano,

so it could be kind of an
optical illusion to someone
standing over there.

The other thing is this is
an incredibly seismically
active place.

Full of clouds.
Full of potential for those
earthquake lights

that could be what
people are actually seeing

and calling UFOs.

To test whether something
like earthquake lights could
be obscured in those clouds,

I'm using a FLIR,

which detects heat variations

and displays them
as different colors.

This here is
a thermal camera

and one of the interesting
things about this
earthquake light

is that they're plasma,

and plasma is thousands
of degrees hot,

so my hope is that
even if we can't see it
'cause it's bright,

if I use this,
we'll maybe be able
to detect it

because this thing is filming
heat signatures.

So right now,
we're above cloud level,

so any anomalies that we get,

obviously, will be exciting.

You guys seeing anything?

-[pilot speaking]
-Okay.

Wait, what is that flying?

You see that? Oh!

[suspenseful music playing]

[Phil] Wait,
what is that flying?

You see that?

Wow! Okay! Uh...

There's something
that looked like
kind of a bright reflection.

Hotspot of light.

I'm trying to figure out
what that was.

That was crazy!

[over radio] Jess,
I just caught a bright flash.

Like a ball of light.
It flew right through
the frame on the FLIR.

Are you serious?

Yeah. Could have been some,
some trick of the clouds.

But really, just looked like
there was something out there.

Really, really bright spot.

It's unclear what I saw
on the FLIR.

But it was definitely faster
than any bird or plane.

I doubt it was a spacecraft.

But seeing as how I have
yet to identify it,

I suppose it fits
the technical definition
of a UFO.

And I have to admit,

it looked pretty similar
to the many bizarre
webcam videos

captured over
El Popo recently.

So bizarre.

[over radio] I don't know
what I've seen up here, Jess,

but I tell you what?
There's strange things
in the sky around El Popo.

[indistinct chatter on radio]

[Phil] The captain says
we're running low on fuel

so we start heading back.

After getting closer
than I probably should have

to a highly active volcano,

I still can't figure out
what I saw.

Out of the corner of my eye,
I see this flash.

-We were above
the cloud layer.
-Uh-huh.

It was near the volcano.

And there was just this
bright-- It looked like
just a giant sparkle.

Just happened right
in the middle of the clouds.

Like lightning or what?

No, almost like it was
reflecting off something.

But there was nothing else
in there.

Oh, whoa, that's cool.

So, yeah, I mean,
I saw a light.

I saw something weird
around the volcano

which is kind of what
we're here for.

So, I really want to try
to figure out

what that was.

And I, I almost wouldn't
believe me if I heard
this story,

but I saw something flash
in the clouds around El Popo.

I mean, that tracks with
all the eyewitness accounts.

I guess it does.

Well, that makes me
a little bit more hopeful that

we're actually gonna
figure out what this is.

-Yeah. I know.
-'Cause I think you got eyes
on something strange?

[Phil] Jess did detect
an earlier earthquake nearby.

But what I saw from the air

didn't look to me
quite like earthquake lights.

I'm a biologist,
not an atmospheric expert.

So I've arranged to meet
with an atmospheric scientist

who I'm hoping could give us
some perspective on what
I might have seen.

-[cell phone ringing]
-Oh! Hey, Josh is calling.

Gonna start.
Look for a place to pull over.

-Yeah.
-All right.

-Hi!
-Hey, Josh!

How's it going?

-Good!
-It's going pretty good.

All right! Seen any UFOs
around that volcano?

Well, I took a helicopter
pretty close to it

and I did see a bizarre light
fly near the crater.

A bizarre light?
Sounds promising.

Any idea what it was?

I've got a few theories.

So I've arranged to meet
with an atmospheric scientist
on the volcano.

Okay, great.
Phil, you stay on that angle.

But the reason
I called is, Jess,

I got a hot tip on a guy
that you have to go meet,
like, now.

Like, right now?

Yes, right now.

-Who is it?
-He's a mountain guide

who practically lives
on El Popo.

And apparently,
he had a close encounter

with these mysterious lights.

Now, this is something
he has never told
anybody about

but he has agreed
to talk with us

if you can meet him
on the mountain today.

So you've got to get out there
and get to him before
he changes his mind.

I'm on it.

Just send me that guy's
information and I'll track
him down.

All right, I'm looking forward
to hearing what you find.

Good luck.

-Thanks so much.
-Awesome! Bye, Josh!

[Phil] With this new info,

we'll need to divide
and conquer.

I'll meet with
the atmospheric scientist

while Jess locates the witness
at the coordinates

Josh just sent over.

-That's my trail.
-Okay.

-Meet up later?
-Meet up later.

[Phil] I drop her off
at a hiking trail near
the base of El Popo

to meet Josh's new witness.

-Good luck.
-Thank you, you too.

And then I continue on
to meet with my atmospheric
scientist contact

a few miles away.

Manuel?

Hola!

-Hi.
-Hi, Jessica.
Nice to meet you.

Manuel lives nearby

and leads volcano enthusiasts
on treks around El Popo.

Josh said he has a story
I have to hear.

Three triangles?

Okay.

-Were they glowing?
-Yes.

And how big were they?
Could you tell from where
you were standing?

-So all three of them were
about the size of a truck?
-Yeah, yeah.

Huh-uh? Interesting.

Were they... Not at all?

-Just hovering?
-Yes, yes.

Did they leave like
a light trail?

Did you see them
move away?

Or did they just disappear?

It crashed?

[Jessica] It crashed?

Were you able to see
any smoke or anything?

You saw a little smoke,
but you didn't actually see
it crash?

Or you did see it crash
into the side--

Okay.

You have, like,
a map or anything
that you can show me

as to where
it was located?

Yes, yes, of course.

-Okay.
-I show you.

Huh-uh.

Mm-hmm.

Manuel points out
the best route for trekking
to the crash site.

So my plan is to reconnect
with Phil and head out there.

Do you mind sending
me that map?

-Really fast?
-Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Phil] While Jess questions
the new witness...

How you doing? I'm Phil.

I'm meeting Joel Bermudez.

With a PhD in physics

and a research background
in astronomy

and atmospheric sciences,

he might be able to help me
make sense of what I saw
from the helicopter.

Look at El Popo!

-[Joel speaking]
-Yeah.

Wow. Okay.

We're here investigating

what people see
around El Popo.

People say they see lights,

they say they see
things go into El Popo,

come out of El Popo.

Definitely there are things
coming out of the...

-[chuckling]
-Oh, yes! Oh, yes. And so,
I'm just really curious.

What's your take on it?

What do you say people
might be seeing around here

that's not UFOs,
not an alien,

but it's something
that is, I guess,

based on science

and what we understand
about volcanoes.

There are several phenomena
that occur around volcanoes
that can be

uh, relatively
easy explained.

There are some others that
we still do not understand
quite well.

That's because it's difficult
indeed to investigate all
the physical phenomena

that occur on the top
of the volcanoes,
like this one.

So you're saying there's
a lot that we don't know
about volcanoes.

Exactly.

-Because they are so big.
-Yeah, for sure, for sure.

What can you tell us about
what kind of interactions

will that smoke and that ash

and that vapor have
in the atmosphere?

When you have a volcano
like this one,

it is not rare that
it expels some ashes.

And depending on how
the ashes are expelled,

you can form linings

round the top of the volcano.

When the ashes rubs
against each other,

they basically gain
or lose some electrons.

-So it's like...
static electricity?
-It's like static electricity.

-Ooh. Making like a giant
battery in the sky.
-Exactly.

This is how lightnings
are created on top
of the volcanoes.

And from time to time,
you can see those lights.

When we flew over El Popo,

-we were above
the cloud layer.
-Okay.

We were in a helicopter,
and we'd seen a lot
of smoke come out.

And then,
within the cloud layer
around there,

I saw a bright flash.

Joel explains that
volcanic eruptions

are sometimes accompanied
by lightning

and any ash that's spews out
from the erupting volcano

can become
electrically charged.

That charge does
dissipate quickly

as the ash moves away
from the volcano.

But it could conceivably
show up on a thermal canner.

Okay. So you think there's
a chance that what I saw

-could have been this
ash lightning?
-Yeah, sure.

Okay. And you could see

kind of how a legend
could form from something
like that.

-Exactly.
-What is your take?

Are there UFOs
out there?

I think most of the things
that we see in the sky

can be explained by
physical phenomena
or weather phenomena, right?

All right!
Well, thank you, Joel.

Well, now we can add
another possible
natural explanation

behind some
of the UFO sightings
around El Popo.

Electrified ash.

Before I meet back up
with Phil,

I wanna collect some samples
of what look like lava rocks.

Oh, finding some
volcanic rocks.

While you would expect
to find traces of uranium

and other metals in most
volcanic rocks,

I'm curious if the ones
around here

might show particularly
high concentrations.

I'll have these
samples analyzed

hoping the results
will help us figure out

what the UFOs might be after.

[Phil] Though the flying
lights have been seen
during the day,

we'll get our best chance of
spotting any electrified ash

or earthquake lights
after dark.

-[Jessica] All right,
here's a good spot.
-Okay.

Whoo. All right,
set it up.

[Phil straining]

[Jessica] Tonight,
we're going to set our sights

on both the sky
and the ground.

While Phil's here looking
for natural causes behind
the UFO reports,

I'll be searching for any
evidence of the crashed UFO
Manuel reported.

We established a position
on the southwestern edge
of the volcano.

The same side where Manuel
believes he heard a UFO crash.

My plan is to first angle
our surveillance gear
over that area

to capture any UFOs
attracted to the same
location.

And then, hike farther up
the mountain to look for
evidence of the alleged crash.

Okay. DAP cam's all set.

I'm gonna point this
towards the top
of the volcano.

DAP stands for
Data Acquisition Project.

This high-tech camera
scans the sky

looking for moving objects.

Once the device locks on
to a target,

it uses specialized software
that analyzes the object's
appearance and trajectory

to determine if it's a bird,

a plane or maybe
something unknown.

-Hopefully, some of these
clouds go away.
-[Phil] Yeah.

-Looks like it's clearing up
a little bit. I'm hopeful.
-Yeah, little bit.

-What?
-I just got super excited

'cause I thought
I saw something in the sky.

But it was the moon.

Jess! This is the first time
we've seen the moon tonight.

But it looks like
a glowing--

It totally does.

In addition to the DAP cam,

I'm also setting up
an infrared camera.

We need all the eyes
we can get on this volcano

and the IR setting might be
able to better capture

the electrified
ash phenomenon.

-[Phil] All set?
-We're all good.

-Let's do this.
-All right, grab the stuff.

[Jessica] With our cameras
in place,

we set off on our hike
to the area

where Manuel claims
he heard a UFO crash.

If some kind of craft
did collide with the volcano,

odds are it would have
left behind debris.

So I'm packing
my highly sensitive
metal detector

to help me root out
any metal in the dark.

-[Phil] Oh! Just saw
a red flash.
-What?

-Did you really?
-Yeah.

-Did you see that?
-I did see that.

Oh, my gosh.
Maybe the DAP camera
picked it up then.

Oh, boy.

All right, that's a problem.

-Is there a way to cross it?
-That's a good question.

-[Phil] Right here,
right here.
-Oh yeah?

-[Jessica] Let me see.
-Got a spot.

[Phil] Okay. [bleep]

All right. How's this
gonna work?

Jess, here's what
I'm thinking.

[Jessica] Shimmy across?

Why don't I take the line now.
I could tie it and toss it.

Okay. That'll work.

Ooh.

[Jessica] Careful!
It's slippery! Don't...
Don't [bleep] standing up!

Don't stand up!

All right.

And Jess,
slide my backpack across.

All right, here it comes!

Whoo.

-All right! Got it!
-Got it?

[Phil] The trick now
will be getting the crew

and all the expensive
gear across,

without falling
into the drain.

Yeah.

All right, you want me
to grab your gear, man?

-[man speaking indistinctly]
-Cameras clear?

Got it.

Going good.

[Phil] Ooh!

[bleep] Oh! [bleep]

-Oh! [bleep] me. [bleep]
-Jess!

-Whoa!
-[bleep]

If you believe
extra-terrestrial enthusiasts,

Mexico isn't the only place

where UFOs like it hot.

Japan's most iconic Mount Fuji

is an active volcano that

according to some,
is also home to an
alien base

miles below the surface.

For years,
images have been circulating

that appeared to show
massive, mist covered

disc shaped crafts
next to the picturesque peak.

But no so fast,
says the scientific community.

They confirm the images
actually show a weather event

known as a lenticular cloud.

Formed when stable, moist air
passes over a mountain.

And the resulting
oscillating waves

can cause the formation
of clouds

that when lit up by the sun,
look admittedly other worldly.

So if you have yourself
a close encounter,

be sure to check
the five-day forecast.

It might just be cloudy
with no chance of aliens.

[Phil] Ooh!

-[bleeping]
-Jess!

God!

Whoo!

Whoo. I'm good.

[Phil] Okay!

-[Jessica] Okay. Which way?
Over here?
-Adventure continues.

[Jessica] Grade school
gymnastics.

Still paying dividends
after all these years.

With near disaster behind us,

we regroup on the other
side of the stream,

and then press on
with the hike to look
for evidence of the UFO crash.

All right, so let's see.
I think we go over here, yeah.

[sighing] Let me
check the map.

[both muttering]

-Yeah, I think this is it.
-What's the plan?

I think we just start
metal detecting
all around this area.

[Phil] While the DAP cam
we set up records any strange
lights over the volcano,

and Jess uses
the metal detector

to look for any traces
of an alleged UFO crash

I break out
the magnetometer.

This device should
detect variations

in electromagnetic fields

emanating from the earth,
which could suggest
seismic activity.

And if there are earthquakes,

there might be
earthquake lights.

-[Jessica] Ooh, careful.
-Slippery.

[Jessica] Slippery.
It's gonna get slippier now
that it's raining

-[Phil] Yeah.
-Again.

Okay. Time to put
the jackets on.

Jacket back on.

Thank you.

-What's that? Yeah.
-All right, can go this way.

You getting any hits
on your end?

[Phil] Nothing crazy
right now.

-[beeps]
-Oh!

-[beeps]
-All right, let's dig.

[muttering indistinctly]

Something in here is setting
off the metal detector.

But if we're not seeing
anything in this,

I don't know if that means
it's really deep in

or if it's miniscule
yet clearly,

-we're gonna hit some.
-Yeah.

Let's move on.

[Phil breathing heavily]

Jess, it just peaked
for a second.

-Where?
-Right around here.

-Right around here?
-Oh! Just did it again.

-What the heck? Oh!
-[alarm beeps]

[alarm beeps]

-Right here.
-RIght there?

-It's on there.
-Oh, yeah.
There's something in there.

-Mm? I think so.
-Did you hit something?

-[Jessica gasps]
-Holy [bleep], Jess!

What is that?
Oh, my God!

What is that?

[both exclaiming]

[Jessica] What the [bleep]!

What is this [bleep]?

Let's see what we get.

-That's a huge hit.
-That's a huge hit!

[Jessica] This metal disk
is surprisingly heavy.

And the fact that
it's a powerful magnet

makes this find
even more bizarre.

So I'm bagging this bad boy
for further examination.

-Got it.
-Well Jess, I gotta say,

your guy didn't lie.

-No, he did not.
-Something was here.

[Jessica grunts]

We stay on the hunt
for any other possible
crash evidence

until Mother Nature
chases us away.

Jess, the river levels,
with all this rain,
be getting higher.

-So we should really,
probably get out of here.
-Okay. Okay.

[Josh] My team
went to new heights

to investigate
the unidentified
luminous objects

flying around El Popo.

Jess started with the theory
that UFOs

maybe attracted
to metallic elements

brought to the surface
by volcanic eruptions.

We find us some
volcanic rocks.

[Josh] We tested the lava
rock she collected

and they contained greater
than average concentrations
of radon.

Uranium decays
into radium,

which further decays
into radon.

Could the presence of uranium

inside and spewing out
of the volcano

make El Popo
a tempting target

for extra-terrestrials?

-Oh! Just saw a red flash!
-What?

[Josh] We checked
the DAP cam footage

to identify the source
of the flashes Phil
and Jess saw.

The device did start to lock
onto something in the sky,

but likely due
to the weather conditions,
it couldn't track it.

So there's no telling
if it was a UFO,

lightning from the storm

or some other natural
occurrence that
Phil suspected.

But would any
natural phenomena

explain what pilots
and air traffic controllers

have seen in the skies
around El Popo?

It's worth noting
that natural occurrences

probably wouldn't show up
as a moving dot on radar.

We also review the images
captured from the air
and the ground.

The light that zoomed across
Phil's FLIR

appears to match some
of the webcam videos.

And couldn't potentially be
electrified ash.

Oh, my God!
What is that?

[Josh] And finally,
we had the strange metal disk

from the alleged
crash site analyzed.

Turns out it's made
from a steel alloy.

But while it was forged
from materials

we can find here
on our planet,

the mechanical engineers
we showed it to had
no earthly idea

what it's used for.

Though we can't yet confirm
whether the mystery lights
at El Popo

are terrestrial in origin

or something extra,

whatever's happening
in the skies over Mexico City,

the world is watching.

For more information
on Expedition X,

head to
discovery.com/ExpeditionX.