John Ford’s classic 1950 Western Rio Grande stars John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Kirby Yorke, whose regiment is tasked with defending settlers in Texas from Apaches during the late 1800s. Kirby is in charge of training new recruits and soon learns that his son, Jefferson, whom he hasn’t seen in more than a decade, has enlisted as a private in the Army. Kirby informs the teenage boy (played by Claude Jarman Jr.) that he won’t be getting any special treatment and proceeds to whip him into shape. However, before long, Kirby’s estranged wife, Kathleen (Maureen O’Hara), shows up to take their son home.

A little over an hour into the film, Kirby tells his wife that he’s decided not to bring Jefferson along with him in pursuit of the Apaches in Mexico. Though Rio Grande remains beloved for a great many reasons, this scene in particular has attracted considerable attention in recent years—and not for anything that was intended by the cast or crew. If you keep your eye on the top left-hand part of the screen as Kirby’s breaking the news to Kathleen, you’ll see what looks like a UFO shooting across the sky in the background. Check out the clip for yourself below.

Did John Ford Accidentally Capture a UFO in His 1950 Western ‘Rio Grande’?

Naturally, this discovery has sparked an ongoing debate regarding what’s actually happening in that footage. While several sources claim that Rio Grande was filmed entirely on location in Monument Valley, some parts of the movie were said to have been shot at Republic Studios in Los Angeles. The zoomed-in portions of the video above make it appear as though the sequence in question was recorded on a soundstage. So, for that to be an alien craft flying around behind John Wayne, keep in mind that it would have to be a pretty tiny one.

Is that enough to rule out the possibility of a UFO in everyone’s mind? Of course not, but the fact that neither of the actors in the scene noticed or reacted to what was going on reveals how insignificant it was. After all, even a really small craft would make a noise if it was right next to you, no? The more likely explanation is that Ford captured light reflecting off of the backdrop, and probably just didn’t realize it—or care enough about it to bother reshooting the sequence.

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Hollywood has given us all sorts of aliens over the years, from the little guy who wanted to phone home to the ones who vaporized the White House. But one of the few humans who’s actually walked on the moon has another explanation for what’s flying around up there, and it involves Satan.

Charlie Duke, the Apollo 16 astronaut who became the youngest person to walk on the moon at 36, is now 91 and convinced UFOs are the work of the devil. “The Lord says what we’re seeing is real, but the devil can appear as an angel of light, the Bible says,” he told the Christian Broadcasting Network.

And he’s been trying to convince people of this for years, with mixed results.

Duke recalled discussing his theory at Rotary Club events, where “people were laughing me off the stage.” Eventually, he asked God to confirm it. His request was oddly detailed: If a businessman friend who never discussed UFOs brought them up the next morning, Duke would consider that proof.

An Apollo Astronaut Thinks Satan Is Behind UFOs. Here’s His Explanation.

According to Duke, that’s exactly what happened. His friend brought up UFOs over breakfast, and Duke took it as the answer he’d been looking for. He also cites 2 Corinthians 11:14, the biblical passage warning that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.

Duke has said, however, he never saw a UFO while he was in space. He did notice some strange flashes, but those have been attributed to cosmic particles. For a man who’s actually walked on the moon, it’s funny that his strongest evidence for demonic UFOs comes from a conversation with a businessman over breakfast.

And this is a man who helped make history. During Apollo 11, Duke was the voice in Mission Control who famously told Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin they had “a bunch of guys about to turn blue” while waiting for confirmation that they’d landed safely.

He’s also got some company in the demon theory department.

Vice President JD Vance told podcaster Benny Johnson in March that he believes UFOs are demons. Meanwhile, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, an exorcist with the Archdiocese of Washington, was removed from that position in June after claiming that many UFO sightings were demonic. Catholic officials weren’t thrilled with his public comments.

Religion scholar Diana Walsh Pasulka sees a fascinating connection between the growing interest in UFOs and people’s religious beliefs. “Belief in UFOs is really one of the best things that’s happened to religion in a long time,” she told the Associated Press.

For Duke, though, the question seems settled. “You can laugh at me if you want to, but that’s what God showed me, and I’m sticking to it,” he said.

And considering he’s been laughed off actual stages for saying this, I doubt another round of skepticism is going to change his mind.

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