Scientists with NOAA Ocean Exploration discovered an unidentified golden orb-like organism while operating a remote deep-sea diving vessel off the coast of Alaska on August 30.

The dive was part of the 2023 Seascape Alaska Expedition, which is using remotely operated vehicles to map and explore deepwater ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska.

The specimen is “biological in origin,” NOAA Ocean Exploration said, but scientists were still unable to confirm what it was. “We likely won’t learn more until we are able to get it into a laboratory setting,” they said.

The footage shows one of the expedition’s crew members saying, “It’s like the beginning of a horror movie,” when they first encounter the specimen. “Pretty sure this is how the first episode of the X-Files started,” another crew member responded.

Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska via Storyful