Utah helicopter crew discovers mysterious metal monolith deep in the desert

Mystery monolith disappears from Utah desert

01:54 • Source: CNN

Trending Now 13 videos

Mystery monolith disappears from Utah desert

01:54

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Inside a $35 million White House replica that could be yours

02:03

Now playing

• Source: CNN

See what’s drawing Americans to this picturesque part of the British countryside

03:29

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Goodbye to the MetroCard that transformed how New Yorkers traveled

02:14

Now playing

• Source: CNN

115967_ Santa's AddressHORZ.00_11_01_02.Still003.jpg

Sweden’s Lucia tradition spreads beyond borders

04:19

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Eating 12 grapes and wearing red underwear: New Year's superstitions explained

01:54

Now playing

• Source: CNN

New Banksy artwork pops up in London

00:42

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Volunteers in Cape Cod rush to save sea turtles from the cold

03:00

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce's houses burglarized

Kansas City Chiefs are moving across state lines

00:48

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Richard Quest visits Santa's official address

04:06

Now playing

• Source: CNN

115962_MinajTrumpdigvidclean.00_00_00_00.Still001.jpg

Rapper Nicki Minaj praises Trump in surprise Turning Point conference appearance

00:57

Now playing

• Source: CNN

Bowen Yang bids adieu to 'SNL' in his final episode

01:27

Now playing

• Source: CNN

German engineer becomes first wheelchair user to travel to space

00:47

Now playing

• Source: CNN

CNN —

What started as routine wildlife assistance took an extraterrestrial turn for Utah’s Department of Public Safety after officers stumbled upon a mysterious monolith in the middle of rural Utah.

Officers from the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau were flying by helicopter last Wednesday, helping the Division of Wildlife Resources count bighorn sheep in southeastern Utah, when they spotted something that seemed right out of “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

“One of the biologists … spotted it, and we just happened to fly directly over the top of it,” pilot Bret Hutchings told CNN affiliate KSL. “He was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, turn around, turn around!’ And I was like, ‘What.’ And he’s like, ‘There’s this thing back there – we’ve got to go look at it!’”

Pilot Bret Hutchings believes the object was most likely created by an artist.

And there it was – in the middle of the red rock was a shiny, silver metal monolith sticking out of the ground. Hutchings guessed it was “between 10 and 12 feet high.” It didn’t look like it was randomly dropped to the ground, he told KSL, but rather it looked like it had been planted.

“We were kind of joking around that if one of us suddenly disappears, then the rest of us make a run for it,” Hutchings said.

Still, Hutchings said he thinks it was most likely placed there by an artist rather than an alien.

“I’m assuming it’s some new wave artist or something or, you know, somebody that was a big (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) fan,” he said, referencing a scene in the 1968 film where a black monolith appears.

Members of the public admire Eduardo Basualdo's artwork 'TEORIA' at the Frieze London art fair on October 16, 2013 in London, England. The annual Frieze Art Fair takes place in London's Regent's Park and runs from October 17 to 20. The exhibition comprises of the Frieze Masters exhibition and Frieze London which aim to showcase historic and established art as well as contemporary works.

How do you fall in love with art?

02:36 • Source: CNN

How do you fall in love with art?

02:36

Still, it is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on public lands “no matter what planet you’re from,” said Utah DPS in a statement released Monday.

The location of the monolith is not being disclosed, and it is not yet clear who – or what – put the monolith there, DPS said.

As of Monday, the Bureau of Land Management will be deciding whether further investigation is needed.