Is the UFO Over Washington DC Real or a Reflection?

  • Thread starter polyb
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Dc
In summary: I can't say for sure. IntelDesk.com says that this is a remarkable image. They have several UFO experts who agree that it is a very remarkable image. They also mention that there might be a plane out there.
  • #36
I'm not sure I get what you mean... Reflected from precisely where?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #37
The "UFO" in the image, is too much like many other images within the image, to not be a stray reflection. Occams Razor. So, for instance, on the surface of any camera lens, is the reflection of the viewed scene. In night photography, a brightly lit scene might have a strong reflection on the face of a lens, depending on the weather, and a bunch of other optical effects. The Mt St Helens cam gets all kinds of stuff on the surface, depending on the weather. The line is so straight, that it probably isn't an image upside down, as in a rain drop, that makes a small lens, on the lens. If there is a glass door, in front of this camera, that can open and close, or any other object that can pick up the a reflection in front of the lens of this camera, then that is how a reflection can be set up, that reads as an image. Digital film is so delightfully weird, motion does all kinds of things in digital, that it never did in regular film-based photography. Since the advent of digital imaging, there have been a slew of things that people think are brand new in the sky. There was this big talk of these rod-things in the sky, that happened right about the advent of popular digital photography. The way digital imaging works, it was probably the trajectory of birds. Old film didn't make the kind of long streaks that digital does. This image has a lot of red light in it, because it is dark, and whatever else it is. The infrared aspect of digital, might be even picking up the heat from the rear exhaust of a helicopter.

Anyway, I think that if it is a flying object, it would be a helicopter. The aliens don't fly in for visits in DC.
 
  • #38
Dayle, occam's razor as your reasoning would suggest we stick with the plane explanation, when we know a plane can make a light "trail" like that one on a long exposure shot AND we have proof that planes do fly in that vicinity (you can almost overlay the streak in the nighttime pic with the plane in the daytime pick as in the same location on the image). It's actually a more complex explanation to account for how a reflection from a light on the river would be reflecting on the camera lens differently on that one night than on any other night due to some mysterious atmospheric anomaly.
 
  • #39
From: William Matchen to UFO udates

I sent an e-mail the the Metropolitan Washington Airports
Authority and asked if any flights arrived or departed from
ronald reagan national airport on Feb 10, 2005 at 3:15 am.

Here's the response I got:

-----
Subject:
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:53:04 -0500
From: "Phillips, Neal" <Neal.Phillips.nul>

Thank you for your inquiry concerning flights on February 10,
2005. According to the operations log for the 10th of February
there were no arrivals, or departures, around 3:15 A.M. There
were two arrivals after midnight (12:15 A.M. and 1:11 A.M.) then
none until after 6:00 A.M.

Neal Phillips

Manager, Noise Abatement

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

=======

actually 'looks' like the 'object' is heading towards the Pentagon:
which is to the right before RR-half mile past Memorial Bridge-
helicopters land there -unlikely to get any info on this... or might be a News Copter?

for the record: it's 1 mile from Lincoln M to Washington Monument;
little over a mile (1.2) from Netherlands Carillion (Bell tower) to Lincoln M-
-not sure of the height maybe 100ft, and this is on elevated
ground-guesstimate 500ft for 'webcam' (not stated anywhere, but seems
this is location)

MBridge .4 miles
 
  • #40
Even though it has not been settled as to what the object in the image is, I'll go ahead ahead and stick one foot in my mouth!
*shifts, brings up left foot and stuffs it into mouth*

MNowPHGGGH, MMI MMstPHill thMMMinkPGH iMt MisPPHHG aGHHM MMdocMMtMMoredPPGHM MpMhoMPGHtoMPGH!:smile:
 
  • #42
Ivan Seeking said:
Occam's razor is not appropriate for this problem. The correct approach is analysis, not philosophical guesses.

Can't agree. Not positing little green men until you have real evidence of them still works for me.
 
  • #43
I don't see any evidence for little green men. It is silly to suggest otherwise. Also, if you read the linked analysis you will see that the UFO crowd agrees. Its a plane or a helicopter. Occams razor applies when we have two otherwise equal and competing theories. I don't see two competing theories to apply. And even then its only a guideline. Less some specific mathematical applications, it is not a principle of science.

It seems that a few lights in video shot gets some of you pretty worked up.
 
Last edited:
  • #44
I still think it is a reflection of something on the ground. After looking at it again, I decided it is a piece of road, illuminated, with street lights, and car lights make up the brighter strip with the tail being just the lit roadway. The section of road, is most likely right under the camera. The object optically is just too much like what is on the ground, to not be a reflected image. That is just me, I take a lot of photographs.
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top