Science
Not much is needed to make a person believe that an object flying (hanging) high in the sky is nothing more than a UFO. For example, a bizarre cloud, or an extremely bright flash, or… yes, in principle, any object that you can't identify is immediately considered an “unidentified flying”, which is essentially true since you couldn't identify him! However, in the vast majority of cases, we are talking only about some rare atmospheric phenomena, new aircraft, or even balloons. Perhaps this article will somewhat cool down the ardor of those who are used to seeing an alien ship in every bizarre cloud; or, on the contrary, make the supporters of the so-called global conspiracy even louder shout that aliens have been living among us for a long time. So what do we most often mistake for UFOs? Judge for yourself!
7. Lightning ball
Such a unique phenomenon as ball lightning is very often mistaken for UFO activity. Meanwhile, ball lightning, despite its uniqueness, is nothing more than an atmospheric phenomenon that often accompanies ordinary lightning that occurs during a thunderstorm (although there are cases when ball lightning also appeared in sunny weather). However, some scientists tend to see a much more complex object in a ball lightning, although most often it occurs during a thunderstorm, when an electric field is formed with a corresponding tension. At the same time, ball lightning does not always have the shape of a ball itself, sometimes forming in the form of stripes or in some other form.
6. Missile tests
In December 2009, a bright, impressive flash suddenly appeared in the sky over northern Norway, which swept through the night, leaving an impressive glowing trail. All this together looked extremely impressive and, to be honest, resembled a fantastic object rushing into the depths of space. However, the explanation for this phenomenon turned out to be very prosaic: the mysterious “guest to the universe” was just the result of an unsuccessful missile launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which was launched from a Russian submarine floating in the Arctic Ocean (this was officially announced by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense). The Bulava ballistic missile suddenly fell out of military control, marking the changed flight trajectory with such an impressive trail.
5. Mysterious cloud formations
In the same 2009 (though in October), a giant halo appeared above the cloud-covered gloomy sky of Moscow, which had all the signs of an unidentified flying object — it was huge and different symmetry and hung over the Russian capital just like alien ships in the American blockbuster Independence Day. Threatening apocalyptic prophecies immediately began to appear in the media, but meteorologists who intervened quickly returned everyone from heaven to earth, saying that it was the mysterious cloud is nothing more than an optical illusion created by the bizarre play of sunlight in clouds that have been shaped so rarely by the wind or by a flying plane. This is most likely to be a phenomenon that is sometimes recorded in cirrus or cirrous clouds, where suspended ice crystals and supercooled droplets often form water — water has a temperature lower than the temperature of ice formation, but is still in a liquid state. The physical properties that characterize such clouds are very variable: if an airplane flies by, the wind blows, or the clouds are so-called seeded with chemicals in order to cause precipitation, the droplets can immediately freeze or, on the contrary, turn into vapor, which forms such holes.
4. Balloons
It might sound unbelievable, but it's no more incredible than the news about aliens! To prove this theory, I recall an incident that occurred on October 13, 2010 near Manhattan, New York. Thousands of people who found themselves on the streets at that moment had a chance to observe in the sky a peculiar concentration of unidentified silver-colored flying objects that glittered brightly in the sun and reflected apart. As is usually the case in such cases, eyewitness descriptions varied significantly from each other: some people claimed to have seen one large object slowly floating across the sky, emitting bright ones rays, while others insisted that there were at least half a dozen objects. As it turned out, people mistook 12 balloons filled with helium for UFOs that flew from the neighboring area, Mount Vernon, which is 15 kilometers from Chelsea, where the objects were seen. These balloons were prepared for a festival held at a local school, where one of the teachers was honored that day. It is reported that closer to one o'clock in the afternoon, several poorly connected balloons soared into the air, appearing half an hour later in the form of “unidentified flying objects”.
3. Venus
Indeed, Venus, which is the third brightest object after the Sun and Moon, is often mistaken for a UFO. To observers from Earth, this second planet from the Sun suddenly appears as the brightest spot in the unclear light of sunset. At the same time, it seems that this spot is slowly moving across the twilight sky, as this object distracts attention from all other less bright objects, such as stars. Due to the fact that Venus's orbit is within Earth's orbit, observers from our planet often think that this bright spot (which is Venus) is constantly “popping up” from different sides of the star, which gives reason to see an unidentified flying object in the planet.
2. Airplanes
Airplanes are probably one of the most commonly mistaken objects for UFOs. Take for example an incident that occurred in November 2010 on the California coast, early in the morning, when most residents woke up to a terrible roar flying over the coast an oddly shaped object that soared up and disappeared into the clouds. It would seem that we are talking about a jet plane, but the so-called inversion trail looked very wide and unusual for the aircraft. Maybe a projectile after all? No one could unequivocally identify this object, especially since representatives of the Ministry of Defense stated that they did not conduct any tests that day and did not launch any shells. When experts studied the video, it turned out that this was a normal sign of inversion left by an aircraft. The trail looked unusual, primarily due to the fact that it was longer than usual, plus it had an extremely unusual light in the first rays of the rising sun. It is not surprising that such unusual behaviors of conventional technology immediately begin to become speculated about UFOs (especially when it comes to new jets that look quite unusual). It is noteworthy that even experienced pilots can be confused when faced with something that seems unusual at first glance, but in the end is the same inversion trail from other aircraft and so on.
1. Military experiments
If you are interested in ufology, you probably know that a real boom among so-called skeet hunters was recorded in New Mexico, USA, in the late 40s and early The 50s of the last century. It is noteworthy that the US Navy then conducted large-scale tests of the latest types of fighters and various espionage arsenals, all information about which was classified as “Absolutely secret.” As part of one of the programs, the military launched special balloons equipped with hypersensitive receivers high into the atmosphere, which, according to plans, were supposed to record the waves generated Soviet atomic bombs (at that time, the USSR tested them quite actively). One of these cylinders crashed in Roswell, and local residents mistook its fragments for flying saucer fragments (just as the incident itself was mistaken for a UFO crash).
In 1950, another military experiment was conducted, which also added fuel to the interest of new UFO researchers in this topic. Then scientists dropped a dozen humanoid mannequins from the plane as part of testing new models of parachutes. In particular, scientists were interested in whether these parachutes would not rotate dangerously during the fall of future parachutists. The tests of that time made it possible not only to create very reliable parachute systems, but also made it possible to test sealed suits that were later used by the military. What do you think the residents of the city thought when they watched with horror some strange creatures descending with the help of unusual parachutes, which were immediately picked up by the military? And representatives of the US Air Force were in no hurry to debunk the emerging myths, as they preferred Soviet intelligence to suspect New Mexicans of mass hallucinations than to find out about for the purposes of secret experiments by the US military.