Could this be the Aurora or a case of mistaken identity?

Hi All

I found a very intersting thread at forums discussing X-Plane stuff and came accross a thread with the following pic in it.

I did not take the picture. But wow that look like the behind of a X-plane or something.

Quote from the photographer himself:

Source URL:

forums.x-plane.org...

I am the photographer of this shot...and I noted any thing that was done to the shot. I have the original raw file as well as what was posted. The upper shot has only resized for web...the bottom part is what happened when I used the auto adjust feature in photoshop CSII. I shoot a number of skyward shots...and until this point, when shooting a blue shy the auto level feature just brightens and sharpens the color of the sky, ect. In this particular shot, it turned black. I thought this was noteworthy. I posted both because I think it is easier to make out detail with the darker one. I am just extremely curious to find out what it is. This thing was moving faster than anything I have ever seen. It caught my attention because I thought it was a comet or something. And I only got 4 shots off with my D70. This is all the camera detail again, and this was in the evening...in Davis CA. Facing West...from mid to right horizon (Please excuse me if this is not the proper term) at about a 35-40 degree angle. Still Very interested.
Photo taken Wed. Oct 12,2005

This is all of the Detailed info for this shot:

Make: Nikon Corporation
Model: Nikon D70
Date Time: 2005-09-09T19:08:48-07:00
Shutter Speed: 1/640sec
Exposure Program
F-Stop: f/5.6
Aperture Value: f/5.6
Max Aperture value: f/5.7
ISO Speed Rating: 200
Focal Length: 300mm
Lens: 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Flash: Did not fire
No Strobe Return Detection (0)
Unknown Flash Mode (0)
Flash Function Present
No Red-Eye Reduction
Metering Mode: Pattern

Photo:

img64.imageshack.us...

Could it be a Mig 29 or Mig-25? Airliner caught at a strange angle with sun glint?

Or could it be a secret....

Cheers,
G

[edit on 31-3-2006 by Senior Citizen]


[edit: to include proper external source tags. Source URL pending response from Senior Citizen]

[edit on 3/31/2006 by 12m8keall2c]

[edit on 31-3-2006 by Senior Citizen]

I don't know about the top photo. But I were to make a WAG at the bottom photo, I would say it was either a MiG-25 or a MiG-31.

Note the slight canted angle of the twin vertical tail, the notched tops of the tail, and the twin engines, paired closely together, and the fairly thick fuselage that maintains its thickness very close to the front of the aircraft....

The double tail is interesting. Looks like it could be something like this, though:

Mmm. the tail fins look a bit sl;anted to the side as opposed to the F-15 straight stabilizers though?

But a Mig-25 or Mig 29 could be the one but do they fly them around as late back as 2005 in the US?

What twin fins??? I see a Boeing 737 or similar airliner. The trail shows that it is travelling in a straight line and the photographer is on the ground looking up so he sees the bottom of the plane. The lead "fin" as some of you see it is the wing. If it is a twin fin aircraft it's flying on its side. lol.

Here's how I think it is explained:




[edit on 31-3-2006 by planeman]

To add,
Being that the aurora uses a ram jet the contrail dosnt look right.
The contrail in the picture is synomomis with constant thrust and not
a pulsed ram jet.

Originally posted by planeman
What twin fins??? I see a Boeing 737. The trail shows that it is travelling in a straight line and the photographer is on the ground looking up so he sees the bottom of the plane. The lead "fin" as some of you see it is the wing. If it is a twin fin aircraft it's flying on its side. lol.

Here's a Boeing 737 from a similar angle, obvious in different light conditions and altitude etc:


[edit on 31-3-2006 by planeman]

Exactly - the lit up bit is just the aircraft's navigation light blinking.

[edit on 31-3-2006 by kilcoo316]

I am not going to say thats anything other than a civilian airliner, probably an A320 or 737 type. I personally don't think that looks like a navigation light, but other than that, what can it be? If it was on fire there would be smoke. Would an engine flameout look like that? I am not sure what they look like. It looks as if there could be too much fuel going in the engine and not being burnt to me.

Originally posted by kilcoo316

Exactly - the lit up bit is just the aircraft's navigation light blinking.

Which nav light are you thinking about? I'd guess sunlight myself but could be. some airlines leave the fuselage natural aluminum which would increase the chances of a glare.

Do any 737s have a fuel dump capability (I'm pretty sure the answer is no) and if so, where is it dumped from? Larger Airbus' dump from the trailing edge of each wing just outboard of the engines or btween the inboard and outboard engines(?). Maybe this is a Boaeing 777 dumping fuel?

Planeman that is interesting, thanks

Good explanation

Great post as usual planeman, you described just what i was seeing, i couldnt work out what people were referring to when they talked about double tails. I think the light could be from sunlight reflecting off the fuselage being amplified by the image processing.

Originally posted by imbalanced
To add,
Being that the aurora uses a ram jet the contrail dosnt look right.
The contrail in the picture is synomomis with constant thrust and not
a pulsed ram jet.

I dont really understand what you mean since aurora isnt confirmed to exist and there is no confirmed information on the engines.

-George

Originally posted by planeman
What twin fins??? I see a Boeing 737 or similar airliner.

Very nice illustration. What kind of rendering program is that?

Originally posted by planeman
Do any 737s have a fuel dump capability (I'm pretty sure the answer is no) and if so, where is it dumped from? Larger Airbus' dump from the trailing edge of each wing just outboard of the engines or btween the inboard and outboard engines(?). Maybe this is a Boaeing 777 dumping fuel?

The early model 737s (100, 200) didn't, but I BELIEVE that the later models can (700, 800, 900).

It's possible. But note that the picture was taken in the evening, facing West (where sun is) and so it seems unlikely that the big glow is actually a reflection as the angle would be wrong.

The photographer noted that it appeared to be flying faster than anything he had seen before.

The fact that there are contrails means that it has to be at a reasonably high altitude, right? And then a civilian plane wouldn't appear to streak across the sky as fast as was described.

If it were a civilian plane tilted at an angle, wouldn't it also seem likely that it was making a turn, but no turn was reported and the contrail segment visible in the photo was straight.

And the general form looks quite similar to what some German tourists hiking in Nevada saw (and whose engines it heard) taking off from Groom lake region one very early morning (and heard clearance for on ATC radio).

Going over Davis CA to the west would be pretty smack on a great circle course from Watertown (A-51) to North Korea.

I wouldn't bet against a SR-71 successor operated by NRO/CIA.

Excellent work planeman, you nailed it

As for the glow, it is just reflected sunlight, on airliners.com there are many airliner photo's where this effect is clearly visible, that graphic rendering is superb, definitley a picture worth a thousand words

MBKennel, it would make more sense if "Aurora" flies on its side.

[edit on 31-3-2006 by planeman]

MB Kennel, the airliner in the picture is flying straight and level, more or less, and is photgraphed from below, hence the perspective, it is also high up and if the sun is setting in the distance then it will be illuminated from below, as it seems to be.

Regarding the description about it travelling so fast etc, the description just might be a result of the photographer seeing the image he has taken, realised what it might appear to be and having a little fun. Nothing wrong with that but the photo speaks for itself "737 at Sunset" would be the title I would apply to it. Someone else might call it "Manna for the Gullible", but that wouldn't be me, no sir.

Originally posted by Enkidu

Originally posted by planeman
What twin fins??? I see a Boeing 737 or similar airliner.

Very nice illustration. What kind of rendering program is that?

MicroSoft Paint.