UFO? No! ...... Balloons - Part 1: Solar balloons

This thread is a continuation of those I’ve created over the past months and years about UFO misidentifications whose intend is to show that there are many factors that can misrepresent reality.
Therefore, sometimes, ordinary things appear as if they were extraordinary, and this is especially true in the ufology field…

Just a short reminder:
-General presentation (December 2011): UFO?......No!
-Optical artifacts: Lens flares 1 (March 2011): UFO misidentifications: Lens flares samples
-Optical artifacts: Lens flares 2 (June 2012): The "mirror ghost flare" effect
-Optical atmospheric phenomena: Subsuns (February 2012): Classic UFOs misinterpretation: Subsuns
-Sky-trackers (April 2012): UFO/sky-tracker: classic misidentification case
-Optical artifacts: long exposures (January 2013): UFOs? No! .... Long exposure shoots

Now, I’ll begin a long presentation about all the misidentification related to balloons, in the general sense, photographed or filmed in the sky.
This includes weather balloons, blimps, all kinds of celebration and advertising balloons, solar balloons, and so on….
For each part, I’ll try to illustrate the point with concrete examples taken either from my personal files or from related ATS threads.

Part 1- Solar balloons

Let’s start with what’s probably the most unknown kind of balloons and that is, nowadays, rarely observed.

Here’s the Wikipedia definition:

A solar balloon is a balloon that gains buoyancy when the air inside is heated by the sun's radiation, usually with the help of black or dark balloon material. The heated air inside the solar balloon expands and has lower density than the surrounding air. As such, a solar balloon is similar to a hot air balloon. Current usage of solar balloons is predominantly in the toy market, although it has been proposed that they be used in the investigation of planet Mars, and some solar balloons are large enough for human flight. A vent at the top can be opened to release hot air for descent and deflation.

Source

Anyway, it was the cause of confusion in some cases by the past; I’ve worked for example last year on one well-known case, the Italian “Cecconi UFO case” (see my analysis threads here: part 1 and part 2 which conclusion leads me to think that it was possibly a solar balloon, at least, that’s what my calculations leads me to think. Of course, there were all the testimonies that seem to contradict this conclusion. Anyway, here’s what it looks like:



This kind of cigar-shaped object was also filmed over Somerset UK in 2009:



Source



Ground view of some solar balloons:





Toys:





Related ATS threads:
Cigar shaped UFO filmed in Somerset UK
Solar balloon

So if a alien should appear in a craft of the same shape of a solar balloon you would just ignore it....

After looking into the slar ballooons, I was left witht he impression that they only flew a feet above the flyer's head. Is there documentation of them reaching greater heights?

Another commendable thread, mate.

I honestly think members should be obliged to view all your links before posting on this forum.

S+F.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Not into the believer's part but you know, no matter how hard you try to call all weather balloons, solar balloons, swamp gas balloons, pink ballows with colorful ribbons, there will be ALWAYS this part of objects that are real unidentified craft, whether human or maybe even not... otherwise sure, not every single sight has to be called an alien aircraft or aircraft at all, but there are the cases where there are and you cannot exclude that fact if you are to remain objective.

Originally posted by CardDown
After looking into the solar balloons, I was left with the impression that they only flew a feet above the flyer's head. Is there documentation of them reaching greater heights?

Ive watched a white plastic bag on a very hot summers day rise up and go a few hundred meters into the air... so I think these sun powered hot air balloons, which is basically what they are can go a hell of a lot higher than just above your head

Heck my brother is a Paraglider and he can go up a kilometer with just thermals, wind and a wing of what basically comes down to a sheet of cloth.

Dont think the OP is saying hey if you see a UFO its gotta be this or this, he's saying take a good look and make sure it isnt one of these your mistaking. The more things you know what something could be the more you can be certain it wasnt when the time comes you see something special.

Although I dont think the Cecconi UFO is a solar balloon myself due to the description of the event by teh witnesses, but hey everyone's allowed their own opinion on it.

Originally posted by Spacespider
So if a alien should appear in a craft of the same shape of a solar balloon you would just ignore it....

I know you said 'if an Alien should a appear' but your kinda putting the cart before the horse there with that argument. Only call something a UFO after you've come to the conclusion you cant identify it as anything else... and if an alien came out of a solar balloon yes im pretty sure even the OP would say it was a UFO, but thats a whole different class of experience compared to just sighting a solar balloon like UFO in the sky.

reply to post by CardDown


I had one when I was a kid. We dropped the line and it flew up very high in the sky. Just like a children's helium balloon would. I remember that I was scared that it would collide with an airplane...

Originally posted by Spacespider
So if a alien should appear in a craft of the same shape of a solar balloon you would just ignore it....

Show us the alien.

If the "craft" is shaped like, looks like, behaves like, and exhibits most attributions related to solar balloons, or any sort of balloon ... it's a balloon.

There is no ET until you show us an ET no matter what the "craft" looks like or how it behaves.

There is no ET until you show us an ET no matter what the "craft" looks like or how it behaves.

So until they very recently photographed a DNA helix strand - what.. did it not really exist? Things can be proven to exist based on evidence - not just producing the said thing you are looking for. With UFOs, it's not even hard. If a definitive craft exhibits maneuvers or effects that no human-created craft can achieve - well, it's not from around here. And a good bet it's alien in nature. And there have been plenty of such craft sighted in the last 50 + years.

reply to post by fleabit


And ball lightning, or other as of yet unknown and uncategorized natural phenomenon CAN'T be mistaken for intelligently controlled "craft"?

Just like balloons, as described in the OP are constantly being mistaken for intelligently controlled, piloted, "craft"?

Just like missile test launches and rockets are also getting mistaken for alien motherships?

All this saucer-eyed accounting through word of mouth by witnesses is simply description of SOMETHING they don't understand.

Any talk about aliens is entirely conjecture until you can show that there are indeed aliens.

Your example in Using DNA is invalid as such an example and other such examples of unseen small scale physics and biology can be tested, and have been tested, and science can then with high accuracy to the point of certainty make statements about such from said tests.

Any statement claiming aliens is simply argument from ignorance; I don't know ... so it MUST be Aliens.
Anyone, and people have indeed easily, with equally founded opinion said; demons, angels, as well as other claims.

Show us the alien.
or demon
or angel
or god
or whatever.

Elsewise, if it's not simply misidentification of a balloon, or some other known phenomenon, as most often if is, then it is unknown, as vexing as unknown is.

Until you can test unknown with reliability and repeatable results to narrow down what that unknown is, it then stays unknown.

Thus, no aliens, until you prove it.

reply to post by elevenaugust


Thanks the video in your OP is a prime example of the problems of using auto focus video cameras, they hunt for focus that's why you get so many videos on youtube of lights at night and people claiming they are morphing so all you ufo guys remember manual focus then the amount of BS posted on youtube and then on here will be reduced.

Originally posted by fleabit

There is no ET until you show us an ET no matter what the "craft" looks like or how it behaves.

So until they very recently photographed a DNA helix strand - what.. did it not really exist? Things can be proven to exist based on evidence - not just producing the said thing you are looking for. With UFOs, it's not even hard. If a definitive craft exhibits maneuvers or effects that no human-created craft can achieve - well, it's not from around here. And a good bet it's alien in nature. And there have been plenty of such craft sighted in the last 50 + years.

Underlined above YOU have to prove its a craft, there are lots of threads on here were people make claims about objects seen in videos often about the size or speed they are doing. The shuttle videos are a prime example were you see a small white dot on the screen move or change direction. People make outrages claims about the speed etc claiming ufo's BUT since the don't know the size or the distance of the object you cannot make claims about it, that's true for your statement above!!!

Originally posted by CardDown
After looking into the slar ballooons, I was left witht he impression that they only flew a feet above the flyer's head. Is there documentation of them reaching greater heights?

Is this enough proof for you

Thanks for that, I'd never seen or heard of those kind of results. The flyer's other video demonstrated the low perfomance I was familiar with:

I am not talking about white dots of course, or ball lightning. I am talking about craft as seen in Texas more recently, or the craft seen prior (and after) the dropping of flares in Phoenix, and the craft seen doing amazing maneuvers in front of aircraft in Tehran - which actually disabled instruments on their planes.

You know.. actual large craft seen clearly by witnesses. There are dozens of reputable cases. When it's clearly not natural, and beyond tech we have - it's something not from our planet. Of course, most disbelievers (i.e. debunkers) will write off all such craft as military tech - even if it makes no sense, or is not even close to anything we can achieve. The ol' black project excuse is always the last bastion of defense for the "have an alien shake my hand or they obviously don't exist" crowd.

Originally posted by fleabit
I am not talking about white dots of course, or ball lightning. I am talking about craft as seen in Texas more recently, or the craft seen prior (and after) the dropping of flares in Phoenix, and the craft seen doing amazing maneuvers in front of aircraft in Tehran - which actually disabled instruments on their planes.

You know.. actual large craft seen clearly by witnesses. There are dozens of reputable cases. When it's clearly not natural, and beyond tech we have - it's something not from our planet. Of course, most disbelievers (i.e. debunkers) will write off all such craft as military tech - even if it makes no sense, or is not even close to anything we can achieve. The ol' black project excuse is always the last bastion of defense for the "have an alien shake my hand or they obviously don't exist" crowd.

And Ball Lightning can't produce or have association with EMP effect?
Scientists Look to Weaponize Ball Lightning

The aim was to create stable ‘magnetoplasmoids’ a foot in diameter which would last between one and five seconds. In the subsequent phase, the magnetoplasmoid would be compressed and accelerate to two hundred kilometers a second. This "encapsulated EMP bullet" would make an idea anti-missile weapon, generating an intense electromagnetic pulse on impact which would scramble the guidance system and any electronics, as well as causing thermal damage.

Lightning of any sort = Electricity.
E M P = ElectroMagnetic Pulse.
These things can, have, and do occur as natural phenomenon, most notably in association with a Solar Event known as CME or Coronal Mass Ejection, but, that's just the most notable recorded and studied example.

reply to post by fleabit


Well post some links, what I find strange is in an age were almost every person in the western world has some sort of camera on them we don't seem to get any better evidence.

It tends to be an object in the distance or they have had to use zoom most often digital zoom which reduces quality and even when these objects are seen over heavily populated areas ie towns and cities nobody below the position of the so called ufo seems to see them.

I would love to see real evidence and look at each image/ video presented with an open mind but when an obvious reason pops out that it's not Mog from Zog I say so, well here's hoping someone will post the real deal on here that's why i joined

Ball lightning is just another convenient excuse - the idea that something like the Tehran sighting was ball lightning is laughable. Or the Phoenix lights case. Or many others. Ball lightning is not even remotely possible in any of the cases I stated - and yet you bring it up again as if it's some sort of explanation. I'd be more than willing to listen to a rational and logical explanation of any of these 3 cases: Phoenix Lights, Tehran 1976 or Stephenville TX - particularly the non-nonsense rancher that saw a 300 meter object over him. Provide a reasonable, sensible case on what natural phenomena they could be. Would love to hear it.

Well post some links, what I find strange is in an age were almost every person in the western world has some sort of camera on them we don't seem to get any better evidence. ....well here's hoping someone will post the real deal on here that's why i joined

Here is an idea - do some research. There is a search function at the top of the ATS page - you can find many threads on these cases, and many more on the Internet in general. You are not going to ever get an actual clear picture of what is going on if you rely on threads here - nor are willing to do a bit of research on your own.

As far as people not getting pictures.. people are not always looking up. A rocket gone awry recently flew over a major city of 20 million + - and I think 3 videos were created of the anomaly. Not everyone looks up - for those that do, not everyone has time to bring out and use their camera if they even know how - and if they do, almost all cameras people have on their person these days are cameras on phones - hardly amazing pieces of technology, and what you get out of these is usually barely usable as evidence. There were only 2 videos of the flares dropped in sight of the entire city of Phoenix. Many more reports.. but only two people filmed it. Lack of photographic evidence doesn't prove a thing.

a reply to: elevenaugust

17 posts and 9 stars (to date) since 2013? A thread filled with the rational and critical thinking that should always be followed in such cases. Denying ignorance as the motto says. Meanwhile "A gray alien came to me and spoke about world peace" gets 30 posts and 25 stars. 🙄