What's going on off CA coast right now?

oh a little bit off topic but last friday did anyone else see the fully loaded ah-1 or apache flying from south to north along the 110 freeway over downtown l.a and past it and it continued northward along the i 5? i never seen anything like it the whole time i have lived here. another guy in a post on glp had seen it too just asking

I can't say I saw that as I'm way too far unless I'm on my roof to see that. But I have been seeing non-stop activity out of Los Al as well as the constant stream of helis from the east.

reply to post by Shakesbeer


Shakesbeer (love that name!), Even a sports dummy like me should have known it would be unlikely that a football game would be played on January 26. Here is what happened:

I was on the phone last Saturday morning in a pretty intense conversation when my call-waiting beeped. I answered and it was Mufon. Instead of asking to call him back like I should have, I half-listened to the explanation because I was distracted by my concern to get back to my other caller.

So the stadium event and flares part is correct, but I need to call Mufon tomorrow and report back here once I get the facts straight. My sincere apologies to everyone here for possibly posting inaccurate information.



[edit on 4-3-2008 by sylph hugger]

[edit on 4-3-2008 by sylph hugger]

reply to post by Shakesbeer


P.S. Shakesbeer, I am probably doing a no-no here, but just wanted to let you know I got your U2U. When I tried to respond I got a message saying I need to make 20 posts first. Since I am like Mr. Ed, I never speak unless I have something to say.

So I will not make any stupid posts just to make my quota, and we can U2U about helicopters once I get there.

Mods please forgive me, but I think it is important to let Shakesbeer know I am not ignoring him. If there is some other way, please let me know. I truly love this site and do not wish to be banned.

From the first page, the images that Havalon manipulated the first one with the turquoise color makes it look like the Predator UAV.

The pictures look a lot like this recent posting:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

avery - that is definitely similar looking, seems that cali is a swarm with UFO's

sylph - No worries, I double checked everything myself last night before posting. I'm even tied into the football "scene" down here abit in terms of high school and knew that ended a long time before that, and so did college. I double checked to make sure junior or D3 college didn't have a rouge game or something, but nope...nothing. So unless they mean "foo-T-Bawl" and on a stormy night, sounds like a damn dirty lie to me...or someone's just really lazy, not wanting to care and made up the same ol' excuse. Btw, I left a message at the local MUFON too asking about any information pertaining to the sighting. See if they get back to me or not...

[edit on 5-3-2008 by Shakesbeer]

I'm baaaaak, (Like anyone should notice, the threads already archived by now.)

I spent way too much time today between tasks (like filling coffee cup) gathering images from just my current archive. I have close to 10 years of digital photos in categories, but most archived on DL-DVD now. Most of these where 6MP raw images so I had to strip them down quite a lot to fit here. Some I am saving to have a couple of the hot shot debunkers here do their best with. If anyone wants originals with metadata (IPTC) intact U2U me.

To preface this, I live in the south San Francisco Bay area and several times a week ride out on my MT bike with a chest mounted Digital SLR and photograph anything of interest. That I travel toward sunsets usually affords great skies and some interesting effects also. My rout location is also smack dab on the approach to major airports like SFO and Oakland, and south of me San Jose. So I see at any time aircraft from all directions, altitudes and in any lighting and weather conditions. My studio windo faces Sacramento approach, so I see all the aircraft coming in to the bay area and can listen on my digital scanner to Air Control to Pilot also.

I have studied the sky most of my life for the beauty as we all do and two technical reasons. As an illustrator doing hundreds of images with realistic skies, and two as an amateur astronomer and science interested person. So I look at weather and optical effects. That’s one of the reasons I was asked to do some MUFON work. Besides the fact they are swamped. So for all these years, at least 35, I look, read, photograph, paint and illustrate sky. I also model in 3D skies with off the shelf software like Bryce and Photoshop, both have a sky generator. I want to show you just a few of the weired things I have caught and can explain with current science and meteorological knowledge.



This is either a cloud or a leftover contrail segment I shot. It was probably many thousands of feet and many miles out to sea, and because it was so high it is still being lit by the sun setting in the west.(in back of this view)

There are flights going north and south, east and west as this area and in fact from Seattle to San Diego. They routinely go out over the water for fast and stable air. San Francisco with Oakland and San Jose is one of the busiest areas in the west.



Here is a more dynamic scene I shot demonstrating many elements being lit by the sun set in the direction of view. See the "Sun Pillar" as it is called which is the sun reflecting off high water vapor between the sun and the viewer. This can be very pronounced. I have very dramatic examples in my archive, but this should suffice. See this link to understand more about this natural effect. They are also called "Light Pillars"

Light or Sun Pillar




Heres an example of how strange such an effect can look. The trick is to continue to look and watch it change. I have 12 frames of this in transition. It is nothing more than a contrail being cut off by a dryer mass of air abruptly. The bright patch might be an effect of the particular condensation in the border zone. See the jet in the picture heading north toward Seattle leaving SFO.

Hear are some other effects for fun. Like I said, these are handy.


Obviously the Sun distorted and shaped by foreground weather. Many see these every day anywhere on the planet. Some goofballs think it is funny to try and fool us with images like this and a contrived story. Well, who's the real fool in that case? Still others forget they took such an image, and, while going through their files think they have a UFO, but actually it is a picture they shot while not actually sober. The story will sometimes reveal such a scenario. Pay attention to the image AND the story. see the threat for the ThamesThames UFO No story just a mistaken image there.




Here is an inbound passenger jet coming in from Hawaii at extreme telephoto. It is over the pacific with landing lights. A photo like this at dusk is hard to identify for anything.



This is a contrail emerging from behind coastal fog clouds. Note the star just to the top left of the contrail. At only six megapixels I find many stars in dusk shots.

So unless we can get video and/or more accurate descriptions of what people are seeing at the beginning of the thread we cannot assume anything really. people see things every day they cannot explain, and if you say there are weird things in the sky many will say they saw something. Maybe they did, but in this case someone likely misidentified and embellished with their enthusiasm.

SUN DOGS

I promised some education on Sun Dogs. So here goes. First, see the description here for the science.
SUN DOG

I have good books on the subject, but copyrights prohibit my scanning and posting, so this will have to do. Good images there too.

Sundogs are an effect of refracted light through very high ice clouds that form above 26000 feet (6000m) where the air is thin and very cold. Imagine a blanket of microscopic Diamonds and you have an idea of what these clouds are like. Another example for you people in the cold eastern and northern areas is when your windshield or window ices up. Look at what a point light or even the sun does when you look through that. You will see refraction through the ice crystal doing interesting things similarly.

Here is a Sundog on the beach at Carmel I got last June.

As you can see, these things can get quite bright as per the reflection in the wet sand demonstrates. Sometimes Sun dogs will also happen higher in the sky, and not always at sunset. Then you can see much more structure depending on conditions.

What these bright spots are are duplicates of the sun in the refraction through billions of ice crystals.

Here is a close up of a sun dog I got a few years ago.


Now here is something that got me by surprise. When I was going through the images from my Carmel shoot a day or so later at home I noticed what I thought was lens dust on the image. I looked closer and realized it was something solid in the air. I could tell this was not on the lens or airborne dust. It was solid and at the right focal for the air in front of me. Very strange.


I have many photos of what I call "probe" sphere images I have photographed from my own yard to parking lots around town. Even friends across town has seen them the same times I have. They seem to follow me almost. So I did not see this when I was photographing it. If anyone wants to look at the original 6MP image U2U me and provide an FTP or equivalent drop and see what you can do with it.

That's enough for now. I have many more UFO-like illusions from my work and many more Sun Dog and Sun Pillar images. I also have UFO images, but no time to post and "publish" right away. So if they do not kick me off for such long posts, I'll try and afford some time in the future to share the many interesting images I have compiled.

Keep Looking UP!

ZG

Shakesbeer - I saw what looked like the same thing. I'm the last posting, on page 2, of the above link. No pictures, alas.

reply to post by ZeroGhost



Here is the one spotted off Malibu yesterday.


Here is your picture under the same resolution.


I suspect that the one above is a UFo. Your's is a cloud. Note the dark area on the suspected UFo is complete, and your cloud is only dark along the bottom where the liquid content of the cloud is. I am no photo buff, but just noticing the difference.

Hi everybody!

I have been lurking forever and finally thought i would post!! weeee!!!! I live in Brea Ca right under the spot of the BREA/UFO event..... less than a mile from the "hat resturant" where a witness reported the fireball. And less than a mile from the "olive garden" where the same thing was reported. Also less than a mile from the 57fwy and imperial where another person reported the same thing..... The thing i found interesting about this event was during the time it happened it was VERY windy and VERY stormy across the Orange and LA county areas. During periods of high wind in this area its amazing how much more you can see in the sky. Living in orange county most of my life you kind of get used to the fact that smog really cuts down on long range visibility at night. On a night like the night of the brea ufo event when wind has blown the skies clean you could see the planes lined up maybe 8 deep for both runways at LAX approach. And looking from the right angle the landing lights are visible from so much farther away you are just seeing two lines containing 16 lights 8 lights each that look from my angle like they are straight up and down. Brea happens to be just south of the start of LAX approach. In the NE hills of brea (unocal oil fileds) there are 2 giant light towers with red/ orange lights going up and down the tower indicating the start of LAX approach...with all the reports pointing to this area in the sky my question is, could what everyone saw just be something they are not used too. Could it just be the fact that we had great visibility and it tricked our eyes being so used to the dirty smoggy skies? on a side note. Brea Olinda high school is on the hill in the same area as the fireballs were reported as well.(not even a half mile from the landing light towers and right under LAX approach) I saw a post earlier about fireworks at a football game... i don't know if that could be related as well but it sure is in the exact location for it!!!
nice yapping at all you interesting people!!!

reply to post by ZeroGhost


ZeroGhost,
Thank you for that post, it was brilliant work, do keep it up.

I would be most grateful and interested if (at some stage) you would do a thread on your own of some of your library pictures.

Off topic sorry (sue me! - but it's relevant in the long term -trust me!)

Oh! and welcome Baldwin, sure nice to have you here, you're goin' to like this place! (eventually! )

H


[edit on 5-3-2008 by Havalon]

reply to post by baldwin


highly doubtful especially when you read the accounts of the sighting. One of the accounts made here is by a local photographer who's used to looking in the sky and taking pictures. I don't think he would have been fooled by tower lights.

Originally posted by Havalon
reply to post by ZeroGhost

 

ZeroGhost,
Thank you for that post, it was brilliant work, do keep it up.

I would be most grateful and interested if (at some stage) you would do a thread on your own of some of your library pictures.

Off topic sorry (sue me! - but it's relevant in the long term -trust me!)

Oh! and welcome Baldwin, sure nice to have you here, you're goin' to like this place! (eventually!

)

H

[edit on 5-3-2008 by Havalon]


Thank you for that post, it was brilliant work, do keep it up.

I would be most grateful and interested if (at some stage) you would do a thread on your own of some of your library pictures.

Off topic sorry (sue me! - but it's relevant in the long term -trust me!)

Oh! and welcome Baldwin, sure nice to have you here, you're goin' to like this place! (eventually!

)

Thank you Havalon. I do plan to post much more, but it is a matter of time like most here, a paycheck seems a smidgen more important for most of us. I've been out of steady work since Jan 07, so each day I need to get out several resumes and letters to throw into the black hole!

(Off topic-response, sorry too!)

Just to be clear, I posted these images to offset the information we originally got here. No good follow up by the witnesses concerned me, and the images provided where not convincing and I needed to say and demonstrate with some good science why.

There very well could have been something UFO-ish) happening off the coast. I have heard no solid accounts yet. I myself (as even in the UFO at Carmel can attest) believe there is an acceleration of actual UFO and Alien events now, but we need to separate the "Wheat from the Chaff" and lower the hysteria to the more rational accounts and observations on ATS or we will be hopelessly lost in our ignorance and in some cases idiocy and silliness.

We need to understand better, and with our educational system clueless on how to teach science, as a majority of people in most cases, are ill equipped to deal with simple everyday science reality, not to mention high strangeness UFO and Alien events. So the only way to help is for us to bootstrap our education however we can.

My wife thinks I should teach, but I am sure she wants me to have a "job" teaching, as she is holding down the fort as a music teacher now for the most part, and with my sporadic contracts not really helping. Also with ATS volunteer-like fun, this is straining a 27 year contract I have with her. Now that MUFON is asking for unpaid help from me I am just getting deeper into her dog house list.

We do what we feel is important however, so I follow my passion (science and understanding), and attempt to help others learn to think for themselves too. Oh, and anywhere I can make an honest buck too, my sweet (if you are lurking).


ZG

reply to post by favouriteslave

So it went south into some trees in my front yard and I lost it as it seemed to be going a bit downwards too.

Worrisome and interesting, did it break any limbs off of the trees or leave any kind of debris behind, metal, liquid, etc.?

It had to be close to the ground to go into trees. Was it a vapor or solid?

Sorry that part of my post is misleading. I'm 40+ miles away from the coast. It escaped my field of vision by going behind the trees in my yard. It was no where near the trees in my yard.

Originally posted by Siren
reply to post by favouriteslave

 

So it went south into some trees in my front yard and I lost it as it seemed to be going a bit downwards too.

Worrisome and interesting, did it break any limbs off of the trees or leave any kind of debris behind, metal, liquid, etc.?

It had to be close to the ground to go into trees. Was it a vapor or solid?

Originally posted by defcon5
While I cannot say for certain what you saw, one thing that might fit the description is that normal contrails will look like streaks of fire (almost like something entering the atmosphere from space) when you view them while the sun is setting over an ocean. I have seen this effect many times over the gulf here in Florida and it can be quite beautiful.

This is also true after the sun has already set, and it is dark at ground level. Sunlight can still be visibile at higher altitudes. This phenomenon can lead to what appears to be a glowing/fire streak in the sky even when at the ground level you are in complete dark. In these photographs it is hardly even dark at the ground level, so that is definitely a contrail reflecting sunlight.

I have even seen the same effect on high level clouds after dark. Also, it does not need to be near an ocean, as this can be seen anywhere under the right conditions. It just so happens that you are more likely to see it near the ocean due to the flat surface and less obstructions blocking the field of vision.

If you witnessed an escort, I would surmise this is a highly sensitive aircraft, either still in its testing phase, or simply of such a high value or nature that it has no natural air-to-air capabilities, and is thus deemed a high risk.

I have not seen these events, but I have seen a lot of military aircraft lately.

Looks like a lot of people already made attempts to identify this object... I'd say it's definitely a UFO, seeing as it's unidentified... Anyway, here are my few attempts to make the image clearer, but can't really tell what it is... Only thing proved so fare is there is definitely something there... What it is who knows...