UFO in a cloud??

Before I begin, I'd like to mention that I did a search on this specific phenomena (if that's what its even called) and could not find anything relating to this. What I did find were mostly topics about weird shaped clouds or natural occurring clouds that look like ufo's. I do apologize ahead if there is already a topic on this that I missed. Maybe a mod could point me to related thread?

So my friend who recently started getting into clouds, sent me a link to these two youtube videos. At first while looking at the video I didn't see anything abnormal until I read the description, then it became clear on what I was supposed to be looking for. When I saw the weird light/movement in the cloud it kinda of shocked me. I honestly don't know what it is, natural, man made or alien? Maybe some of the experts here could shed some light?


Short description from the video uploader.

This is the original from July 2000. This "phenomenon" was watched for 20 minutes before the call for the camera went out. A slow moving thunderhead sitting above Baltimore seen from 8 or 10 miles south became a head scratcher. The odd changes occur at :20, :31, :37, :58, and 1:26 When the filming came back to the thundercloud it was focused on the left and wrong part of the cloud. You can see the weird thing happen again (@2:13 or so) as it was panned into the left side when it was in the middle right section. Any thoughts? Whatever it was it seemed VERY large, changing every 15 to 20 seconds.

First video:




Second video:


To me it seems like a flashlight behind the clouds warping from one spot to the other. Maybe it could be some weird camera glitch, what are you thoughts?





[edit on 16-8-2010 by RavenX]

[edit on 16-8-2010 by RavenX]

[edit on 16-8-2010 by RavenX]

Ok for some reason the youtube links aren't working even though I have varified them. Not sure why its not showing up.

Are you including everything after the "=" sign? Not the sign itself but everything after.

--airspoon

ah there we go, thanks. should work now.

reply to post by RavenX


Your videos dont seem to be working?

Might be an issue at my end possibly.

Two weather phenomena have been frequently mistaken for UFO's. Lenticular clouds are the most common one, as their lens shape is similar to that of the classic saucer shaped UFO

en.wikipedia.org...

Another one is a pileus cloud, which, depending on your vantage point, looks like a cap on top of convective clouds like cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds.

en.wikipedia.org...(meteorology)

Thanks for the links Ozweatherman, but unless those types of clouds can move quickly from left to right and back, I honestly don't think the ones in the video are "lenticular clouds" I could be wrong though.

When I watch videos like this I always feel like a sucker. It looks like the light anomaly's are just from camera distortion and pix elation. What is it you think is there? Just curious since you took the time.

Finally some new, interesting video. I agree with the OP that they do almost look like spotlights in the sky. I was real quick to believe it was just a reflection of the sun as the first thing I noticed was that in both videos the lights appear on the edge of the clouds which could be an interesting clue, as it could just be the sun reflecting off the edge of the cloud and other clouds passing over the beam causing it to appear to be jumping from one place to the next.

However, after a complete watch of both videos, the speed at which the light changes positions and the distance between the original spot of the light, to the proceeding spot, especially in the first video, is very strange to me, especially at 1:26 when it appears to skip across the sky. Once again I'm no expert on clouds or atmosphere so maybe this can happen, but I would think a cloud passing through the path of the beam would be a much slower process, and the fact it makes these changes in such a short period of time is also interesting.

Now I am in no way claiming these to be alien, human, or natural in nature, because I don't really have enough evidence to suggest either hypothesis other than it's strange.

No matter what this is, I still thank you for the find as it's unique, interesting and a good visual to look at.

[edit on 16-8-2010 by MadhatterTheGreat]

Originally posted by kbriggss
When I watch videos like this I always feel like a sucker. It looks like the light anomaly's are just from camera distortion and pix elation. What is it you think is there? Just curious since you took the time.

Camera affect/distortion also came across my mind but then I thought those who recorded the videos and the people around them sounded like they saw this phenomenon without looking through the cameras. So to answer you're question I honestly don't know what they are. I'm stumped just as you are.

[edit on 16-8-2010 by RavenX]

These don't look like distortions in the video, though I also don't think it is anything other than natural phenomenon. Whatever it is, it is extremely cool looking and very interesting. The way that the piece of cloud whipped across what seems to be a large portion of the sky, is especially awesome.

As far as the lights, it is probably the sun reflecting off of the clouds, or even lightning within the clouds.

--airspoon

reply to post by RavenX


That first one definently looks like a spotlight. Ive seen similar things to that quite frequently, particularly with the job I do.

The second one has me absolutely stumped. Never seen anything like it. It appears though a light from something, but I really dont know what is producing it

Have to S & F this one

reply to post by OzWeatherman

Doesn't look like either on of the samples that you gave.
To be honest, I kinda gave me the "willies".
You just might have something here.
It looks like a spot light of some sort Or a rotating light, just a really creepy feeling with this one...
Good eye.

[edit on 16-8-2010 by zosocoda]

Originally posted by zosocoda
reply to post by OzWeatherman

 

Doesn't look like either on of the samples that you gave.
To be honest, I kinda gave me the "willies".
You just might have something here.
It looks like a spot light of some sort Or a rotating light, just a really creepy feeling with this one...
Good eye.

No, its not

I only posted those because initially we couldnt see the videos. I posted them because they are frequently misidentified as UFO's

reply to post by zosocoda


yeah I also felt kinda creeped out by it. In the first video it does look like it has a "spotlight" movement or effect to it, but would a spotlight be visible like that with the sun still out?

A few speculations:

1) Some sort of an aurora effect
2) Some sort of electrical phenomenon being generated by the thunderhead

I think these people were really seeing this and the comments on the video make pretty clear they were seeing it with their eyes, not just some video anomaly.

reply to post by RavenX


Exactly it would have to be a very big very bright spot light
If I am not mistaken you can see it reflect of the cloud formation in the back.
Very strange indeed. I am really getting the creeps with this one.
Remember that NASA vid that showed the "lights" settling on top of the clouds? Maybe this is what it looks like when they aren't paying attention, they blow their cover. I would embed it but don't know how. Can somebody post that as a comparison. That's the first thing I thought of was the NASA video Kinda like the curtain was pulled back a little bit.

reply to post by RavenX


It look s like a great sunset to me and the way the sun can change the cloud covers colors very quickly.

Ever seen a green flash? en.wikipedia.org...

It's an explosion that you can witness at sunset.

It's blown my mind before, and once you see one you never stop looking for the next.

reply to post by kbriggss


I can say without a doubt, that those are both not the elusive green flash.

I think LifeinDeath may be on the right track with an electrical disharge of some sort. The second one's origin is through a cumulonimbus clouds which makes sense, with the electrical theory, however it didnt look like anything Ive seen

I agree not the green flash but definitely late in the day when the sun is low. The sun is doing most of the work, the camera , the rest.

Out

reply to post by RavenX


RavenX.....

It doesn't look exactly like lightning.

It doesn't look exactly like a spotlight.

It doesn't look exactly like cloud movement.

I wonder.....

I'll look a few more times & see if I can figure something out.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not