Mystery 'missile' likely a jet contrail, says expert

Mystery 'missile' likely a jet contrail, says expert

www.newscientis t.com

So what was it? Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer who tracks space launches at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says it was probably an optical illusion caused by a plane.

"If it's coming over the horizon, straight at you, then it rises quickly above the horizon," he told New Scientist. "You can't tell because it's so far away that it's getting closer to you – you'd think it was just going vertically up," he says.

The fact that it occurred at twilight would have emphasised the contrail, he adds. "It's critical that it's at sunset �

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.bbc.co.uk
www.dailyexpress.co.uk

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Pentagon Can't Explain "Missile" off California
Mystery missile caught on tape off L.A. coast

I have been following this interesting piece of news, but yet again it appears to be a natural phenomenon that was simply misinterpreted.

It seems to be the trend with most of these unexplainable events(that usually implicate a governments involvement) these days. The government in question denies everything, and science(and some professor) is always ready to back them up, with some perfectly logical explanation.

Looks like this is how their gonna wrap this one up though, no missile launch here, nothing to see, just a incoming jets contrail.



www.newscientis t.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

have you watched the video? what is the small ignition source you can see at the top of the plume?

it was no contrail in my opinion

I say again, if NORAD and pentagon was unsure about what that was for just five minutes, let alone two days, it is NOT a plane.

reply to post by OleMB


Exactly. What kind of horse # are they trying to pull?

reply to post by OleMB


I agree, my sarcasm might not be too evident, but I have a very hard time believing that this was a Jets contrail. Mainly because the theory is that the jet was coming directly at the chopper, creating a optical illusion, which is why they claim the guys in the chopper were the only ones who witnessed this.

But when you throw in the photos from the Phoenix guy from this thread:www.abovetopsecret.com... that theory seems to fall apart. I guess unless, the Phoenix guy is also experiencing a optical illusion, seems unlikely.

Another thing is that in one article they said the FAA reviewed there radars for the area and didn't see any fast moving objects or anything, but if this was a jet coming straight at the chopper, wouldn't they have been able to immediately see what was really causing this effect? You would think they would have been able to instantly figure this out(even Norad) and even now they still haven't said what jet actually caused this "missile/rocket" type of contrail.

Originally posted by okamitengu
have you watched the video? what is the small ignition source you can see at the top of the plume?

The sun flashing on the airplane?

Originally posted by OleMB
I say again, if NORAD and pentagon was unsure about what that was for just five minutes, let alone two days, it is NOT a plane.

So the fact that another 'missile' was filmed today at the same time with a similar trail at precisely 8:00Pm just when US Air flight 808 was in that same area at 39,000 feet is just a coincidence?

Hmmmm

reply to post by zorgon


And I am sure every time that plane takes off someone gets fooled by the optical illusion and it becomes national news. Every other day right?

reply to post by zorgon


If you believe the cameraman then it was not a plane.
I would have thought he was the one in the best position to know, well the pilot too but I haven't seen an interview with him/her.

By the way, what I think it most likely is, is a intercontinental ballistic missile fired from a submarine. For one you can clearly see the exhaust flames, and the sheer size of the plume and its straight up and then tilted path. This video here about sums up the reasons why they did it in the pacific, and at this time. Those being they have apparently tested these in the Atlantic but not the Pacific, and to basically let the Asians know what time it is while Obama is over there.

Originally posted by backinblack
If you believe the cameraman then it was not a plane.

I don't believe the camera man He works for the network looking for ratings

Askbaby found this. Go look at the other airplane contrails on this sight then get back to me


Dec 31st contrail, from Laguna Beach

contrailscience.com...

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by backinblack
If you believe the cameraman then it was not a plane.

I don't believe the camera man

He works for the network looking for ratings

Askbaby found this. Go look at the other airplane contrails on this sight then get back to me

Dec 31st contrail, from Laguna Beach

contrailscience.com...

edit on 10-11-2010 by zorgon because: (no reason given)

OK, so as long as we can find something that looks similar, regardless of an eye witness stating differently, then thats the answer?
Sorry Zorgon, all evidence should fit.Not just selected bits and if these were contrails then why the hell didnt anyone give simple flight details within a few mins/hours of this circus?

Originally posted by nittin
reply to post by zorgon

 

And I am sure every time that plane takes off someone gets fooled by the optical illusion and it becomes national news. Every other day right?

Yeah pretty much... especially lately

Remember the UFO that shut down the airport in China? Well it was in reality only a RADAR sighting that shut down the airport, but that isn't worth putting on the evening news so they used THIS...

UFO Flying Over China July 9 2010!!! REAL
An UFO scared Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou, China to stop operations on July 7, 2010!



Now that one is a real rocket launch. Soyuz 2 rocket launching a Meridian satellite... but to most it's a UFO

I am all for conspiracies, but let's at least not look foolish

Originally posted by backinblack
Sorry Zorgon, all evidence should fit.Not just selected bits and if these were contrails then why the hell didnt anyone give simple flight details within a few mins/hours of this circus?

Phage found the details US Air flight 808 that flew over Catalina at exactly the time of the sighting, and was their the next night when the second video was taken,,,
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck... it's a good chance it's a duck.

I can show you many contrails that look like this 'missile' can you show me any other known rocket launch that looks like this contrail?

reply to post by zorgon


I don't even look at this as a conspiracy. It is common sense to me. Honestly how can you look any more foolish than you already do. Release a missile video that makes nation-wide news and tell the people they were just looking at a plane. Happens all the #ing time right?

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by backinblack
Sorry Zorgon, all evidence should fit.Not just selected bits and if these were contrails then why the hell didnt anyone give simple flight details within a few mins/hours of this circus?

Phage found the details

US Air flight 808 that flew over Catalina at exactly the time of the sighting, and was their the next night when the second video was taken,,,
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck... it's a good chance it's a duck.

I can show you many contrails that look like this 'missile' can you show me any other known rocket launch that looks like this contrail?

Well see, from the start the cameraman said this thing was heading westerly.
Flight 808 came IN from the west.
So he would even have to be lying about the direction.
You say he's lying, I'll believe the guy until someone proves he's a liar.

Zorgon good information.

There's another point to made. The only video of this event is from the news channel that filmed it. That's it, no one else saw it. You would think that a missile launched off the coast of LA, someone would have seen it.

Nope, no one else saw it except for the cameraman on that helicopter. I guess that means, they are the only people who saw this. No one else saw it on the ground, or maybe they did see something. Something that wasn't a missile, but a contrail from a plane. But to the view of the cameraman it looked like a missile launch.

reply to post by zorgon

And BTW, not that it matters but Phage didnt find the details.
Another poster said flight808

It's pretty obvious that this is marsh gas, or Venus setting, mistaken identification of clouds, etc.

If someone is launching missiles surely the combined might of the US Military can trace the launch site and then be ready to counterstrike.