Date: 30th Jan 2021
Time: 02:30
Location: NW London
Investigator: Ash Ellis
Case Ref: OR210104
Classification of Incident (Hynek System): Nocturnal Lights
Description:
The striking photos below were posted to Facebook after the photographer noticed the striking object in one of the photos after he was taking pictures of the night sky. He didn’t see the object at the time.
Conclusion:
Upon giving further details, the witness goes on to say that he was taking photographs with his iPhone 11 in the early hours, on a 3-second exposure. He didn’t see anything with the naked eye and there was no sound. Upon looking at the photograph and subsequent close-up, you can see that this is clearly aircraft lights, appearing as they do due to the exposure time and distance from the camera. The red line effect is caused by the steady red navigation light on the left wing which is always on, the smaller white line is the anti-collision strobe light which flashes roughly every other second, appearing as it does here, in the middle of the 3-second exposure. These images gained a lot of interest on social media, and again highlights how mundane objects can look VERY different under the right circumstances.
