IDENTIFIABLE FLYING OBJECTS:

COMMON CAUSES OF MISIDENTIFICATION:

CELESTIAL OBJECTS:

Venus, Jupiter, the rising moon etc.

Venus in particular is a common culprit as it can be intensely bright and will twinkle differing colours under the right atmospheric conditions.

COMETS AND METEORS:

The media usually provides ample coverage of a comet’s approach and dates of larger meteor showers are fairly well known by the public. Larger meteors known as fireballs are often reported as well.

CLOUDS:

Lenticular clouds are quite strange in appearance and can be mistaken for “saucers,” Water droplets can create the illusion of metallic colouring when struck by sunlight at certain angles.

SPACE DEBRIS:

Rocket boosters etc are seen as an unexpected bright light in the sky upon re-entry.

SATELLITES:

The NOSS (National Ocean Surveillance System) in particular have been found to be the causation of some UFO reports. A report regarding this occurence is available to view at http://www.bufora.org.uk/archive/NOSSessay.html This article has been written by Tony Eccles of MARA

AIRCRAFT ETC:

Military, commercial, and private. Many company’s are developing and testing unmanned, strange looking aircraft that will be able to perform maneuvers that conventional aircraft cannot.

BIRDS OR INSECTS:

Fireflies and migrating spiders have been reported as UFO’s. An interesting story is of owls that became covered in phosphorescent fungus while roosting in infected trees and later being reported as “ghostly lights.”

Other natural causes include: the aurora borealis, lightning, and mirages.

This list is far from complete, but gives the reader a good idea of what we must consider during any investigation of UFO reports.