Fast luminous object near ATL – July 2, 2022 ~10:35 PM (original video)

[Trapybp]

Location: College Park, GA (very close to Hartsfield–Jackson ATL)
Date/Time: July 2, 2022 at approximately 10:35 PM local
Camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max, 1x lens
Video: Original, unedited file
FPS/Resolution: (from metadata – please see attached file)
Camera movement: Stationary; I did not pan or track
Sound: Very hard to determine sound because I was literally down the street from the airport but with that being said I see planes many times per day and none ever are like this or this fast.
Weather: Cloudy; object appears to be occluded by clouds

Context:
I was already recording a distant stationary/slow-moving light. So then I was just recording the sky in case it reappeared when a second object suddenly crossed the frame. The fast object appears for a fraction of a second, moves across several degrees of sky, and then disappears into clouds. I did not have time to follow it.

Notes:
The fast object appears as multiple (6) light points in some frames, which may be due to camera effects, I'm not sure. However, the motion is extremely fast compared to aircraft I see daily living near ATL. I am not asserting what this is — I'm posting to see whether it can be identified or if it remains indeterminate.

Never shared before because I had no idea this place existed. I have chat gpt to thank for that.

 

[Mick West]

The fast object appears as multiple (6) light points in some frames, which may be due to camera effects, I'm not sure. However, the motion is extremely fast compared to aircraft I see daily living near ATL. I am not asserting what this is — I'm posting to see whether it can be identified or if it remains indeterminate.

It looks to me to be a reflection of some sort, based on how quickly it moves and how it fades in and out. Did you shoot it through a dual-pane window?

 

[Mendel]

Context:
I was already recording a distant stationary/slow-moving light. So then I was just recording the sky in case it reappeared when a second object suddenly crossed the frame. The fast object appears for a fraction of a second, moves across several degrees of sky, and then disappears into clouds. I did not have time to follow it.

Did you notice the fast light with your own eyes at the time, or did you only see it through the camera, or discovered it later?

I agree it doesn't look like an aircraft.

 

[Mendel]

I am guessing that the "night mode" on the iphone 12 is stacking several exposures, i.e. it basically "adds" several underexposed pictures together to give you more light in the end product.
That means if you have two fast-moving lights, they'll be in separate places on these exposures, and that's how they "multiply" and turn into more dots in the frame. Some of the same "sub-exposures" are used for consecutive frames of the video, which is how some pairs of dots appear in the same place on different frames.
Because of this, you get that dot pattern in digital photography, and not the streaks you would see on a long exposure with chemical film. (If the lights were slower, you'd get get streaks on digital, too, as the dots would touch.)

As Mick noted, the origin may be a single dot of light, reflected in a dual-pane window, which creates two reflections that are slightly offset and move and fade in sync.

 

[John J.]

There appears to be a small bright(er) feature visible just before the two lights are seen (hard to see above, but more evident watching the video).

An area around the two dots (mainly above them as seen on screen) seems to darken while they're present. Some sort of contrast artefact?
Or just my perception? (indicated area, below, is very approximate).

 

[Trapybp]

It looks to me to be a reflection of some sort, based on how quickly it moves and how it fades in and out. Did you shoot it through a dual-pane window?

So I have no familiarity with cameras so all I can really say is it was an iPhone 12 Pro Max. In whatever the default video is.

 

[Trapybp]

Did you notice the fast light with your own eyes at the time, or did you only see it through the camera, or discovered it later?

I agree it doesn't look like an aircraft.

So this was back in 2022 so to be honest I can't recall if I saw those 6 lights how it looks in video. It zoomed by really fast. But it wasn't just camera glare as I did see it with my own eyes. I was recording another mysterious object in the sky that was moving back and forth. And after that went away I just had my phone out recording just in case. So when this zoomed by I saw it with my own eyes and then checked camera and realized I had got it on recording.

 

[Mick West]

So I have no familiarity with cameras so all I can really say is it was an iPhone 12 Pro Max. In whatever the default video is.

But did you shoot it through a window? Or were you outside?

 

[JMartJr]

Folks, I think I have some memory of a case with pics or vid taken from an aircraft flight deck with a pattern of small goldish "lights" that turned out to be be a reflection of something on or in the phone. For the life of me I cannot now find the posts here about that.

It may not be relevant, but I mention it in case anybody has better search skills or a better memory. Of course, this new case may be something else entirely...

 

[Ann K]

Folks, I think I have some memory of a case with pics or vid taken from an aircraft flight deck with a pattern of small goldish "lights" that turned out to be be a reflection of something on or in the phone. For the life of me I cannot now find the posts here about that.

It may not be relevant, but I mention it in case anybody has better search skills or a better memory. Of course, this new case may be something else entirely...

I recall that too, and I think it was something like a (UV or IR?) detector in the camera that measures distance so that it can focus properly. But as this occurs so rapidly it seems unlikely that the camera would be refocusing.

My thought was that it could have been a light moving at ground level that just happened to reflect on the window (or on the phone/camera), such as a headlight glimpsed briefly as a car turned a corner. I see that sometimes when someone comes out of a nearby street and turns, and the light pans across my house.

 

[JMartJr]

I recall that too, and I think it was something like a (UV or IR?) detector in the camera

That rings a bell. And your objections to relevance sound correct -- I only thought of it because in my memory it LOOKED a bit similar. At worst, if found it could be ruled out!

 

[Trailblazer]

There appears to be a small bright(er) feature visible just before the two lights are seen (hard to see above, but more evident watching the video).

It looks to me like it's a light (or pair of lights) that gradually fade up to maximum brightness, consistent with being a reflection of a light that is moving into the correct angle to reflect right into the camera.

 

[Easy Muffin]

Folks, I think I have some memory of a case with pics or vid taken from an aircraft flight deck with a pattern of small goldish "lights" that turned out to be be a reflection of something on or in the phone. For the life of me I cannot now find the posts here about that.

It may not be relevant, but I mention it in case anybody has better search skills or a better memory. Of course, this new case may be something else entirely...

This one? It was autofocus lights + SL flares.

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/re...-aircraft-over-channel-islands-8-18-22.12616/

 

[JMartJr]

This one? It was autofocus lights + SL flares.

I don't think so, my recollection is of a small tight rectangular grid of orangish/yellowish "lights."

I remain open to the possibility that my recollection is off!

 

[Easy Muffin]

Hmm, I seem to remember something similar actually.

Well that's annoying now, isn't it!

 

[Mick West]

Hmm, I seem to remember something similar actually.

Well that's annoying now, isn't it!

Maybe the focus pixels in sensor reflection lens flares?
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/orbs-with-dots-pdaf-focus-pixels-in-sun-reflection-lens-flare.8872/

 

[Trapybp]

But did you shoot it through a window? Or were you outside?

No I was outside there was no window between camera and sky.

 

[JMartJr]

Maybe the focus pixels in sensor reflection lens flares?

That's not how I recall seeing it, but is close enough that it may be what I saw, however I'm remembering it!