Reddit - weird light trail [Jupiter and Capella, Motion Blur]

[jarlrmai]

Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1rlblri/weird_light_trail/

The one to the left looks like it changed its trajectory, speed (and maybe rotated?) multiple times and the one on the right side is barely visible. Picture was taken with Galaxy A54 5G, Pro mode 10 second exposure. Phone was laying on a flat car mask, so there was no camera movement.

Time: 25th December 2025 at 1:28am

Location: Village in North-East part of Poland (Masuria)

This is most likely a motion blurred planet/star but I am failing to ID the region of the sky being photographed and Astrometry is failing even with the motion blurred bright object cropped out.

Can any astronomy experts here id the region of the sky being observed?

 

[flarkey]

https://stellarium-web.org/p/observations for 25 Dec 2025 at 1am ish suggests the image is towards Gemini, Jupiter and Capella.

 

[Ravi]

I makes me chuckle a bit when the OP already has ruled out any movement during the the whopping 10 sec exposure. If you lay it on a car, is that certainly ruling out movement? Of course not. There is likely someone sitting in the car and/or moving. Also, the image was taken on a Christmas at 1AM or about. In Poland. Of course there was no alcohol involved officer!

 

[JMartJr]

I makes me chuckle a bit when the OP already has ruled out any movement during the the whopping 10 sec exposure.

Is this related to the impulse that makes UFO reporters quickly claim that it can't be the one thing it obviously is?

 

[deirdre]

Is this related to the impulse that makes UFO reporters quickly claim that it can't be the one thing it obviously is?

if it was obvious they wouldn't think it was a ufo and/or other readers wouldnt think its a ufo.

 

[Mick West]

https://stellarium-web.org/p/observations for 25 Dec 2025 at 1am ish suggests the image is towards Gemini, Jupiter and Capella.

Which puts the bighter trails as Jupiter, and the dimmer on as Capella.

These are essentially the same motion blur in terms of the magnitudes (brightnesses), just distorted. Maybe a combination of lens distortion and the rotational component of the motion.

 

[Mick West]

The OP accepts this explanation: