CFHT observatory dark shape filmed 2022-11-02

Vara La Fey

New Member
Hawaii observatory exterior camera filmed something very interesting. It's a time-lapse at 1 frame per minute, as apparently standard for this camera. If checking it out, you will want to download the video and step through frame by frame. I don't know if I should upload a 41mb video here, so these are 3 of the most salient frames, although there is more context and more frames of its arguable sighting to the left of the dome:

Frame 29:06 (time 14:36:01) at right (EAST), med distance:
29;06 rect in dist 1st.jpg

Frame 29:25 dramatic right angles, med distance
29;25 dramatic at med dist.jpg

30;03 (time 15:03:01) SHIFT WORKER ON RIGHT MAY NOTICE OBJECT
30;03 close dist crew member maybe watching.jpg

The object maintained the inbound path you see in these stills, despite the westerly wind (blowing to the left).
 
41MB is fine, upload the video.

The 2/11 video is no longer there, looks like it just fell of the list.

1668158120546.png
 
I didn't mean to save that yet; I thought I was still on Fakebook where you use ctrl-enter to make a new line. :-(

I made a .pdf of all frames I thought were relevant, including some just for fun. I can UL that if anyone wants. Point is, I think this is an excellent video of a possible alien spacecraft, and I know that makes some of you sharpen your claws. Good. I do lean toward believing in visitation, but I don't convince easily, so let's kick the tires of this thing.

Whatever this is, real or faked, it's clearly not breaks in the clouds showing darker clouds behind, nor is it fata morgana. The clarity, predominance and consistency of its right angles, along with its inbound flight path that's perpendicular to wind/cloud direction, pretty firmly rule those out. If you assert them, I will ask you to prove those assertions with citations to demonstrable examples.

Whether this actually is faked (by an observatory??), is a whole other question.
 
41MB is fine, upload the video.

The 2/11 video is no longer there, looks like it just fell of the list.

1668158120546.png

Rolling your own URL seems to work:

luser@cubispaz:~$ wget --no-check-certificate 'https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/webcam/movies/cfhtdome221102.mp4'
--2022-11-11 11:20:15-- https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/webcam/movies/cfhtdome221102.mp4
Resolving www.cfht.hawaii.edu (www.cfht.hawaii.edu)... 128.171.81.67
Connecting to www.cfht.hawaii.edu (www.cfht.hawaii.edu)|128.171.81.67|:443... connected.
WARNING: The certificate of ‘www.cfht.hawaii.edu’ is not trusted.
WARNING: The certificate of ‘www.cfht.hawaii.edu’ has expired.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 43736013 (42M) [video/mp4]
Saving to: ‘cfhtdome221102.mp4’

cfhtdome221102.mp4 63%[===========> ] 26.54M 2.29MB/s eta 8s
 
41MB is fine, upload the video.

The 2/11 video is no longer there, looks like it just fell of the list.

1668158120546.png
It was there a couple hours ago. Ok, will try to UL the vid....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The object maintained the inbound path you see in these stills, despite the westerly wind (blowing to the left).

I think the "object" is simply the earth being lofted by refraction as the temperature differentials change.

If so, there might be some great material here, from clearer days, that could be useful in FE discussions (but which would also disambiguate your question too).
 
From what I can see its a darker cloud layer that comes in behind the foreground cloud, the sharp edges of the shape is caused by the macro blocking on the compression, it does not move the illusion is created by gaps in the foreground cloud.


1668159166042.png

1668159191298.png

Later it clears a bit more and you can see the remnants of the dark bank:


1668159257549.png
 
I've watched it (easier at half speed) and it distinctly moves away to the RIGHT, as does the wind and the clouds. (Yes, the clouds in the background are going to the left; different layers.) Here's a still that shows more clearly the edges of the foreground clouds that define a rectangle ...or in this instance, a flying cow.
7BF11438-E7FB-4950-B973-FAD1D836CCCB.jpeg
Sorry, this is just a screen grab. I don't have video editing software where I can step through frame by frame so I can't identify the exact position.
 
It's not a rectangle though, it has 1 flatish edge on the top, the rest are obscured, you brain has had "rectangle" suggested by the title of the post and some compression artefacts and and now is able to "see" the rectangle.
 
2022-11-11_07-06-49.jpg

In the image on the right, taken 54 minutes later, we see a cloud layer in that position, and we see in the fore ground what color the clouds are when in shadow.

So I think that's all it is. A fun illusion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
2022-11-11_07-06-49.jpg

In the image on the right, taken 54 minutes later, we see a cloud layer in that position, and we see in the fore ground what color the clouds are when in shadow.

So I think that's all it is. A fun illusion.
Yes. Because we/us/they are not used to how clouds can look from above (unless you fly very low alt in a plane).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is it clouds, or just the rest of the island in the distance? The valley becoming visible through the clouds. And it lines up in the same part of the dome.

1668184090043.png
1668184164670.png
 
Is it clouds, or just the rest of the island in the distance? The valley becoming visible through the clouds. And it lines up in the same part of the dome.

1668184090043.png
1668184164670.png
Hard to tell where the line is, because those two photos were not taken the same day (snow on the ground in one of them). And if you look closely at that small telescope, or whatever it is, compared to the front of the main building and to the fence, you can see that it's a different camera position. It's higher and a bit further to the right in the OP than in the snowy one.
 
And if you look closely at that small telescope, or whatever it is, compared to the front of the main building and to the fence, you can see that it's a different camera position. It's higher and a bit further to the right in the OP than in the snowy one.
They look the same to me.
 
2022-11-11_07-06-49.jpg

In the image on the right, taken 54 minutes later, we see a cloud layer in that position, and we see in the fore ground what color the clouds are when in shadow.

So I think that's all it is. A fun illusion.

I'm not seeing it - the sun is well above the clouds, look at the angle of the illumination of the dome. If the cloud is in shadow, what's blocking the light?
 
1-hour loop taken from https://himawari8.nict.go.jp

09001000.gif

The time is Nov 3, 0900-1000 JST (Nov 2, 1400-1500 in Hawaii). I suppose it could have something to do with that band of darker clouds passing left to right across the camera's FOV. They seem pretty hight up but note the shadow they cast on the clouds below.

a.jpg
 
I've put one of the images from the OP and Norcal Dave's image that shows the horizon, together as a GIF to compare the horizon line.

The dark region seen in the OP images doesn't match with the horizon line of the ocean/cloud, more likely it is a dark cloud layer that is much closer and not visually aligned with the horizon, while the horizon at that time is indistinct (so no visible horizon line) due to distant haze.
Object.gif
 
The dark region seen in the OP images doesn't match with the horizon line of the ocean/cloud
I wouldn't necessarily expect it to match exactly in different weather conditions, the horizon looms various amounts due to atmospheric refraction. But it doesn't seem to be horizontal?

I'm not sure, do we have cloud layers with flat tops in the "pictures of clouds" thread? flat bottoms are far more common.
 
I wouldn't necessarily expect it to match exactly in different weather conditions, the horizon looms various amounts due to atmospheric refraction. But it doesn't seem to be horizontal?

I'm not sure, do we have cloud layers with flat tops in the "pictures of clouds" thread? flat bottoms are far more common.

Doesn't the image Ravi posted show a flat (enough) topped cloud, in the same location and angle.
1668334837315.png

Something that should be taken into account is that there is no large, clearly visible part of the "object" seen in any of the images in the OP, but instead small parts seen through gaps in local cloud, some partially obscured by thin cloud within the gaps, making its upper edge had to see. So we could be perceiving a straighter line than is actually there.

For that reason, I don't think that it can be determined that it's any more flat topped than the distant cloud in Ravi's image, so that cloud, or something like it, would seem to be good fit.

Regarding what's seen being a refraction of the horizon, it's something that I considered, but didn't suggest it as it seemed such a large amount of displacement for that, plus it being angled seemed strange for that. However that's more instinct that observation, as I've not seen many images of atmospheric refraction to compare this with.
 
Rolling your own URL seems to work:

luser@cubispaz:~$ wget --no-check-certificate 'https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/webcam/movies/cfhtdome221102.mp4'
--2022-11-11 11:20:15-- https://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/webcam/movies/cfhtdome221102.mp4
Resolving www.cfht.hawaii.edu (www.cfht.hawaii.edu)... 128.171.81.67
Connecting to www.cfht.hawaii.edu (www.cfht.hawaii.edu)|128.171.81.67|:443... connected.
WARNING: The certificate of ‘www.cfht.hawaii.edu’ is not trusted.
WARNING: The certificate of ‘www.cfht.hawaii.edu’ has expired.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 43736013 (42M) [video/mp4]
Saving to: ‘cfhtdome221102.mp4’

cfhtdome221102.mp4 63%[===========> ] 26.54M 2.29MB/s eta 8s
I'd love to know how you did that.
 
I think the "object" is simply the earth being lofted by refraction as the temperature differentials change.

If so, there might be some great material here, from clearer days, that could be useful in FE discussions (but which would also disambiguate your question too).
I made a new pdf for the SCU FB Group, and might as well post it here too. I'll do that in a fresh reply on this thread.

I see no role for refraction.
 
From what I can see its a darker cloud layer that comes in behind the foreground cloud, the sharp edges of the shape is caused by the macro blocking on the compression, it does not move the illusion is created by gaps in the foreground cloud.


1668159166042.png

1668159191298.png

Later it clears a bit more and you can see the remnants of the dark bank:


1668159257549.png
Please direct me to 3rd party documentation that macro blocking on compression can create that effect. If it can, that'd be good to know. If not, we might look for other solutions. Including but certainly not limited to alien craft.

If the effect is cloud gaps as you suggest, then those gaps are certainly moving. Possible illusions would be that we're seeing the same gap (which I never suggested or believed), or that we're seeing the same ship through each gap which arrives in the frames.

Sad that they're 1 min apart. :-(
 
I've watched it (easier at half speed) and it distinctly moves away to the RIGHT, as does the wind and the clouds. (Yes, the clouds in the background are going to the left; different layers.) Here's a still that shows more clearly the edges of the foreground clouds that define a rectangle ...or in this instance, a flying cow.
7BF11438-E7FB-4950-B973-FAD1D836CCCB.jpeg
Sorry, this is just a screen grab. I don't have video editing software where I can step through frame by frame so I can't identify the exact position.
LOL. That does look like a flying cow.

The rectangular "object" - or the rectangular cloud gaps, if the sharp rectangle is truly a compression artifact - definitely appears to move both leftward and forward beginning from some distance at the right. These are time-lapse frames at 1 minute intervals, so even at half speed that apparent movement might not be evident.

Yes, different cloud layers. Reminds me of Jupiter footage.

I'd recommend some video edit ware if I knew any to recommend. The freebies I've seen range from crap to unusable. I'm currently on a bloatware freebie of Cyberlink Power Director that came with my (used) laptop. It's merely crap. VLC people are working on a "VLMC", an open source video editor. Could be good, as VLC is a pretty full-featured player. In Prefs or Options you can set frame advance/retreat hotkeys, but the "very small jump" setting of just 1 frame doesn't work, so.... like I said, they range from crap to unusable.
 
It's not a rectangle though, it has 1 flatish edge on the top, the rest are obscured, you brain has had "rectangle" suggested by the title of the post and some compression artefacts and and now is able to "see" the rectangle.
2-3 clear sides of a presumed-complete rectangle are simultaneously present in a few of the pics. That much is not arguable.
 
2022-11-11_07-06-49.jpg

In the image on the right, taken 54 minutes later, we see a cloud layer in that position, and we see in the fore ground what color the clouds are when in shadow.

So I think that's all it is. A fun illusion.
Definitely same position and color, and I too had noticed that the other day. At the time I thought it was heavily outweighed by other things, but position and color would be a lot of coincidence to be reconciled with some other unrelated solution. I elaborate a little in a small pdf I made for my SCU FB Group friends (one of whom suggested Fata Morgana, which I don't buy for a second). I hope to upload that pdf here in a couple minutes, as it documents everything I can think of, including a possible mundane solution requiring only 2 parts. I hope uploading a pdf is ok.
 
Is it clouds, or just the rest of the island in the distance? The valley becoming visible through the clouds. And it lines up in the same part of the dome.

1668184090043.png
1668184164670.png
Interesting idea, but they're not from the same camera height. Still really close though. I'll bear it in mind when I watch more of their recent vids. If this rectangle is natural, or a combination of natural and computer artifact, it should be reproducible, and fairly often.
 
I'd love to know how you did that.
It's obvious how he did that from the quote, once you know that wget is a free command-line program (that you can look up on wikipedia).

I expect the naming scheme was apparent after examining the existing links on the page.
 
I've put one of the images from the OP and Norcal Dave's image that shows the horizon, together as a GIF to compare the horizon line.

The dark region seen in the OP images doesn't match with the horizon line of the ocean/cloud, more likely it is a dark cloud layer that is much closer and not visually aligned with the horizon, while the horizon at that time is indistinct (so no visible horizon line) due to distant haze.
Object.gif
Nice. The rectangle in the pix I posted (I'm the OP) pretty much have to be a ship or the dark and distant cloud layer which was visible sporadically throughout about half the daylight hours. Those distant clouds have the same color and slight downward slant on the left that the rectangle does. Mick posted a good frame of them, and there are a few other frames scattered throughout the afternoon portion of the vid. They start below where the top of the rectangle is, and over a few hours they rise a bit, but always remain a bit lower than your horizon line.

Plus on that day, 11/02, I don't think the ocean was ever visible from that camera. Just different cloud layers.
 
Nice. The rectangle in the pix I posted (I'm the OP) pretty much have to be a ship or the dark and distant cloud layer which was visible sporadically throughout about half the daylight hours.
Not sure I can agree. Ruling out prosaic explanations, assuming that happens to all possible prosaic explanations, would not necessarily equal "ship." If "something new, unknown and exotic" eventually brcomes the only explanation left standing, that opens up a HUGE can of worms, as the list of things we don't currently think exist is pretty big! And extends well beyond "ships!"

But for now, I'd put my money on "something prosaic." Looks like a cloud.
 
Interesting idea, but they're not from the same camera height. Still really close though. I'll bear it in mind when I watch more of their recent vids. If this rectangle is natural, or a combination of natural and computer artifact, it should be reproducible, and fairly often.
Good point, also now that you've brought that up, I've noticed that the two images have a slightly different rotation (the clear sky image having a clockwise rotation relative to the "object" one), which would account for at least some of the angle alignment issue of the "object" relative to the horizon.
 
Not sure I can agree. Ruling out prosaic explanations, assuming that happens to all possible prosaic explanations, would not necessarily equal "ship." If "something new, unknown and exotic" eventually brcomes the only explanation left standing, that opens up a HUGE can of worms, as the list of things we don't currently think exist is pretty big! And extends well beyond "ships!"

But for now, I'd put my money on "something prosaic." Looks like a cloud.
Technically you're right. It could be a portable square wormhole merely used by the alien ships. Maybe Looney Toons style. :)

But the height and color really does make it look like a cloud.
 
Good point, also now that you've brought that up, I've noticed that the two images have a slightly different rotation (the clear sky image having a clockwise rotation relative to the "object" one), which would account for at least some of the angle alignment issue of the "object" relative to the horizon.
That dark distant cloud layer slowly increased its elevation as the afternoon wore on, forming new 'tilts' as it did.

EDIT for omission: I still haven't had a chance to watch other CFHT vids, though I downloaded a week's worth. I'll let y'all know if I find more of those rectangles or other unnatural shapes. One way or another I will learn something from this. Can you or anyone tell me if video compression can create 90-degree corners like that? I'd google, but usually when I have a weird out-of-box question, it's wasted effort.
 
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