Explained: "Floating Ball of Fire Over Argentina" [Short Sunlit Contrail]

[Mick West]

Another contrail at sunset is mistaken for a "UFO":
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/28/unexplained-floating-ball-of-fire-ufo_n_6561314.html

Very blurry and shaky video, and rather over-exposed.

Sunset contrails are explained here:
http://contrailscience.com/short-sunlit-contrails-look-like-ufos/

[Update] Some views of the "UFO" match this video of an A340 Contrail very well in shape if we simply assume the trail does not last as long, and it's viewed from the ground instead of a nearby plane:



Tracking the origin of the story is interesting:
HuffPo Wierd News got it from:
http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2015/01/ufo-shocked-residents-of-city-of-frias.html
With what looks like it was translated

Nuveo News States (Argentina):
A strange phenomenon was spotted yesterday afternoon which was recorded by several residents of the city of Frías, Choya department.
In the sky a strange light performing movements could be observed. This happened until the "point" disappeared.
Neighbors reported this phenomenon with their cell phone cameras and sent the information to the news Whatsapp Nuevo Diario.
"What we saw was like a meteor," he said some readers through the social network.
Others said: "In my house were all surprised. In the sky look like a point radiating light and moving from one side to the other. "

Content from external source

This traces back to
http://www.nuevodiarioweb.com.ar/no...rana-luz-conmociono-vecinos-ciudad-frias.html

Un extraño fenómeno se divisó ayer a la tarde que fue registrado por varios vecinos de la ciudad de Frías, departamento Choya.

En el cielo pudo observarse una extraña luz que realizaba movimientos. Esto sucedió hasta que el “punto” desapareció.
[translated]
A strange phenomenon was spotted yesterday afternoon which was recorded by several residents of the city of Frías , Choya department .

In the sky a strange light performing movements could be observed. This happened until the "point" disappeared.

Content from external source

Which would put the date at Jan 23rd. (see below)

 

[deirdre]

Which would put the date at Jan 23rd.

i dont know. this video seems to be from january 4th.

The video below shows a close up of the burning V-shaped fireball
captured over Brazil in January 4, 2015.

Content from external source

and the UFO site has a post dated January 8th, that looks like the same thing. ??
http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2015/01/glowing-ufo-as-bright-as-sun-over.html



not that there cant be two contrails, but maybe the stories are getting mixed up?

 

[deirdre]

here another video that has my above footage after 1:40.. and allegedly shot from another location in Brasil in beginning in video.

How weird is this.. it does look like 2 contrails! i can even see the planes somewhat but strange they overlap like this.

 

[Trailblazer]

here another video that has my above footage after 1:40.. and allegedly shot from another location in Brasil in beginning in video.

How weird is this.. it does look like 2 contrails! i can even see the planes somewhat but strange they overlap like this.

I would say that is just the trails from one four-engined jet.

Compare this pic I took the other day:



That is a Lufthansa A340.

 

[Mick West]

Yeah it's basically this (also an A340)


But looking up more, so the shape of the trails is stretched, and with atmospheric conditions such that the trail does not last very long:


Since the animated trail was videoed from a relatively nearby plane, some the visual spreading is from perspective. Correcting for that, we get:


Video source:

[Added this animation to the OP]

 

[deirdre]

Yeah it's basically this (also an A340)

ah. thanks. i can see the plane much clearer now. couldnt get a handle on my perspective.

i think i found one of the original uploaders. translated some comments they give locations and times so maybe @Trailspotter or someone can do your 'magic' and find the specific flight.

 

[Trailspotter]

i think i found one of the original uploaders. translated some comments they give locations and times so maybe @Trailspotter or someone can do your 'magic' and find the specific flight.

I do not have Premium FR24 to play back the flights in that area on January 4, 2014. However, checking it up for the just past sunset hour showed that an A340 does fly there at the time in a right direction (chasing the Sun):

This looks like a daily flight (apart Saturdays?) that occasionally flies over Porto Alegre (it happened other days of the past week). And it is the only four-engine plane flying there at around sunset.

 

[Mick West]

Sunset around 8-9PM local time there? so 23:00UTC Jan 3rd.


Flightaware KMZ attached, unfortunately no ADSB near Porto Alegre, so the straight line interpolation dips underground.