Is there a “UAP phenomenon” worth studying?

[Carling 4737]

Not sure if this is the most appropriate thread to post this scan (I did consider a few others), or if it breaks the posting rules (which I'm still learning), but here is an interesting set of numbers published last month in the UK's Spectator magazine.

 

[Stryder]

View attachment 91530
Not sure if this is the most appropriate thread to post this scan (I did consider a few others), or if it breaks the posting rules (which I'm still learning), but here is an interesting set of numbers published last month in the UK's Spectator magazine.

Obviously the United States is doing a fantastic job "studying" UFOs. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[Gary C]

Hopefully this does not giver offense, but since you're human like the rest of us, I'll float the possibility that this observation of a sharp-edged object may have been influenced by your brain initially seeing what it thought was an OBJECT, an illusion that failed as you had more time to observe, and particularly when you realized what you were seeing, and how a fuzzy-edge was pretty likely, given that clouds were involved.

Of course, that could be wrong. The lighted patch may have looked sharper, earlier, for example if the plane was closer to the clouds, or the clouds were denser, or there was a layer of have between you and the cloud base initially, but it petered out, etc.

It would be impossible at this point to estimate even very loosely what the chances are for each of those scenarios. Which is, of course, the problem with witnesses and their memories as sources.

I'm sure much of that is correct. From memory I'd say it was 2-3 seconds at the most, just enough time for my jaw to drop open, but I expect the rapid motion created a smoothing effect as it crossed about 40-60 degrees of sky in that time span. I assume the abrupt cut off was due to the light being blocked by the next higher cloud layer between myself and the plane. The presence of the multiple layers wasn't immediately apparent as the moon wasn't up yet.

 

[JMartJr]

I'm sure much of that is correct. From memory I'd say it was 2-3 seconds at the most, just enough time for my jaw to drop open, but I expect the rapid motion created a smoothing effect as it crossed about 40-60 degrees of sky in that time span. I assume the abrupt cut off was due to the light being blocked by the next higher cloud layer between myself and the plane. The presence of the multiple layers wasn't immediately apparent as the moon wasn't up yet.

I'll tell on myself, with a vaguely similar experience, posted here: https://www.metabunk.org/threads/explained-tic-tac-shaped-ufo-near-lake-michigan-plane.12105/#post-261565

Had a very vaguely similar experience just last night, while relaxing in the hot tub and saw something huge and silent and fast flying over the trees in the backyard, dark and oblong... and then it landed on a lower branch if one of the trees. It was much closer and lower than I'd assumed in the first second or two, and was one of our friendly neighborhood barred owls. If he had not perched where I could see him, I like to think I'd have figured it out anyway, but maybe not, the illusion of something volkswagon sized high above the trees was very strong.

The illusion was striking, until suddenly it wasn't. I am interested to note that my current memory does not include it landing on a branch, but merely flying under some, showing it was lower than assumed. I suppose the earlier memory as recorded above might be more accurate, but who knows, memory is tricky stuff.