Mystery lights on Swedish wildlife video (light on spiderweb?)

[Trailblazer]

Seen on X:


Source: https://x.com/dennis_asberg/status/2095391706371744186?s=20


A TV wildlife camera in Sweden captured a constellation of moving lights. The link is here, and the lights appear a few seconds after the linked time: the first faint light appears about 2:07:25 just to the right of the text graphic in the top left corner, and then more appear a few seconds after that.

https://www.svtplay.se/video/KGVd3b...ngen/fre-1-maj-00-00?video=visa&position=7635

Example screenshot:

Recording here (not brilliant resolution)


Source: https://x.com/dennis_asberg/status/2095437965614862525?s=20


The lights appear to linked in a line, and at various times you can see them split, stretch out and then merge together in a linear fashion, as if on a thread, so I think this is probably the camera light (IR?) reflecting off a strand of spider silk floating towards the camera. They also seem to go out of focus as they get nearer. Any thoughts?

 

[flarkey]

Spiderweb 100%. Final answer.

 

[FatPhil]

Spiderweb 100%. Final answer.

Yup, it's screaming caustics internally reflecting in something translucent.

 

[JMartJr]

I'm frankly more curious about the bright light shining out of the trees one the left and illuminating the ones on the right!

 

[Trailblazer]

I'm frankly more curious about the bright light shining out of the trees one the left and illuminating the ones on the right!

Here is a map of the cameras. The one with the lights is "Näset".

The peninsula is at 63.778, 17.040.

I can't see any buildings there but there does seem to be a path/clearing running north to south to the narrowest point of water there.

 

[Mick West]

Here's a higher-resolution recording. It's a great example of this type of thing. The spider silk is especially apparent towards the end, in the upper right, as it drifts over the camera and out of the illumination of the IR lights.

 

[MyMatesBrainwashed]

What does it look like with each frame overlaid on each other? To my mind that should show the spiderweb pretty well, if it is one.

Apologies for not having the capabilities of doing this myself.

 

[Matt33]

What does it look like with each frame overlaid on each other? To my mind that should show the spiderweb pretty well, if it is one.

Probably not, because it's moving in the wind, which again is the reason for the typical moving reflections.

 

[MyMatesBrainwashed]

because it's moving in the wind

I see no evidence of wind in the video, nary a breeze.

 

[Mick West]

What does it look like with each frame overlaid on each other? To my mind that should show the spiderweb pretty well, if it is one.

Apologies for not having the capabilities of doing this myself.

Sitrec does it. Video Processing, Echo Light, Full A-B Echo

It's small, close to the camera, and just drifting at a very slow speed. Also, the "motion" of the lights is partly just changes in angles causing the IR to reflect off a different part of the silk.

 

[Ravi]

Forget about the lights, Nessie just casually swims through at 02:49:00

 

[JMartJr]

I see no evidence of wind in the video,

I do... the spiderweb is moving past the camera!

But since it would be very close to the camera, and so not moving very fast, given how long it stays in frame. The wind would be very light. So I'm not sure what other evidence could be visible.

Edit: Originally typed on my phone, have fixed typo issues that this introduced.

 

[Ann K]

I see no evidence of wind in the video, nary a breeze.

It takes only the slightest breath of air to float a cobweb.

 

[FatPhil]

It takes only the slightest breath of air to float a cobweb.

And only the vaguest hint of air movement for there to be enough lifting power that the strands can act as a kite/parachute and carry the whole spider with it. And this was a feature implemented in Air 1.0, for pity's sake. "Ballooning", I think they call it, but if any kite supremicists want to own the action, I fully support them.

The fact that your post needed to be posted is depressing. And if that sentence violates the posting guidelines, because my intent is surely clear, the admins can guiltlessly delete it and this.

 

[JMartJr]

"Ballooning", I think they call it,

Yep.

but if any kite supremicists want to own the action, I fully support them.

An interesting thought. A kite is an unpowered tethered aerodyne, in the short form. With a ballooning spider, I suppose we have a tether running up from the pilot/anchor to the... well, to the nothing. The tether is also the aerodyne, to the extent that there is one.

Will have to take that one up with the Supreme Council. and see how they'd rule on that.

 

[flarkey]

Yep.


An interesting thought. A kite is an unpowered tethered aerodyne, in the short form. With a ballooning spider, I suppose we have a tether running up from the pilot/anchor to the... well, to the nothing. The tether is also the aerodyne, to the extent that there is one.

Will have to take that one up with the Supreme Council. and see how they'd rule on that.

This popped up on my Reddit feed today... a spider ballooning...


Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/1w76yf2/a_spider_ballooning/

 

[JMartJr]

This popped up on my Reddit feed today... a spider ballooning...

Great video, and worth noting that the trees and grass stems and such are not moving about much -- if at all -- but there must be enough wind to loft the spider and move her downwind. (I do note some slight rippling on the water surface, so the wind here may be stronger than in the video of the lights. But then, the web in that video appears to be blowing free, not lofting the weight of a spider, and so may be moving in less wind...)