Pro News Camera-Man Captures "orb" in Sky in Mendham, New Jersey. [Out of Focus Point of Light]

S

substantials

Member
I was reading through this thread


Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/1hdwtd1/are_we_in_disclosure_abc_news_aired_30_seconds_of/





It appears to be a professional news cameraman who has captured some sort of "orb" in the sky, in Mendham, New Jersey.
The discussion surrounding this seems to be about how this couldn't possibly be a 'bokeh' or out of focus effect. (due to the camera mans professional credentials)
Other users have chimed in about how they've confirmed this through various software techniques.
I tried tracking down the original news clip with no success yet.
I of course immediately think "what would metabunk say" these days.

EDIT: Found link to newscast, video is 3 minutes in.

https://abc7ny.com/15652850/

I have clipped the segment in its highest resolution, ill add it below.
(she added some additional details at the end before she was cut off by anchor)

 
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I don't recognize it. There's no way to tell the size, or if it's moving. We don't know if anyone saw it with their eyes—they wouldn't if it's a camera artifact.
 
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It might be weather balloon high up, and the apparent motion could be atmospheric disturbance (edit: plus AI attempts at sharpening?).
Do we have time/date/location?
 
Mendel said:
Do we have time/date/location?
Click to expand...

It just appears to be an "as-is" news report (sighting in Mendham NJ, on or before the day of the newscast which I still haven't tracked down), meaning they've probably already included all of the details they planned on sharing. Most likely would need to reach out to the news crew themselves for more precise details right?

EDIT: Found link to newscast, video is 3 minutes in.

https://abc7ny.com/15652850/
 
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substantials said:
I of course immediately think "what would metabunk say" these days.
Click to expand...
It has all the hallmarks of an extremely out-of-focus object, "twinkling" because of atmospheric turbulence. It could be a street light, it could be Venus, it could be a flying reindeer with his nose so bright ...and everything we've said about "pilots being trained observers" can be said about "professional photographers getting things in focus".
 
Added high resolution clip from broadcast to the OP *
(she added some additional details at the end before she was cut off by anchor)
 
Ann K said:
It has all the hallmarks of an extremely out-of-focus object, "twinkling" because of atmospheric turbulence. It could be a street light, it could be Venus,...
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They have a link to report an error in their coverage,

Capture.JPG



including this statement:
External Quote:
As a local news organization, we are committed to upholding our journalistic standards online, including accuracy. As with broadcast, our policy is to review each issue on a case by case basis, immediately upon becoming aware of a potential error or need for clarification, and to resolve it as quickly as possible.
I have taken advantage of that feature, explaining about out of focus distant lights and atmospheric turbulence and refraction, including links to examples of similar videos on YouTube of out of focus stars: it will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do with it.

The camera operator surely knew what was going on, I wonder if that knowledge was shared "up the line" or kept to themselves...
 
Mendel said:
Could you explain that a bit more?
I would expect an out-of-focus object to be a featureless blur, but this clip shows lots of detail, if unstable. Where is that coming from?
Click to expand...
Atmospheric shimmering. But I don't think it's a star, as that would be more likely to occasionally blink out, I'd favour a planet.
Second on my list would be a dirty and loosely mounted filter.
We don't even know if what the humans saw was the same as what the camera captured yet. Sure, they're seeing something, that's weird to them, but we know it's perfectly possible for some people to see Venus and think they're seeing something weird.
 
When a camera records a discrete light source, light scattering occurs due to the diffraction of light as it interacts with the aperture and lens imperfections. And that includes things like dust motes or even the slightest smudge of skin oil.

An Airy disk is the diffraction pattern created by a point source of light, such as a star. When the lens is focused properly, it will appear as a central bright spot surrounded by concentric rings of decreasing intensity.

What we're seeing here is partially an "out of focus" Airy disk pattern. You can get other non-uniform shapes depending on lens quality and settings.

The intensity distribution of light becomes uneven, with regions of brightness and darkness determined by interference effects. Chromatic or spherical aberrations can distort the image even more. Plus those other imperfections already mentioned.

Factors that also need to be considered are aperture size, focal length, and the wavelength of the light source.

Left: "In focus" Airy disk through a telescope.
Right: Airy disk through a camera. Also in good focus but, I think, it's distorted by lens imperfections... I think.

download.jpg
Rubinar-1000_plus_2x_K-1_telekonv_Airy_disk_1.jpg


Refractor Telescope: Diffraction at the edges of the lens creates the Airy disk. Chromatic aberration may slightly affect its sharpness.

Reflector Telescope: The primary mirror produces the Airy disk. Diffraction at the aperture and obstructions, such as a secondary mirror or spider vanes, can modify the disk's pattern.

Camera: The aperture of the lens determines the Airy disk size. When the aperture is small (high f-number), diffraction effects dominate, creating an Airy disk. Focus and sensor resolution influence how it is captured.
 
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FatPhil said:
But I don't think it's a star, as that would be more likely to occasionally blink out, I'd favour a planet.
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Yeah, I'm going with "star or planet." As has been mentioned elsewhere in discussion fo this flap, Jupiter and Venus are very bright in the evening sky, Sirius is there and a number of other bright stars.

For reference, a collection of "out of focus stars" from YouTube, cued up to one that looks a lot like this "orb."


Source: https://youtu.be/u0yf9gV89f0?t=26
 
JMartJr said:
For reference, a collection of "out of focus stars" from YouTube, cued up to one that looks a lot like this "orb."
Click to expand...
Noice! I suspect those examples are taken through a consumer-grade lens (likely on a DSLR), as you can see the shape of the fairly common seven-bladed iris. More pro cameras will have more blades, and a more circular bokeh.

Kinda going against no-click policy here, as I couldn't find any specs drilling down to that detail for actual broadcast cameras, i.e. the relevant things, but some googooing did lead me quickly to this fairly pro piece of glass for a handheld: https://www.sony.ee/electronics/e-mount-lenses/sel2870gm which according to one reviewer "The aperture iris itself has eleven rounded blades" https://dustinabbott.net/2024/11/sony-fe-28-70mm-f2-gm-review/ ; that number can be verified by counting the spikes here: https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/03RYWkaSlMyyEGa8mrfr5NR-23.fit_lim.size_980x.jpg , and the roundedness can be verified 52s into sony's marketting fluff:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Y_O5YYQIl0?t=52
. There are more camera-ey guys here than me, I'm sure a better more relevant datum can be found.
 
Z.W. Wolf said:
When a camera records a discrete light source, light scattering occurs due to the diffraction of light as it interacts with the aperture and lens imperfections. And that includes things like dust motes or even the slightest smudge of skin oil.

An Airy disk is the diffraction pattern created by a point source of light, such as a distant star. When the lens is focused properly, it will appear as a central bright spot surrounded by concentric rings of decreasing intensity.

What we're seeing here is mainly an "out of focus" Airy disk pattern. You can get other non-uniform shapes depending on lens quality and settings.

The intensity distribution of light becomes uneven, with regions of brightness and darkness determined by interference effects. Chromatic or spherical aberrations can distort the image even more. Plus those other imperfections already mentioned.

Factors that also need to be considered are aperture size, focal length, and the wavelength of the light source.

Left: "In focus" Airy disk.
Right: Also in good focus but, I think, it's distorted by lens imperfections... I think.

View attachment 74609View attachment 74610
Click to expand...

I honestly think it looks more like a plasma globe than those examples there. But maybe thats just an illusion Im susceptible to.

plasma-ball.gif

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JMartJr said:
Yeah, I'm going with "star or planet."
Click to expand...
Could very well be, and that video of out of focus stars you linked does show how an out of focus light (stars in those cases) could look similar. I just wonder why they were so keen to record it as if it were something worth noting on the news. How were they so stunned by this?
 
The second factor, as already cited in this thread, is the wavering lines and brightness fluctuations in an out-of-focus image of discrete lights sources. This does not necessarily look like a scintillating star. When light sources have a small but significant angular size, you just get wavering lines.

The Earth's atmosphere consists of layers of air with varying temperatures and densities, creating pockets with different refractive indices. As light passes through these turbulent layers, its path is bent irregularly. When defocused, these shifts manifest as fluctuating patterns of light and shadow.

This scene is a good example. These are all ground lights in the background. Notice that the closer ground lights in the earlier parts of the scene don't waver, while the more distant ground lights we see later on do. Because the light has passed through more of the turbulent air.

 
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We don't have sufficient info to decide what the light source is. Just because there is no evident chromatic scintillation doesn't exclude a star.

This is a demo of what Vega looks like in focus and out of focus. Vega was far enough above the horizon to eliminate the conditions that would cause chromatic scintillation.


On the other hand I favor the idea that this was a bright star because a point source is more likely to produce an Airy disk.
 
One more thing to add about the "waves."

The transient sharpness is where the light waves constructively overlap each other, producing momentary ridges of brightness. Ditto for the twinkly distant ground lights.
 
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I remember five or six years ago when some of the particularly religious Flat Earthers would film out of focus stars and planets like this with a P900 and think they were angels/spiritual beings. I guess it's not surprising some of the hardcore alien/NHI believers would do the same.
 
I'm curious if I can get that effect with the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary Lens. I could make a video and crop it to make the star larger. Would a planet give the same effect?
 
Mendel said:
No, that's fine. I missed that.
That kinda rules out the "camera effect" hypothesis.
Click to expand...
But did they spot it as this fuzzy fluctuating circle? Or just a tiny white object? What they saw and what the camera captured may not be all that similar. Did someone point a digital still camera at it and take a photo, or even better someone with a 35mm camera and telephoto lens?
Just saying they "saw it too" does not mean they both perceived the object in the same way.

I can easily imagine someone saw a white dot in the sky and then, seeing the video, declare they saw the same thing.
 
MonkeeSage said:
remember five or six years ago when some of the particularly religious Flat Earthers would film out of focus stars and planets like this with a P900 and think they were angels/spiritual beings.
Click to expand...
I've also seen flat Earthers claim that this was evidence that the stars in beyond the firmament and the"waters above." Which I guess, yeah, it does look a bit like ripples in water.
 
roger1440 said:
I'm curious if I can get that effect with the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary Lens. I could make a video and crop it to make the star larger. Would a planet give the same effect?
Click to expand...
Any light source fairly low on the horizon, such that there's plenty of earth's atmosphere in the way (cough*Venus*cough) should show the same effect.
 
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Mendel said:
No, that's fine. I missed that.
That kinda rules out the "camera effect" hypothesis.
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It really doesn't. The witnesses who saw this with their own eyeballs may just have seen the star or planet in the twilight, which in itself could have been an entirely novel experience.

I remember the first time I saw Venus in daylight- a very strange experience. Stars and planets are creatures of the night, and should not be allowed out in the daytime.
 
Eburacum said:
It really doesn't. The witnesses who saw this with their own eyeballs may just have seen the star or planet in the twilight, which in itself could have been an entirely novel experience.

I remember the first time I saw Venus in daylight- a very strange experience. Stars and planets are creatures of the night, and should not be allowed out in the daytime.
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Yes.
I wouldn't describe you being surprised by Venus as a "camera effect".
 
I'll never forget when - sometime back in the 70's or 80's - CBS released a statement that they had acquired exclusive rights to a video clearly showing an unidentified oval object with a stripe down its side. What a letdown when that evening's broadcast with Walter Cronkite saved it to last, along with J. Allen Hynek's assessment that it was an obvious case of "extra-focal" video. That this was a camera artifact was evident even to me.

For comparison, I had some fun with out-or focus video of the star Sirius to highlight its colors here:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE3-qgjvUCg

Video of Sirius starts at about 40 seconds.

It video in question also reminds me of this weather balloon scene:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxMTkq1yAAU
 
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Mendel said:
Could you explain that a bit more?
I would expect an out-of-focus object to be a featureless blur, but this clip shows lots of detail, if unstable. Where is that coming from?
Click to expand...
Bit of a drive by comment as I'm rushing to catch a train, but could the this be due to video codec artefacts? The video will be encoded/decoded every time it is uploaded/re-uploaded etc. Much like JPEG is not lossless, but here we have "motion" due to video transcoding.
 
Mendel said:
Could you explain that a bit more?
I would expect an out-of-focus object to be a featureless blur, but this clip shows lots of detail, if unstable. Where is that coming from?
Click to expand...

Thinking about it a bit more, perhaps a more useful ingredient to an explanation is to consider the refraction of the atmosphere to be part of the "focus" that's taking place. Some of the contribution from the atmosphere will put the image more in focus, creating more concentrated lighter patches, whilst simultaniously other bits of the atmosphere are making the blur more featureless and disippating the light more broadly, leaving darker patches.

If that isn't an improvement, I apologise.
 
I've seen quite a few examples of 'rippling orbs/out of focus Airy Discs' over the years.

This particular image has an additional feature that I'm a little puzzled about; there is a small, in-focus dot near the centre of the disk which is sometimes visible, and resembles a clear image of the real object.
wobbly.png


Presumably this is an artefact of the optics involved; it is almost as if the focused image can also be seen periodically.
 
Eburacum said:
I've seen quite a few examples of 'rippling orbs/out of focus Airy Discs' over the years.

This particular image has an additional feature that I'm a little puzzled about; there is a small, in-focus dot near the centre of the disk which is sometimes visible, and resembles a clear image of the real object.
View attachment 74706

Presumably this is an artefact of the optics involved; it is almost as if the focused image can also be seen periodically.
Click to expand...
This probably resulted from the camera being set to a (semi) automatic mode, in which a point of light on a fairly uniform background usually plays havoc with autofocus.
 
Trailspotter said:
This probably resulted from the camera being set to a (semi) automatic mode, in which a point of light on a fairly uniform background usually plays havoc with autofocus.
Click to expand...
Could this be the effect of the HDR software layering separate exposures? modern smartphones have several lenses nowadays.
 
substantials said:
It appears to be a professional news cameraman who has captured some sort of "orb" in the sky, in Mendham, New Jersey.
The discussion surrounding this seems to be about how this couldn't possibly be a 'bokeh' or out of focus effect. (due to the camera mans professional credentials)
Click to expand...

If it looks like Venus out of focus and twinkles like Venus out of focus....its probably Venus out of focus.

Is this sort of yawn inducing video really the best that UFOlogy has to offer ? No razor sharp videos of mile wide craft with every rivet showing and friendly aliens waving out of the window ? Just endless 'orbs'.
 
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