FIntroduction to Misidentifications                                    F                                                                      FFact: Most UFO sighting reports are misidentifications of             Feveryday objects and atmospheric phenomena.                           F                                                                      FThe reason that so many people report what they have seen as          Fa UFO is because they were unable or unwilling to observe             Fthe object or phenomenon for a long enough period of time.            FIn many cases, the observer is viewing an object from an              Funusual angle or from a great distance.  Some atmospheric             Fphenomena such as the Aurora Borealis can seem quite strange          Fwhen seen for the first time.  New and unusual aircraft               Fwhich are capable of avoiding radar, performing aerobatic             Fmaneuvers and flying nearly silently can be difficult to              Fidentify.  This section deals with many of the objects and            Fatmospheric phenomena which can be mistaken for an actual             FUFO.                                                                  F/                                                                     FAircraft - Advertising                                                F                                                                      FWe've all seen them - airplanes which are used in one way or          Fanother for advertising.  During the daylight hours, air-             Fcraft are used to tow a streaming banner through the air              Fabove a sports event.  At night, lighted signs are carried            Fwhich display moving letters.  In October, 1981, a group of           Fcollege students sighted what they believed to be a a UFO             Fflying over Lincoln, Nebraska.  It appeared as a crescent-            Fshaped row of moving lights.  This made the object appear to          Fbe disc or oval shaped.  The object appeared to be                    Fapproaching from the north.  As it neared, the lights, which          Fseemed to be slowly revolving around the circumference of             Fthe object, appeared to have some sort of pattern to them.            FThere would be several lights in a tight row and then a               Fblank space followed by another tight row of lights.  As the          Fobject flew even nearer, the lights seemed to multiply.               FFinally, it flew overhead and it was apparent that what they          Fwere seeing was a typical small aircraft with a lighted sign          Fstretching from wingtip to wingtip.  Several of the students          Fafter watching the object for only a short time had                   Fconcluded that they were witnessing a craft from outer space          Fand had promptly raced to a telephone to alert the                    Fauthorities.  Had they stayed and watched as the airplane             Fflew overhead, they would have understood what they were              Fseeing.  The key to identification is watching the object or          Fphenomenon for as long as possible.                                   F/                                                                     FAircraft - Experimental                                               F                                                                      FSome of the most difficult flying objects to identify are             Fexperimental and home-built aircraft.  Kit airplanes come             Fin a variety of configurations and many are new or unusual.           FAt first sight, many of the latest designs for experimental           Faircraft appear almost out-of-this-world.  The best way to            Fidentify these aircraft is by their propeller.  Most home-            Fbuilt and experimental aircraft are powered by a standard             Fgasoline engine driving a propeller.  Watch them closely, an          Fobject which flies in an aircraft-like manner, regardless of          Fwhat it looks like, probably is a down-to- earth plane with           Fan unusual fuselage.                                                  F/                                                                     FAircraft - Military                                                   F                                                                      FMany standard military aircraft have rarely been seen by the          Fpublic at large.  As a result, these aircraft can seem to be          Falmost other-worldly.  The mammoth B-52 bomber is so large            Fthat even at higher altitudes it can be seen at night with            Fits large array of navigation and landing lights.  Due to             Fits swept wing design and relatively narrow fuselage, it can          Fappear as a boomerang shape when viewed from the right angle,         Feven during daylight hours.  The B-2 Bomber is a flying wing,         Fthat is, the entire aircraft is designed in a wing or                 Fboomerang shape.  This aircraft was kept in complete secret           Fduring its design and testing.  Its test flights almost               Fcertainly resulted in numerous UFO reports.  The same is              Ftrue of the F-117A Fighter.  Not only would the aircraft              Fgenerate many UFO reports, but its radar-evading construc-            Ftion would have reduced the chance of it being detected by            Fcivilian radar.  In addition to these known aircraft, there           Fare most likely a number of lesser known or unknown military          Faircraft which continue to generate UFO reports during their          Ftesting phase.                                                        F/                                                                     FAircraft - Standard                                                   F                                                                      FOne of the most famous films of a UFO in flight was shot in           Fthe Arizona desert.  It portrayed an object moving quickly            Fthrough the air near some mountains on a clear, sunny day.            FFor years, it held up under close scrutiny as a bona fide             FUFO.  However, several years ago, using computer image                Fenhancement techniques, it was shown that this supposed UFO           Fwas in fact a normal light aircraft.  This is an example of           Fbeing so far away from an object, that even under perfect             Fconditions, it is difficult if not impossible for the human           Feye to resolve it into a recognizable object.  In many                Finstances, UFO reports turn out to be a simple                        Fmisidentification of a standard aircraft.                             F/                                                                     FAircraft - Stunt                                                      F                                                                      FStunt planes are frequently misinterpreted as UFOs due to             Ftheir extraordinary aerial maneuvers.  Because these air-             Fcraft are capable of exhibiting unusual flight                        Fcharacteristics, they can easily be misidentified.  Stunt             Faircraft are built far more sturdily than standard planes.            FThey are generally smaller and much faster as well.  Because          Fthey behave in non-traditional ways such as flying straight           Fup, performing a hammer-head stall and plummeting toward the          Fground, most first time observers could be given the                  Fimpression that these craft are other-worldly.                        F/                                                                     FAuroras                                                               F                                                                      FThe Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere and the                FAurora Australis in the sounthern hemisphere are both                 Fmanifestations of the same phenomenon.  The earth's magnetic          Ffield draws in tiny particles from space, which, when                 Ffalling through the upper atmosphere acquire a charge.  As            Fthese charged particles move further down through the                 Fatmosphere they cause the gases there to flouresce in much            Fthe same manner that flourescent lighting works.  This                Flighting effect appears to move and shimmer and can on                Foccasion be mistaken for a UFO.                                       F/                                                                     FBalloons - Hot Air                                                    F                                                                      FDuring the day as well as at night, hot air balloons can              Fappear as mysterious objects in the sky.  They appear to              Fhover or move silently through the air.  There are even some          Fwhich have been built in the shape of a saucer and decorated          Fto look like a ufo.  At night the burning gas which shoots            Fup from a burner in the basket, can appear to be rocket               Fexhaust.  In addition, many hot air balloons are shaped like          Funusual things such as houses, pink elephants and, yes, even          FFlying Saucers.  Misidentified sightings of hot air balloons          Fare usually made from some distance away because the                  Fcharacteristic shape generally gives them away as a                   Fterrestrial object.  Another reason that hot air balloons             Fcan be misidentified is due the wind.  Winds at higher                Faltitudes may be different than winds on the ground.  A               Fground-based observer may be in complete calm but a balloon           Fat high altitude might be moving quite fast as a result of            Fhigh altitude winds.  The wind might even be blowing one              Fdirection on the ground and a balloon could be moving in the          Fopposite direction by virtue of the winds at its altitude.            FAs always, the key to identification is observing carefully           Fand for a long period of time.                                        F/                                                                     FBalloons - Weather Research                                           F                                                                      FWeather balloons come in a wide array of sizes, shapes,               Fcolors and configurations.  They range from small,                    Ftransparent balloons which can seem to change color as the            Fsun refracts from their changing surface to large                     Fatmospheric research balloons that rise quickly to great              Faltitudes.  A balloon can behave in ways which can fool the           Fobserver into believing that it is something else.  For               Fexample, a balloon might be at a certain altitude where the           Fwinds are blowing in one direction while a ground-based               Fobserver might be experiencing winds blowing in the opposite          Fdirection.  This would tend to make one believe that the              Fobject was moving under its own power as it would appear to           Fbe moving against the wind.  The motion of a balloon can              Fseem even stranger if the observer is in calm winds while             Fthe balloon moves quickly at higher altitudes.  In a hilly            For mountainous area, a balloon can be forced into a series            Fof fast and seemingly impossible maneuvers.  Updrafts and             Fdowndrafts can force a balloon to rise quickly then descend           Fwhile combinations of winds and drafts can cause balloons to          Fperform corkscrew maneuvers.                                          FThe key to proper identification of this type of object is            Fnot only careful observation over a long period of time,              Fbut also keeping an open mind about atmospheric conditions.           F/                                                                     FBall Lightning                                                        F                                                                      FBall Lightning is a rare form of enery which is usually               Fgenerated by thunderstorms.  It is a state of energy in               Fwhich the electricity not only stays together in a                    Fcohesive form, but it also radiates light and heat.                   FIt can move through solid objects such as walls or doors              Fwithout losing its cohesion.  It can move quickly or drift            Fslowly.  This is such a rare phenomenon that most people              Fhave a better chance of being struck by standard lightning            Fthan of seeing ball lightning.                                        F/UFO15.PHO                                                            FBrocken Spectre                                                       F                                                                      FHigh altitude objects including other clouds, weather                 Fballoons, even satellites cast shadows on low altitude                Fclouds - these shadows are known as Brocken Spectres.                 FSince the higher altitude object may be moving relative               Fto the low altitude clouds, the shadow seems to move -                Fusually at high speed.  These effects have sometimes                  Fbeen the cause of UFO reports.                                        F/                                                                     FComets                                                                F                                                                      FSome of the most spectacular objects in the sky are                   Fnothing but big chunks of dirty ice.  Commonly known                  Fas comets, they leave a trail of dirt and ice crystals                Fas they move closer to the sun.  In 1910 and again in                 F1986, Halley's comet was seen in the skies.  Although                 Fthis comet is well known enough that its arrival is                   Fknown years beforehand, there are many comets which                   Fare seen in the sky without any warning.  These can                   Fbe the cause of numerous UFO reports.  Comets are                     Fbelieved to come from the Oort cloud which exists past                Fthe edge of our solar system.                                         F/UFO13.PHO                                                            FEarthlights                                                           F                                                                      FMany UFO reports may actually be the result of stress on              Fthe Earth's crust.  Tectonic Strain Theory states that as             Fphysical stress within the Earth's crust increases,                   Felectrons released by the fracturing of rock, react with              Fair for the first time and produce photons of light.                  FThese light effects can take the form of lightning bolts,             Fsparks and fireballs.  These lighting effects are some                Ftimes mistaken for UFOs.  The phenomenon is rather rare               Fand as such, is not often seen, hence the confusion.                  F/                                                                     FLenticular Clouds                                                     F                                                                      FAs strange as it may seem, sometimes clouds are mistaken              Ffor UFOs.  The most often reported clouds are almost                  Fperfectly circular and are called Lenticular Clouds.                  FThough they are fairly rare, these clouds are a very                  Fimpressive sight as they can seem to be hovering UFOs.                F/UFO14.PHO                                                            FMeteors                                                               F                                                                      FEvery day, all over the Earth, thousands of objects fall              Ffrom the sky.  These are mainly small rocks and pieces                Fof orbiting garbage which have lost their orbital velocity.           FAs these objects fall through the atmosphere, they become             Fwhite-hot from the friction caused by their movement                  Fthrough the air.  As these glowing things fall, they seem             Fto streak across the sky and many times they are the cause            Fof UFO reports.  Since meteors are rather common, the best            Fway to learn to identify them is to watch the skies.                  FMost meteors burn up completely as the fall so that the               Flight that they generate goes out.  If you see something              Fstreaking across the sky that suddenly disappears while it            Fis moving, it is probably a meteor.                                   F/                                                                     FNoctilucent Clouds                                                    F                                                                      FNoctilucent clouds are made of ice crystals and particles in          Fthe Earth's atmosphere.  They are usually visible at dawn or          Fdusk and sometimes at night.  The sun's rays strike these             Fclouds making them appear solid and this can be the cause of          FUFO reports.  Sometimes, near large cities, the clouds can            Fbe illuminated by the city lights at night.  Because these            Fclouds move very little or not at all, they can usually be            Fidentified.                                                           F/                                                                     FParhelion                                                             F                                                                      FThis atmospheric phenomenon is caused by ice crystals                 Frefracting the light of the sun.  A similar condition causes          Fa ring to be seen around the moon during the winter months.           FUnder proper conditions, two rings, one inside the other,             Fcan be seen.  It is thought by some that Ezekiel's Wheel was          Fnothing more than this normal, atmospheric event.                     F/                                                                     FPlanets                                                               F                                                                      FSome of the brightest objects in the sky are the planets of           Four own solar system.  Venus is often called the morning              Fstar or the evening star because it can be seen just before           Fsunset and just after sunrise when the sun is still low in            Fthe sky.  Mars is also visible to the naked eye and can be            Fseen as a bright star in the sky.  Because the planets move           Ffrom night to night, they are sometimes seen in parts of the          Fsky where they were not seen the night before.  Jupiter and           FSaturn are also quite bright and are sometimes mistaken for           FUFOs.  Sometimes, two or more planets will be seen in the             Fsame area of the sky.  Even more rare is a conjunction where          Ftwo or more planets are seen directly beside each other.              FThis causes a bright spot in the sky which lasts just a day           For two.  Many UFO reports can be explained as misidentifica-          Ftions of the planets of our own solar system.                         F/                                                                     FSatellites                                                            F                                                                      FAt any one time, there are more than 1500 objects in Earth            Forbit, many of them large enough to be seen by the naked              Feye.  At night, they can be seen as a fast moving light in            Fthe sky that seems to be at extreme altitude.  An easy way            Fto identify these man made moons is by their movement.  They          Fare traveling at a speed of roughly 17,000 miles per hour             Fwhich makes them move across the entire night sky in just a           Ffew seconds.  They also travel only in a straight line.               FThey do not turn or curve at all.  Unlike an aircraft which           Fmoves considerably slower, there are no flashing lights on a          Fsatellite.  They are quite easy to spot in darker areas away          Ffrom city lights.  Satellites are often mistaken for UFOs             Fand are the culprit in many misidentifications.                       F/                                                                     FSun Dogs                                                              F                                                                      FSimilar to a Parhelion, a Sun Dog is created by ice crytals           Fhigh in the Earth's atmosphere refracting light.  However,            Fwhere a parhelion is a ring around the sun, a sun dog is a            Fseries of bright spots around the sun.  There is at least             Fone and usually no more than four at what would be the four           Fpoints of a compass with the sun at the center.  On a partly          Fcloudy day, with the clouds in motion, the bright spots can           Fseem to be moving behind the clouds.  This can be the basis           Ffor a misidentification.                                              F/                                                                     FSun Pillars                                                           F                                                                      FIce crystals in the Earth's atmosphere are responsible for a          Fgreat many UFO reports.  One such phenomenon is caused by a           Fdense column, band or streak of ice crystals which refract            Flight in a linear fashion.  This often appears as a column            Fof light either above or below the setting or rising sun.             FThe resulting effect is similar to a comet in that a                  Fbrightly lit ball (the sun) is followed or preceded by a              F"tail".  This can then take on the appearance of a UFO                Fplummeting down out of the atmosphere (or up into it).                FAlthough this particular effect is usually recognizable for           Fwhat it is, if an observer sees it for only a few seconds,            Fthey can be left with the impression that they have                   Fwitnessed a UFO.                                                      F/                                                                     F/                                                                     