Unexplained what..?

[Shaun Haselden]

I started with digital imaging back in 2003 with the purchase of a Canon EOS300D and an early version of Photoshop and almost immediately noticed very rare but obvious objects appearing in the skies that I certainly didn't see with my eyes. The first one was with the Canon and was a long cylinder tapered at each end which was tilted down at the right side. This was in the sky of a landscape shot and was pretty obvious.

Similar objects have been recorded using a Nikon D70, Nikon D1X, Nikon D600, Nikon D4S and an Olympus Pen Lite EPL-3 compact. Various 'objects' always in the sky even though the foreground is often a smooth tone like the sky and usually tilted at an angle. What are they..? I'm guessing they could be spurious electronic glitches but they form a definite shape unlike the EPL-3 object which appeared to be a thin silvery line. My thinking is that I never noticed them with film but of course I wasn't then looking or aware.

Any thoughts..?

 

[Dave Farnes]

That is strange. Do you have any examples you could post?

 

[Shaun Haselden]

These were shots taken back around 2008 at what used to be RAF Wombleton an old WWII airfield and were specifically shot as a record of the old buildings that were demolished a few years afterwards. The airfield remains lie in the 'Vale of Pickering' close to the village of Wombleton which itself is close to Helmsley and Sutton Bank. I have had quite a few of these unexplained objects another one being at the site of RAF Catfoss this year using my Nikon D4S. My first ever was back around 2004 at what used to be RAF Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

Oh yes, no noise and nothing obvious in the sky at the time.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

The images enclosed were shot using a Nikon D70. Exif should show the rest...?

 

[Dave Farnes]

Looks like it could be a bird, possibly a magpie from the colours. I have taken a number of shots myself without realising there was a bird in the frame untill I looked at the pics on a large screen. Had a few shots ruined by insects passing close, unnoticed at the time.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

Yeah I think most of the weird ones are insects as the lens is set to infinity (and beyond) so birds would be focused and these aren't but the images I shoot at the seaside contain birds and these are instantly recognisable. The weird ones have only happened around six-seven times since 2004 but contain some bizarre shapes.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

Here are another two taken at what used to be RAF Kelstern again with no Photoshopping other than levels and squaring up. Olympus Pen Lite EPL-3.

 

[Dave Farnes]

They are strange. The first of these looks like insects / tiny bits of flora close to the camera. The second does look odd, almost the classic flying saucer pic.
Here is an oddity from me, must have been very close to be out of focus with a 20mm lens.

 

[Shaun Haselden]

Yes Dave I've had quite a few like that mainly when I'm out on the marshes taking photos. Annoying I know. The ones I have taken that I just can't explain happen without any kind of obvious nature on perfectly normal days with a variety of cameras and over a period of many years. I still think that they are electronic glitches. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[Dave Farnes]

You may well be right, I am sure you have used a far larger number of different cameras than me.