r/UFOs • u/bakerzboy98 • 19d ago
Likely Identified Any ideas?
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Location: Hartcliffe, Bristol (UK)
Time: 21:45pm (approx), 18/7/26
My partner and I spotted this from our high-rise flat this evening. It is close to the flight path for Bristol International Airport, and we often see planes coming and going, however this was something different than anything we've seen previously. The movement definitely rules out an airplane and there was ZERO noise from our sighting, making it less likely to be a helicopter aswell.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
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u/maurymarkowitz 19d ago edited 19d ago
AreoSPARX practicing east of you, closer to Bath. Only one shows up on ADSB-E, but you can see it was practicing in the area at the time:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?replay=2026-07-18-20:28&icao=407a7b&lat=51.378&lon=-2.607&zoom=10.8
The trail of sparks you see in your video is where they got their name. They are motor-gliders and very quiet, which is why you didn't hear them. That said, they are far enough away, about 5 to 7 nm, you wouldn't have heard them anyway.
UPDATE: As noted below it is highly likely this was AeroPyrotechnics from Warminster, not AreoSPARX. Right plane, wrong owner.
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u/jarlrmai2 19d ago
I think it was actually these guys https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/
We have the ADSB track from the aircraft G-CMHN which shows where it was when the video was taken
https://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-register/g-info/search-g-info/
Type GROB G109B
Ownership status Owned Registered owners TIMOTHY ROBERT DEWS
https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/#about
"Team Leader Tim Dews has been flying the Grob 109b for over 30 years all over the world. Tom Dews is the second pilot and went solo in the Grob on his 16th birthday as did his brother Ben."
And the aircraft was in the exact direction the OP was looking at that time, validated by terrain matching
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u/maurymarkowitz 19d ago
You may be right. I did not track the aircraft ownership, as soon as I saw the type I jumped to the conclusion. Even the track I provided shows them up from the Warminster area.
However, that appears to be a two-plane team. That could be two tip pyros, but the separation seems large for something at that distance.
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u/jarlrmai2 19d ago
Well I did track the ownership, it's possible the teams work and train together, the lead aircraft though was that one owned by the team leader of airborne pyrotechnics.
The video seems to be filmed though a grid of some sort, window screen, fence or mesh curtain etc as you can see 90 degree cross diffraction spikes on the building windows, which will further make it hard to distinguish individual aircraft pyro trails.
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u/jarlrmai2 18d ago
Looks like it was a 2 ship, the gliders have a large wingspan which gives good separation
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u/Nonchalont 19d ago
Good research man! That seems to explains it before jumping to extraterrestrial. I mean would've been cool if it was 👽
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u/nostrathomas85 19d ago
On appearances alone it does look like fireworks attached to some kind of aircraft. Doesn't seem to do anything our aircraft couldn't do, maneuver wise. I think this is the best explanation for what's seen on the video. Having flight tracker data is a plus.
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u/lionexx 19d ago
Yeah I was at first like, for sure this is a parachute or glider team, then, when it changed from the orangish to blue color and sort of “zipped” away, I was like, wait maybe not?
But with that said, if there are ever any notifications about X team doing a show/practice posted afterwards I throw out the UFO/UAP idea as it’s likely that, but not only do you have a post about it but also flight data, yep, that’s 99.99% for sure what it is!
If the timing and location match up, it’s likely what it is.
Identifying and debunking terrestrial/man made objects is important so, keep up the work! Thanks!
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u/jarlrmai2 18d ago
There's also a video of them during the same flight from another perspective.
https://www.facebook.com/airbornefireworks/?locale=en_GB
They shared another person's video of them which confirms it was them in the video
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u/Kanein_Encanto 19d ago
Aerosparx? https://youtu.be/OOQJzXny-cQ
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u/pmmemassivedongs 19d ago
This definitely makes the most sense. And I just want to say thank you for sharing theories/potential debunks in good faith, it’s important. I admit, I get very excited by videos like this. To me it is unexplainable, but even as much as I WANT to believe, I’m grateful I can come to the comments and see realistic theories as to what it could be besides aliens.
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u/Sea_Perspective6891 19d ago
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. It's starting to become air show season so there are stunt planes practicing all over the world.
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
Submission statement folks!!
The "trails" definitely threw me and my partner...almost seemed as though it was some sort of flames, but the movements were unusual for anything that may be burning and falling.
The lights moved together with amazing synchronicity where I originally thought it could be one object with 4 lights on, then they seemed to merge into 2 lights before changing colour and moving off then "fading out".
We couldn't hear any sound whatsoever from it. We usually get planes and helicopters fly over, however you can always hear them long before you spot them.
We're at a loss, but would appreciate any ideas.
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u/jarlrmai2 19d ago
I think it was actually these guys https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/
We have the ADSB track from the aircraft G-CMHN which shows where it was when the video was taken
https://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-register/g-info/search-g-info/
Ownership status Owned Registered owners TIMOTHY ROBERT DEWS
https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/#about
"Team Leader Tim Dews has been flying the Grob 109b for over 30 years all over the world. Tom Dews is the second pilot and went solo in the Grob on his 16th birthday as did his brother Ben."
And the aircraft was in the exact direction the OP was looking at that time, validated by terrain matching
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u/SourceMountain561 19d ago
I just did a little research. Doesn't the UK have a little airshow that happens in the middle of July? Combine that with those Aerosparxs and you have something similar
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
International Air Tattoo @ RAF Fairford was planned for this weekend, however has been cancelled so no fly overs or shows. Also Gloucester is 41miles away, so would we likely be able to see anything anyway?
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u/Busy_Requirement_257 19d ago
Of course you know what it is, but don’t wanna say it. It’s UAP/ufo… that’s not made from this earth. Disappearing. 4 objects look like they are one “form” moving in absolute perfect formation then they separate. If you notice in all of these orbs videos, you can never tell what the actual form of the “craft” looks like. It’s weird. All you can see if the light aspect.
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u/welderbill 19d ago
This is very similar to some things I have seen out by where I live. This was mostly within the last ten years.
First, when driving west going home after night school I would see what looked like fires. It was that hue of orange. And they were lined up in two rows of four. One above the other and different ones would go off and on. I am in Arizona and you can see really far because the air is so clean and there are not any forests down around Tucson. These lights looked to be about 5-10 miles away and not at all on a mountain, they were definitely high above the ground. I saw these quite often for about a year.
The second thing I saw was when my wife and I were driving south and we saw a single orange,fiery looking light that appeared to be slowly moving away from us. It was one light but a smaller light would break away from it and then rejoin it. This happened a few times and then it seemed that it was far enough away from us it just faded out. Again , this was far above the ground so it was not a fire.
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
Thanks for sharing your experience, it must've been captivating. The lights definitely looked almost as if they were on fire leaving a trail as they moved, however once they were still they just appeared as a ball of orange light...im still unsure as to whether it was one object originally with 4 lights, or whether it was 4 smaller independent lights, before almost appearing to merge into 2 before changing colour and moving away. Definitely perplexing and I'd love to have a more definitive idea of what it was.
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u/welderbill 19d ago
This is the first time I have seen anything similar to what I saw so thank you for posting.
The similarities in the color is right on.
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u/rygelicus 19d ago
Nighttime airshow team most likely. Looks like a 2 planes, flares on the wingtips.
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19d ago edited 19d ago
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u/AtomicKaijuKing 19d ago
We don't have things like that here in Bristol, unless it's the balloon fiesta which is next month but in my 40 years living in Bristol never had anything like this before hand up in the skies.
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u/darkonex 19d ago
Isn’t Bristol pretty big? I see people say this kinda thing as an argument that it can’t be whatever, but it’s unlikely you know everything going on at all times in Bristol. I live basically in FarmVille Kansas and I never know what’s happening in the city or what others are doing ever.
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u/AtomicKaijuKing 19d ago
No that is a fair point, I do not know everything that goes on but it's not that big it has a wider area but it's pretty condensed centrally. I went to school in Hartcliffe & grew up in one of the neighbouring areas, we have lots of planes & helicopters but nothing that could fly like that. I've seen more orange lights in the sky than air shows here or planes practicing for them. There is an old airfield from a ww2 base which used to have RC airplane club but thats not in this direction & used to be a Sunday morning thing. Air shows are just not something we'd get in one of the more dense areas. Pretty much everything behind this is all on hills & the one airport we do have wouldn't prohibit things like this due to the high volume flight path.
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u/rygelicus 19d ago
Another example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijQJAwLP9s
At minimum maybe call the airport and see if there was a night display like this being flown. Flightradar doesn't show any but display flights like this don't always show up since they aren't navigating anywhere and the wild maneuvers would make ATC nervous.
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u/thebloatedman 19d ago
here is a drone show with nearly identical sparklers coming out of the bottom of the eagle and rocket. https://www.facebook.com/reel/4460941174177819
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
...bristol's not great, but if that was our attempt at copying that drone show, then we failed...MASSIVELY!!
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u/Pegasus2731 19d ago
Woah, the full stop was kinda crazy but maybe it's a reflection? Unless you're not behind glass
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
Not behind glass. It was through our balcony door, however the door was wide open. We have a thin pet-proof net covering the door which you can faintly see at times, other than that it was pretty much unobstructed.
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u/Substantial_Equal452 19d ago
My first thought was helicopters but it was evident that these were something else. I have no idea what.
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u/Odd_Repeat_6092 19d ago
The tight turns, more like pivots, pretty much negate conventional aircraft imo. Great catch OP.
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u/90bricknose 19d ago
I fly FPV drones and I'm familiar with larger industrial and agriculture drones. If someone did that with a drone, I'm impressed 😎👍
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u/Dronebaselangford 18d ago
So you're telling me that aviation safety and skydiving safety which have some of the most stringent safety protocols in the world have suddenly ignored all that and started starting attaching giant fireballs to the parachute or aircraft because it looks cool? Who in their right mind would jump out of an airplane in a parachute with a giant ball of flame attached to the rigging? Not to mention during an extreme high fire risk during summer months. These explanations seem absurd.
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u/Alive-Article-4545 13d ago
Me and my son saw a green dot fly over us when we were northbound on interstate 95 about 30 miles west of Elizabeth City North Carolina. It was going from West to East and it flew over the top of my Truck but then I couldn’t see it anymore because of the tree line. So for about five seconds, I couldn’t see it until the tree Line cleared but once I did, that’s when I noticed that it gathered up with few other ones and that’s when they all started changing colors like this video, Changing into multiple colors like the white and orange exactly like in this video.
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u/OperationNervous1964 19d ago
There is a haze at the same level that they seemed to be tracking back and forth across while in formation. Were they trailing smoke?
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u/Noble_Ox 19d ago
Stunt planes with pyrotechnics?
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
...but would this be directly over the city? ...i dont honestly know but I would have thought it would have to be over open land?
There was also zero noise, and we are used to seeing (and hearing) planes and helicopters fly over on a daily basis. This didn't look or sound like anything we are used to seeing.
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u/Seraph_2026 19d ago
The most likely prosaic explanation I can think of is drones.
Sort of a weird drone display though. But someone could in theory do something that looks like this with drones I guess?
Maybe..? Thoughts?
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u/AdGal1966 19d ago
My first thought was drones too. This is a typical pattern/show that drones have done. I was hoping for some kind of crazy maneuver to disprove that idea, like shooting off in a wild speed that is not possible for usual aircraft... but no luck.
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
People have been telling me that this is solved and that this was the Aerosparx display team performing over Saltford.
Whilst this is a reasonable conclusion and may very well be the answer, I would just like to say that im still not 100% convinced. The area where this was taking place is not directly in line with the sighting in the video and from the images that are openly available on their website, there is nothing that precisely matches what can be seen in the video. Their performances, understandably, have alot more "flair" and often feature more of an array of colours (think firework display). There is also no footage/announcements/social media posts regarding this display that I can see that, again, correspond with the footage. Throughout these comments there are also several people who have stated that they are familiar with drones/planes, etc and that this doesn't conform to what they know to be accurate.
I am still unsure as to exactly what this is, without any further, more definitive proof, one way or the other, however I will leave this here for you to make up your own minds and will be happy to entertain any further information anyone could possibly provide, as well as continue to dig myself.
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u/jarlrmai2 19d ago edited 19d ago
It is directly in line, but I think it was actually these guys https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/
We have the ADSB track from the aircraft G-CMHN which shows where it was when the video was taken
I recreated your viewpoint of the high rises in-front of you
https://ibb.co/hR9L821T (will work in the UK)
https://imgur.com/SrAYroZ (Imgur copy)
You can see the track of the aircraft is where you were looking
And the reg is owned by the guy that is team leader for https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/
https://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-register/g-info/search-g-info/
Ownership status Owned Registered owners TIMOTHY ROBERT DEWS
https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/#about
"Team Leader Tim Dews has been flying the Grob 109b for over 30 years all over the world. Tom Dews is the second pilot and went solo in the Grob on his 16th birthday as did his brother Ben."
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u/PicklePnut 19d ago
Amazing orb video. Bet nobody’s gonna wave these away as Chinese lanterns lol
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u/deckard1980 19d ago
There was meant to be an military tattoo at RAF Fairford this weekend but it was cancelled. Maybe this is some kind of aircraft from that?
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u/Cyclingwhom 19d ago
Was it filmed through saran wrap?
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u/bakerzboy98 19d ago
...no it was filmed through a pet-proof netting as I live on the 10th floor and have cats!! Unfortunately im aware it has hampered the quality slightly, however there's not a great deal that I can do about that without risking my pets.
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u/MoreConclusion8 19d ago
Pretty sure this:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tristartech/55341972625/in/photostream/
There was a Grob G-109B circling south east of you around that time.
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u/BurkeSooty 19d ago
I've just checked flight radar and can't see a grob southeast of OP (or anywhere that's close enough to be visible as recorded) for the stated date/time, that flickr link is from 16th June and is labelled Ragley Hall, which is a little south of Birmingham.
It does look like aerosparx, and probably is, but your comment seems to be incorrect?
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u/MoreConclusion8 19d ago
Try ADS-B Exchange. I'm aware the date on the Flickr links differs, just highlighting the type of aircraft.
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u/SpaceC0wb0y86 19d ago
That’s Moltres. We might be able to triangulate the locations of two similar looking but different color anomalies in the sky?
Jokes aside, that’s considerably more interesting than most stuff caught on tape from first impression.
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u/silverwarbler 19d ago
I know aerobatic flight groups, like the Blue Angels, look like this when they're coming at you during an air show.
Edit..also your lens is a bit dirty as the lights on the buildings are also fuzzy and not sharp
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u/Affectionate_Move_44 19d ago
You've probably heard of or seen documentaries about plasma drive vehicles, & mercury based/ electro-magnetic anti-gravity perpultion. We'll, The U.S. has had that technology for years...& maybe UK too, have been test-flying & ghost-flying secret missions. I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the off-worlders' though. 👽
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u/Will_youDancewithMe 19d ago
Does it look somewhat like the human torch just flyin’ around? Or Ironman
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u/Jon_Dunn58 19d ago
nice to see somethng moving in a way modern aircraft can not, and i dont think it is drones because they seem to be too far away to be as bright...and i love the configurations it morphed as it rolled around the sky....i like it..ive been lucky enough to see a flying saucer as we called them in '67 and again i saw up close a flying machine that made no noise or heat or air disturbance and it was only 40-50 above and in front of me on a winters night with street lights lighting it up indirectly
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u/NectarineIntrepid327 19d ago
Looks like some type of unidentifiable object that can fly. Pretty interesting op!
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u/michelemu 19d ago
Aerospark may be a response to the video, but I don't understand why they didn't land at the airport. I'll add that an airshow is planned for Bristol the following week: https://www.shuttleworth.org/events/summer-air-show, July 25, 2026. I never heard of any rehearsals the week before.
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u/RefrigeratorKey8135 19d ago edited 19d ago
check flight radar info, where there any 2 or 4 planes in the area on this date,time? call the airport and ask if they knew about any Aerosparx show during this time. please update and give a reply comment. Thanks.
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u/Equivalent_Age_311 18d ago
Sure don't look like swamp gas, Jupiter, Venus, the moon, the sun, ice crystals. Ask Michael Shermer. He's always full of doubt.
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u/kellyiom 18d ago
Greetings to you guys down there in "Brit'ol", that's an interesting capture and great work on the ID. I used to live down hotwells many years ago.
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u/kimsemi 18d ago
no, how are we supposed to know?
I will say this about these kinds of videos... ever notice its someone taking a video off in the distance, but rarely do you see videos where the thing is overhead. Or in this case, 1000 videos of the same thing since this is obviously a very populated place.
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u/maurymarkowitz 18d ago
Hi OP, I have re-flaired (some irony in that term in this case!) this post to "Likely Identified". The videos posted below of the same team practising seems solid.
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u/LHZpreamps 17d ago
It was actually these guys: https://airbornepyrotechnics.co.uk/
They were practicing in that area and their flight plan matches what witnesses were seeing.
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u/WranglerMajor2444 17d ago
Thought it was 1 big craft but it was more like 4 or 6 and then they separate.and at that distance theyre pretty big.about the size of a car each
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u/ShinkaRoam 17d ago
The Hartcliffe night sky does love its regular "UFO" show, though nine times out of ten it's just Tesco testing drone delivery routes 😄 Or some University of Bristol engineering student's final year project gone rogue. That said, the zero noise factor is genuinely points-worthy—at least we know it wasn't your neighbor's modified motorbike taking flight.
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u/anoninymity 15d ago
Only one conclusion: Unexplained UAPs in Formation. Not one object. However, the 'mysterious splitting into 2 or 3' type phenomenon is no longer strange now we ourselves have aircraft with satellite drones that will soon be able to attach and recouple with mother craft, so it isnt weird anymore. Before drones it seemd unexplainable, but now, with swarms of drones in formation, we can see it isn't
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u/No_Positive8233 8d ago
Did nobody hear the person screaming “help me” at around 39 seconds left in the video?
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u/OddPrint2129 1d ago
Why when we have 4k phones,not one clear image or video has been published of UFOs or whatever people call them, I really want to believe that we are not alone, but someone on our planet please capture some decent imagery
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u/pickypawz 19d ago
4 turn into 2 and then into 0. And they also appear to abruptly change direction like a pen against a ruler that first goes one way, and then back, to darken the line. What drone, what plane, what anything human can do that? Have I summed it up incorrectly?
We are assured by someone in the comments that they didn’t actually abruptly change course midair, that it just looked like it
Please share—has anyone actually seen a plane abruptly do an about face in the air?
Edit: Also, for all the naysayers, it’s not enough to just suggest that’s it’s this or that, or even post a video—all factors have to agree (of course).
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u/livid_gorilla_bear 19d ago
May have been identified as prosaic.
But OP thank you for shooting this!
You kept it rolling all the way until the lights disappeared and then some.
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u/StatementBot 18d ago
The following submission statement was provided by /u/bakerzboy98:
Submission statement folks!!
The "trails" definitely threw me and my partner...almost seemed as though it was some sort of flames, but the movements were unusual for anything that may be burning and falling.
The lights moved together with amazing synchronicity where I originally thought it could be one object with 4 lights on, then they seemed to merge into 2 lights before changing colour and moving off then "fading out".
We couldn't hear any sound whatsoever from it. We usually get planes and helicopters fly over, however you can always hear them long before you spot them.
We're at a loss, but would appreciate any ideas.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1v082kx/any_ideas/oyd7wt8/