Strange streak discussion: 2004 Dec 7 APOD

[newbie]

I have seen a contrail from an aircraft create this effect on a clear day in the poconos, it was very brief, as the wind moved it past. It was certainly dark enough to cast a shadow through clouds though.

[guest]

the light went pop the sodium or whatever is used gave off a big flash and lit up the air all around it except for a shadow wich showed up in the image ....quite the feat...hate to have to get the phot again though...

[Dave Hoskins]

1. Turning up the contrast and rotating the image 56.5 degrees clockwise shows the dark trail to be perfectly straight AND parallel throughout its length. Smoke is never that even, and for it to have no perspective at all would be a massive coincidence at that distance.

2. Although it does look like a blue smoke 'pop' effect around the lamp, it is just too far away, and looks out of scale, and a little too even.

3 Its two wings are at right angles to the motion blur trail.

It's an insect. Sorted!

[guest]

I thought it could be a laser created by the energy in the cloud and either ice crystals or water droplets.

I don't know if this is possible, but I asked my husband who was at one time majoring in physics in college (he had taken 6 out of 10 physics courses required) he said it might be possible

[podkayn]

I'm not convinced that the lamppost had anything to do with it. The flash isn't even centered on it, but to the right. It sure looks like a splash, not a flash, putting it in the water behind the pole. A piece of a plane, etc. would do the job.

In fact, though "experts" have said it is not a meteor, I still wonder if the hot, disturbed air immediately after the passage of a small meteorite could diffract a little light away from the direct path between the sky and the camera, creating a dim streak that would end at the splash.

[tommyd]

could it be reverse refraction. You know when something on the ground seems to be floating in the sky. But in this case the opposite. The flash could be the engine of the jet (the shape in front of the flash looks like it could be a jet. The streak behind it would then be the contrail.

[guest]

What you're seeing there is the effects of a slight fold/wrinkle in a negative's surface that took place *prior to* developing. The "flash" near the bottom is either the place where the emulsion was damaged most, or a place that came into direct contact with the back of the roll of film on the next spiral in. (It could also be an air bubble.) My money's on a warp in the negative that was put there accidentally by a fingertip's press while the film was being loaded onto the developing reel.

When you develop 35mm color film you load it onto a spiral reel, often by hand. Sometimes a new developing technician will kink the film inadvertently while doing so. This can lead to all sorts of strange effects that are, in essence, embedded into the emulsion and hence the picture itself.

Light and heat fogging can be similarly confusing, but they don't look like what that image is showing.

(I've got a two-plus decade background in photography, as well as experience working with color 1-hour development equipment. This is the sort of stuff you see from time to time in that field.)

Warren Ockrassa
nightwares LLC
http://www.nightwares.com

[ibaron]

I passed this type of streak in the sky a week ago when flying back from an aerial photography job in Ohio. My pilot and I both commented about it, for it was most unusual. What caused it was our observing a jet contrail higher in the sky along the axis of the trail. As we moved past the contrail, the shadow lessened, and finally became so faint as to disappear. It was only along this line that the shadow was highly visible and dark.
Irene Baron
http://www.aerialviewpictures.com

[Guest]

(I've got a two-plus decade background in photography, as well as experience working with color 1-hour development equipment. This is the sort of stuff you see from time to time in that field.)

It's a shame those years of experience didn't tell you to read the thread before posting.

The camera that took these photos is a Canon Powershot G3

[Goodly and Smart]

Still profoundly interesting that the easiest and most likely explanations are tossed out and the incredible wild and crazy ideas are entertained.

The most likely or easiest explanations: It is either an unusual artifact created by the camera (just like the orbs and double exposures, etc) or a PhotoShop job. I've taken the posted photo and created wonderful meteorite/bug/lampbulb explosions with vapor trails... and kept the photo data intact, while creating a thoroughly believable picture. If I can do it, so can you. So.... that then MUST have the artifiact or PhotoShop theory in the front. The rest of the theories are so 'fantastic' that they become lots more unlikely than the first two culprits. Yet... I keep reading that "It MUST be a bug, or it MUST be a meteor, or it MUST be lightning"... while completely disregarding the simple possibilites. I dunno.. I don't mean to sound critical, but that's exactly what is called for here - critical and logical thinking. But I do like the explanation about the lightning bolt hitting the seagull... LMAO....

[200Minute-Mike]

I see evidence that there are at least three people who were in the area at the time. Some guy fishing (or something) near the white vehicle just left and below the position of the flash, closest to the near shore line. Another person at the far left lower section of the flat "parking" area even closer to the camera. And my mest bet for somebody who might have actually been looking in th right direction at the right time: The pilot of the boat traveling toward the flash, in the water just to the right end of the pier like structure (far right). That particular boat is under way (watch all three pics), and headding in the right direction (especially if the occurance is out past the pole. Find him, you find a whitness.
One other point, directly above the flash, at the top edge of the first distinguishable horizontal cloud formation is a light colored dot. Maybe nothing, but seems to move in the sequence of pics (but that could be the cloud movement and a spec on the camera lens).

[Brian]

I like the bulb burnout theory. Here's another: A high flying jet flying from left to right in that picture dropped a chunk of ice that came down at high speed, and at an expected angle and smacked into the light. The line is the ice trail.

[A.salehi]

I have to disagree, how can it be caused by the film, when the camera is digital??? There is no negative.

I cannot conclude what this is however, here are my observations:

-The glow that looks like an explosion isn't coming from the lightbulb, because it's not even centered on the light bulb. Also, the picture description says the light fixture was inspected and no damage was found.
-It's not a BUG, nor a film defect because there IS a slight reflection of the light on the surrounding trees and poles. You need photo software with layers to see this
-If it is an object, it's in FRONT of the light pole in question, because the white glow is overlaying it
-The streak is not a shadow because the sun and any other lightsources are in the wrong places. Furthermore, if it was a shadow, the streak would not be the same size the entire length.
-It is not a dirty lens because a shot was taken 15 seconds before and after with no similar effects.
-Considering the length and the intensity of the trail, and the speed this picture was taken, the velocity of this object is actually moving, going at an extremely fast speed.
-The white-ish glow suggest a rapid change in air pressure, also seen in pictures with fighter jets exceeding the speed of sound.

[twocents]

Have to throw one more anti bug observation out. If this was in fact a bug, it should be more fully illuminated and "bleached out" because of the flash. The image only shows a small area of the "stern" bright, and a faint outline of the "wings", but not the whole "bug". Despite the fact that the flash is in the upper left much more of the bug should be illuminated. I don't buy it.

Take a peek at the latest National Geographic, Page 72, and 126-127 (the on assignment section). A similar "bug and streak" image. In this case, there's a clear backlighting light source, and aerosolized air for the shadow to show up, and ... a mechanical bug on a stick with an internal light source. Despite the light source and the mist not being present, maybe it's just a hoax.

[connie]

I am suspicious. The clouds in the main frame don't match the before or after shots.

[Guest]

I am suspicious. The clouds in the main frame don't match the before or after shots.

Imagine that, clouds that actually move! I am in awe

[Major]

It is a cinder from the coal fired ship sitting in the wharf... the ship was getting underway and a hot cinder flew up, got caught in a lightning bolt and a straightline windsheer blast... the combination blew the cinder (hence leaving the smoke trail) into a street lamp. Amazingly, the lamp was just starting to come on when the cinder hit it and blew it out.. causing a shock wave and the bright sodium flash. When that happened, it so scared the single bug in the area to fly - and it just happened to do so when the picture was taken - so you will see the impression of a fly right over the exploding lamp. No one heard thunder because the lightning and the sodium caused a vacuum warp that sucked the sound of the thunder into the 18th dimension. Then, just as soon as it all had started, it was all gone. There is no trace of the cinder... it blew away in the breeze, there is no bug - it flew away. And there is damage to the fuses because of the vaccum short... bu the vapor trail persisted. It blew away quickly but is still moving... wait... I just saw it pass my house... And most incredible - all this was created as a diversion so that behind the camera, aliens from underground bases on Pluto and the Pleiades were landing in invisible silent landing craft. They have assumed the shape of humans, who are all busy posting on this board so as to throw everyone else off the trail....

[Guest]

I've seen this before. It's not a good sign.

It usually amounts to no good.

[guest]

D'oh!

A sage individual pointed out to me that this is a *digital* image.

I must refrain from going online before coffee.

There are similar effects that I have sene on damaged negatives, but obviously that's not the case here. Howe about fireworks such as a Roman candle?

Warren

[swansongp@gru.com]

I have had this problem before. It looks very similar to a shutter defect that I had a few years ago. It randomly appeared on pictures I took until I had the camera repaired.

[Dave Hoskins]

You're all bonkers, but not as crazy as some. There are people out there that ACTUALLY think these things are space beings from the world of tomorrow, or something. They call them 'rods' - hoho. : )
Have a looked here, it's v. funny. One guys got a DVD out about them.....

http://www.opendb.com/sol/joseDVD.htm

http://www.opendb.com/sol/morerods.htm


LOL

[Foxbat07]

The streak and bright object may be the result of a relatively rare type of lightning known as BALL LIGHTNING.

There appears to be some thunderclouds in the area which would support this possibility.

If it is ball lightning, this is trully a one in a million photo indeed.

Kevin

[bcrook@rvschools]

its an alien ship

[Dave Hoskins]

A tiny alien insect ship then?

NOOOO!

[cky]

its wierd it think its ball lightning