Misidentifications
It is certainly well known that the vast majority of UAP reports can be explained by a misidentification of some known natural or man-made phenomena and that well documented sightings defying a conventional explanation are rare (5% or less).
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It is my hope that this website, aside from collecting serious reports from astronomers, could serve as a forum for educating the public about human, atmospheric and astrophysical phenomena. Amateur astronomers and societies who receive questions about UFOs and flying saucers could potentially redirect the people to this website. For this reason I have developed this portion of the website and the below reference grid. This notwithstanding, I recognise that the information provided below is far from exhaustive and therefore it will be regularly updated. Additional resource suggestions from readers are welcome.
Possible misidentifications have been categorized below as nocturnal (most frequent) and daytime, and under each item and whenever possible the following details have been listed: a general explanation of the item, specific telltale signs and finally a “resource-help” providing links to relevant web-sites where people can further check details and develop their knowledge (e.g. satellite paths, stars/planets charts, characteristics of meteors). Finally two flowcharts of common misidentifications are provided, also split into nocturnal and daytime, as a guide to determine which item or event a sighting most closely resembles, following a series of descriptive clues.
Click on a below category for further information, including a general explanation, telltale signs, and additional resource information.
Nocturnal Misidentifications
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Flowchart of nocturnal common misidentifications (Ref. Robert Moore, 2007)
Flowchart depicting common nocturnal misidentifications, based on described attributes. Dark blocks depict most likely, lighter boxes indicate possible but less likely causes while rounded oblongs notably uncommon options.
Daytime Misidentifications
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Flowchart of daytime common misidentifications (Ref. Robert Moore, 2007):
Flowchart depicting common daylight IFO options, based on described attributes. Note the lower quantity of misidentifications and observational complications in comparison with the nocturnal flowchart.
Credits: The compilation of this information would have not been possible without the work of Ms Jenny Randles and Mr Robert Moore. I’m truly indebted to them, as the quasi totality of the narrative information below originates from their 2007 manuscript (UFO study: A Handbook for Enthusiasts, http://www.nufonews.co.uk/UFO_Study_P1_V151.pdf). They have kindly made this manuscript freely available on the web, in order to help with the proliferation of “best practice” within British UFO investigation, and in relation to any non-commercial study of UFOs.