When it first came up on Youtube on January first, video of a pair of unidentified flying objects streaking across the evening sky seemed like it could very well join the ranks of so many others uploaded without controversy. But as the number of views swelled to 10,000 the analysis had begun, as did the video’s controversy.
Over 400 million people visit youtube each month with hundreds of thousands each day spreading different videos to either spread them or ignore them into obscurity. Each minute approximately 48 hours of content is uploaded to the video sharing site. This means by the end of any given day approximately 8 years of content have been uploaded. By the end of each month, more video content is uploaded than a major television network in 60 years of broadcasting. So why is so much attention being paid to this simple UFO video? The secret may lie in the fact that those watching it often see only one of two entirely different videos.
The images on the screen themselves are simple enough. We see a driver moving along in the harsh snowy conditions of what appears to be a simple winter’s day. But then suddenly from the upper right hand corner of the screen a mysterious flash of light suddenly appears and then travels across the sky and disappears in what looks to be a thick fog blanketing the Earth. The light only appears for a few seconds and then disappears quickly. But others who are skeptical of this UFO video may see something quite different.
As the object passes in front of the camera it is not one light, but two. And just at that moment a car comes passing by with its headlights on. By the time it has reached the side of the car the light is passing almost completely down the screen, making it almost impossible to the viewer’s eye to be a simple reflection. But almost impossible and impossible are two different things in this case. Where most viewers will be seeing the reflection coming from the front of the vehicle, the actual reflection is coming from the rear of the vehicle.
When snow hits the back of a car, the rear window defrosters help to melt it off to maintain visibility in dangerous snowy conditions. But what this constant flow of snow and ice often leaves behind is a thin almost imperceptible layer of dust. Ordinarily this would go unnoticed, but what it does help to do is reflect light – like the light seen in the video. The reason the reflection works is because it’s bouncing off the rear window to the front and then streaking down another reflecting window at an angle. The effect is an illusion that looks like a UFO streaking down the sky and into the clouds.
In the vast wealth of UFO videos on the internet there are more than a few compelling pieces of evidence, but this first one of 2012 – while interesting, does not appear to stand up to scrutiny quite as well.