‘Supersonic’ UFO Over California’s Silicon Valley Baffles The Internet [Video]
A four-second clip filmed from about 80 meters above the ground in California’s Silicon Valley has become the subject of an online debate, after it was posted to YouTube and Reddit.
The original shooter of the video, user 1Darmino, posted the clip to YouTube on Saturday, March 7, 2015, with the title, “UFO Caught in 4k with Drone.”
But another version of the video posted to YouTube by user gwhiz2k on March 6, is a “zoomed-in slow motion version” of the original footage that renders the fleeting passage of the UFO on the original clip more visible (see video below).
What is revealed in the slow motion version of the video is a small white object streaking at a very high speed across the sky, over California’s Silicon Valley, from the right to the upper left side of the video screen.
Even in slow motion you could still miss the white streak if you are not vigilant enough.
Commenting on the DJI forum set up by the manufacturer of the camera drone used to capture the footage, 1Darmino, said, “I have no idea what this is, maybe a bug, hummingbird, reflection or alien space craft! The only thing I know for sure is that I did nothing that would cause this. You can analyze it better if you download the video in 4K and go frame by frame. Any other ideas of what it might be?”
Darmino’s question has sparked a debate on the manufacturer’s forum, on YouTube and Reddit, with people suggesting unlikely possibilities, such as an insect and a bullet, and more likely explanations such as a viral marketing stunt by the drone manufacturer, a CGI hoax, and a reflection of some sort.
A sample of views expressed on the DJI forum shows no one was certain about the nature of the UFO.
“Based on the angle of the sun I would say this is a reflection being cast on the mountainside.”
“That’s really cool! It’s not a reflection. Like Blade said, whatever it is, it’s covering some ground really fast!”
“I initially thought it was a reflection but it increases in size as it gets closer like an object would. It looks to be traveling too fast to be a bird or bug, that could be due to the size of the object and distance from the camera.”
“Seems to gain altitude slightly and the path is not perfectly straight either. It also goes behind trees in the very beginning of the clip. Lock your doors, sir! If you captured something you shouldn’t have on film, I fear for bird and your computer! Cool shot!”
Comments on YouTube were more varied and insightful. Some YouTube viewers even bothered, based on the assumption that the object was not CGI, to estimate its speed from the video.
A viewer estimated the speed at about one mile per two seconds or 2890 km/h, according to the News.com. This is about 2.4 times the speed of sound. You can put the estimated speed into perspective with the information that the airspeed record by Lockheed SR-71 is 3,529.6 km/h.
“Actually I am reconsidering the distance and speed looking at the video in HD. It could be doing around 1 mile in 1-2 seconds making the speed around 1,800 mph – does any military plane do that sort of speed?”
“Definitely not a bullet. That is either a military jet travelling low and at great speed or a UFO! My bet is the former at the moment. Difficult to work out the speed but it looks to have travelled about 1 mile in about 3-4 seconds – that’s 900 miles an hour! Mach 1 = 768mph. Concorde travelled at 1,354 mph – so it is possible.”
A Reddit viewer’s comment reflects confusion over what the video shows, “I am reminded of what someone said once about the two types of sasquatch videos that exist. Up close and blurry or far away and HD. When I saw 4K in the title I knew before I clicked that it would be far away. In this case very far away and extremely fast.”
“It’s either fake or a real ufo (lol) no military drone can fly that fast and not create a sonic boom or something. Not that we know anyways.”
What are your thoughts about the white object? Was it CGI or an object moving so fast that the camera could only capture a white streak?
