Unknown Object Over Mississippi River

On November 3, 2010 my husband and I were driving from St Louis area to Carbondale, Illinois. At 11:28am I had him stop at a pull out when we reached the Mississippi, so I could take pictures. This picture was taken looking south. We didn't see the object in the sky at the time of the picture. When we came home I was reviewing our pictures and noticed this object. I couldn't figure out what it was. I showed it around, but wasn't satisfied with what people said it looked like. It looks like something living. Some people thought it was a bird, but the "wings" look too disproportionate and a different color from the "body". Some people thought it was a paraglider, but the top part would be more rounded. It was near a barge dock area. Can anyone identify this object?

--Jackie

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d0f35bfcca75.jpg[/atsimg]

What does everyone think, I do not have a link to this story, I do have an email address but decided not to post it here. Found the photo and story on the Coast to Coast AM website if you want to check it out further, but as I mentioned there is no other information.

I am not the best judge of these pictures, what do I know from pixels etc.

Very strange, there is an aiport kind of close to there so I don't really have an answer for you.

Looks like an insect.

Possible a Moth or a Butterfly? Hard to say exactly

It looks like an insect flying past as the photograph was taken.

reply to post by Aquarius1


You say you or your husband never saw anything at the time, but noticed afterwords when looking through. Sounds like an insect or something that has just flown past the camera

reply to post by Aquarius1


Maybe a Turkey Vulture I live 13 miles from Carbondale, and the area is loaded with them. The wing dimensions look a little different, but could be the camera angle.

A butterfly !!! Why ??

The contrast of the object doesn't match with the background sky. Then someone said, "the wings are too disproportionate compared to its body to be a bird" . And it has a kind of cigar shaped body.

I have to agree- It looks like a dragonfly.

Actually, maybe a cicada?

I see a horseshow ahped body....it doesnt look insect like to me.....What is that air disturbance arount it?
Could be ionized air? I have no clue what it is...But i dont think it organic.

I'm trying to decide if it looks like a bug or like some sort of seed pod. Maybe it is some sort of seed that is windborn?

reply to post by Aquarius1


Im 90% sure its a dragon fly

Originally posted by dementedtheclown
reply to post by Aquarius1

 

Im 90% sure its a dragon fly

Perhaps it is a plane dumping fuel and the perspective makes the dump look short and thick when it really is thin and long. Certainly, the sunlight highlighting its "cloud" clearly shows that it is far lower than the regular clouds and the mass of the body's relatively large size indicates that it is far lower. The highlighted area of its trail on the left side and the darker portion on the right side also clearly shows it to be a dimensional "cloud" and not a smear on a windshield or a blur of wings.

In short, I see no reason to attribute the thing to an insect. That "explanation" simply does not fit the image except to simply throw up your hands and say, "It must be an insect what else in the world can it be?"

how can you be 90% sure that is a dragonfly? it looks nothing like a dragonfly in my opinion... hell im not 90% sure about anything, let alone random occurrences in pictures that are so vague as this ..

Originally posted by Griffo
reply to post by Aquarius1

 

You say you or your husband never saw anything at the time, but noticed afterwords when looking through. Sounds like an insect or something that has just flown past the camera

Ah if you read the openning post you will see I got this story from the Coast to Coast AM website, this is not a sighting that I saw plus I don't have a husband...

reply to post by Aquarius1


Whats the shutter speed do you know?

Soz I missed that last paragraph, with no more info its a bit hard to say exactly what it is.

reply to post by polarwarrior


Here is the link to the story that was posted on the Coast website, the lady who submitted has an email at the end that you may use if you have any questions.

www.coasttocoastam.com...

reply to post by Aquarius1

I would have to say it looks like a cicada to me.

It's an insect of some type or another flying above the bushes, the perspective doesn't look like its above the water. Just a plain old flying bug minding its own business that now has become a UFO to those who look at it long enough. must be a celeb in the insect community by now.

It's a photographic image depicting an Unidentified Flying Object. It's unidentified; apparently, flying or hovering in the air; and presumably, it's an object. Conjecture beyond speculation is a stab in the dark. Thanks for the pic; if nothing else, it's entertaining. Physiological conclusions regarding extraterrestrial life, will prove more than second hand images, of unknown circumstances, and places of origin.

reply to post by Aquarius1


Hi Aquarius, hope you're well.

Thanks for posting... does look a bit odd at first, doesn't it?

I had a go on the magnified inset with Camera Raw, but couldn't get it any more than a tiny bit better than your OP pic is, but as it started small in the original image there just aren't enough pixels contained within the object to really play all that much with.

The upshot for me is pretty much in agreement with some others above in that it is some sort of winged bug. I wouldn't say dragonfly only due to the apparent mass of the apparent legs, but surely some type of reasonably large... bee, cicada, something like that. That'd sort the legs out at least. The wings seem a bit long for the body, but they do seem like wings.

Anyway, here's what resulted... not much different, really, but it was a nice distraction from this trying day...