An Idiots Guide to UFO Watching

First let me say hello to anyone reading this thread. I have been keeping an interested eye on the ATS site for some time now but have only recently become a member and this is my first post.

Whilst I find most topics on ATS interesting and many if not all overlap to some degree, I am particularly interested in UFO's. I long to see or experience something myself, although I'm sure I should be careful of what I wish for!

This brings me to the reason for starting this new thread, and with that apologies if I am repeating something that has already been adequately covered by another thread or discussion forum.

My wife and I took a drive into the UK countryside late one night of last week (no it's not what you're thinking!!!), we went searching for UFO's. Now firstly we didn't see anything, but it struck me that if we had, we would have been woefully unprepared. We had no camera, the binoculars we were carrying had a very low objective diameter meaning we couldn't see bugger all, and we got really cold.

This weekend I started writing a list of things I think might be useful on further spotting trips. I soon realised that it was more complicated than at first appeared.

If we take a camera for example:

What type of camera is going to be most suitable for taking photos or filming at night, and at what settings? Will the evidence gathered by these means lend itself with more ease to scientific scrutiny? How should you compose the picture? Do you use something for scale? What angle or angles will help in determining size and proportion? If you are filming do you add commentary? What things are important to mention or make note of a part from the date and time? Once you have taken your photos or film, how do you store or save that data? What program should you use? Should you edit or analyse your data for distribution? How should you distribute the footage?

I have heard much criticism of footage shown on various threads, but I am not convinced that if I suddenly encountered a UFO my evidence would be any better.

What I suggest we could do in this thread is compile a list of essential equipment with detailed levels of specification. Now I'm not just taking about cameras here, and I think we could go further than "hot thermos" "energy bar" "warm gloves" etc. How about a procedures guide to UFO watching. I know it may sound a bit anoraky but if the ATS community could come up with a guide to gathering evidence, we could make a real difference.

Police officers are often described as reliable witnesses because of their position in the community and also because they have the information and evidence gathering training and equipment to hand.

We could produce something like a quality assurance or procedural guide to evidence gathering. The more people that search the skies the better, but quantity doesn't beat quality. UFO watchers need to be ready to make calm and detailed notes and recordings using suitable equipment. Then we are going to have more availability of strong, reliable evidence that can more readily stand up to worldwide scrutiny.

In this way, an "Idiot's Guide to UFO Watching" might actually help to bring about full disclosure of the UFO phenomena.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Mr Bacon

If we came up with a definitive guide we could even produce an easily printable version including a checklist and reporting form for use in the field.

This could include hints and tips on useful facts/figures and other crucial evidence and detail that needs to be collected to support the case.

If you encounter something whilw UFO watching, I doubt you will be thinking calmly and collectively and may very well forget important factors or details of your experience.

I would love to hear some suggestions of better digital cameras for purchase, that is for sure. The digital camera I have, regardless of the settings I use, takes the absolute worst night pictures. Horrible!

If I could offer any suggestions to your check-list, I would suggest that if you happen to capture a UFO on film, you do your best to include surrounding areas and objects for comparison. It's incredibly hard to try and determine what something is when there is nothing in the shot to compare to the object.

I don't want to focus exclusively on camaras and photography, however I found a popular thread giving quite detailed instructions on how to take photos of UFOs.

How to take pictures of UFOs

I'd personally like something a little more simplictic and like JeepGal, some suggestions on suitable purchases. Affordable but reliable etc.

I think a little minature compass would be useful to keep on a key ring, but I don't know if they are reliable or just look naff!

[edit on 7-4-2008 by MrBacon]

speaking as a film/video professional, the likelihood of capturing on video a small, bright, moving object high up in the night sky and having it look any better than any ufo video on youtube, is pretty low. i've seen a few ufos in my life and, as amazing an experience as seeing one is, none of those ufos would have looked like anything worth watching on video. i think an aspiring videographer's ultimate goal should be to catch a ufo during the day and even then, it has to be a cloudy day. i guess this explains why there are no publicly available ufo videos of decent quality. that being said, if you still wish to try, here's a good way to practice: shoot airplanes passing overhead at night. there should be plenty in the sky at all times. if you manage to find a combination of camera/lens/tripod/software that allows you to get a decent quality shot of a plane at night, you should be ready to try for ufos.

What UFO watchers need to do is download a astronomy tracking program like stelarium and a satellite tracking program, and then if you think you see what is a UFO ask yourself


1. Could it be a convetional craft? does it have the FAA regulated lights
2. Could it be a Satellite or other human made object? The ISS has caused its fair share of UFO sightings
3. Are you near a air port or Military base that is known to either house aircraft, or be a place where military R and D is done?
4. What are atmospheric conditions like? high humidity? possibility of light reflecting off atmosphere?

to just name a few things