Unknown Object Photographed at NATO Base in Afghanistan

reply to post by greeneyedleo


Well, if it's been run through an editor, we have an "inconclusive" at best.

As a enlisted USAF (US Air Force), I can say that without a doubt it's something manmade. Just because that guy didn't know what it was doesn't make it extraterrestial. Chances are it was a Global Hawk or U2 spyplane. Trust me, there are multiple AWACS planes from different countries in the air at all times over Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and most of the Middle east covering thousands of square miles. Nothing bigger than a pigeon can fly without being noticed.

Some more informations.

Long Description of Sighting Report in MUFON database:

I work for the U.S. Government in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I have been here for the last two years (NATO air base). Prior to working here in Afghanistan I worked at the Air Logistics Center in Oklahoma City for 10 years. I have an extensive background in military/civil aviation and have seen just about every imaginable military aircraft fly in and out of this NATO base.

In April of this year I took some photos of a project area located adjacent to the NATO base. When I returned and viewed the photos I noticed an object in the upper left part of the scene. When I took the photo there were no aircraft flying in the area, and I did not see the object at the time the photo was taken.

Like most photos of unidentified objects, this one is quite blurry. However, when you zoom in on the object it is clear that it is disc shaped. I have never seen an aircraft like this before. I examined the other photos I took just seconds after the one with the object and nothing was there. What ever the object, it must have been moving at a high rate of speed.


I had to reduce the size of the photo for attachment. For full size photo, please provide a contact e-mail.

Resized picture attached to MUFON report:


Metadata:

EXIF — this group of metadata is encoded in 4,130 bytes (4.0k)
Color Space sRGB
Components Configuration YCbCr
Compressed Bits Per Pixel 8
Contrast Normal
Create Date 2008:04:11 23:51:19
3 months, 22 days, 5 hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds ago
Custom Rendered Normal
Date/Time Original 2008:04:11 23:51:19
3 months, 22 days, 5 hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds ago
Exif Image Size 2,816 × 2,112
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Exposure Compensation 0
Exposure Mode Auto
Exposure Program Program AE
Exposure Time 1/640
F Number 7.1
File Source Digital Camera
Flash Auto, Did not fire
Flashpix Version 0100
Focal Length 6.3 mm
ISO 80
Image Description
Light Source Unknown
Make SONY
Max Aperture Value 2.8
Metering Mode Multi-segment
Camera Model Name DSC-W50
Modify Date 2008:04:11 23:51:19
3 months, 22 days, 5 hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds ago
Print Image Matching (28 bytes binary data)
Saturation Normal
Scene Capture Type Standard
Scene Type Directly photographed
Sharpness Normal
White Balance Auto
Y Cb Cr Positioning Co-sited

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Anti-Blur Off
Color Reproduction Standard
Exposure Mode Program
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Macro Off
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ExifTool
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File — basic information derived from the file.
Bits Per Sample 8
Color Components 3
Encoding Process Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Exif Byte Order Little-endian (Intel, II)
File Type JPEG
Image Size 1,024 × 768
MIME Type image/jpeg
Y Cb Cr Sub Sampling YCbCr4:2:0 (2 2)

Composite — this block of data is computed based upon other items.
Some of it may be wildly incorrect if the image has been resized.
Aperture 7.1
Flash Off
Focal Length 6.3 mm
Light Value 15.3
Shutter Speed 1/640

The quality of the resized image is not great, 75%. Many compression artifacts around the UFO:


Note: this is heavily contrasted to show that rectangular artifacts around the UFO are not evidence of tampering (copy paste for example). You get these when saving any image in MS Paint as JPEG.

There is no obvious motion blur, the UFO is blurry on every side. The original picture, 6 Mpixel, would be better than this small 0.7 Mpixel version. But only MUFON can contact the photographer I guess.

[edit on 2008-8-4 by nablator]

looks like a bird to me - sorry but it does

reply to post by ignorant_ape


I'm not sure how you can see a bird from the re-sized image in the above post



I think this is probably one of the more promising photo's of an Unidentified Flying Object that's come across the Above Network lately.

reply to post by LunarLooney1


The close ups shown so far have been sampled zooms. The first one overlayed in the original image loses detail like the dark area at the top. The second zoom by nablator has some of this detail left but adds a whole world of detail not present in either of the images online (I think the jpeg artifacts are due to the zooming process).

Anyway, here is the detail from what we have online, not much to go on, a few pixels, note the dark band at the top, slightly light shading going up through the middle. Really could be anything from a few pixels.



This is the zoom provided on top of the original image online. Note that many bands of colour are added by the zoom process that are not present in the original. Also note that the dark area at the top is almost gone.






[edit on 4-8-2008 by terms and conditions]

Originally posted by ignorant_ape
looks like a bird to me - sorry but it does

If that is a bird... it is the largest bird on the planet... as big as a blimp it would have to be and that's just not possible because BigBird from Sesame Street is yellow.

reply to post by LunarLooney1

That is one of the best photos I have ever seen. That is evidence. Thanks.

Of course we all know what it is...

UB2-1-2 Dust Devil caused by high altitude meta particles reflecting off the teapot of a passing camel train in a nearby valley. Government file 3436.87367-32. Case closed. Next...

reply to post by LunarLooney1


come on - tell me how yu know what size it is

this should be interesting

reply to post by ignorant_ape
The same way you know its a bird. It is quite difficult to judge scale in this photo, in the blown up photos the object is clearly metallic. I've never seen a metal bird before have you?


[edit on 4-8-2008 by spookjr]

reply to post by JDN24


zoming in on over pixelated compressed images is not image analysis it is fantasy - i am just waiting for some one to ` emboss ` it

why have i reached the peliminary conclusion that " a bird " is the most likley

simple - the phoyographer claims that no aircraft / UAVs were flying - even if we ignore his testimony and ask 0- could it have been a allied airframe ?

the shutter speed and motion blur make that unlikley - or a large aircraft to be travelling at a speed to cause blur - it would MOST likley be supersonic - and you cannot miss a supersonic flyby

that argument holds true for any oher UFO

however a bird at a range of 10`s of meters - will fly fast enough to cause motion blur

while presenting a profile comparable to the ` ufo ` in the pic

ergo - " a bird " is both possible , plausible and does not contradict any evidence presented

therefore - in the ansence of further evidence - the bird theory is highly likley

reply to post by Sage08

As a enlisted USAF (US Air Force), I can say that without a doubt it's something manmade. Just because that guy didn't know what it was doesn't make it extraterrestial...Nothing bigger than a pigeon can fly without being noticed.

Okay, so then you can't gurantee that it wasn't in fact a pidgeon. The last time I checked, pidgeons were not in fact "manmade." Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it was an ET craft, but you really can't say that it wasn't either. No offense.

When you wage war with the universal balance, it will send inter-dimensional travellers to find a cause and seek a solution.

odd to say the least looks good to me too
It is a uFO no doubt I can't identify it ,can any1 ID it

reply to post by LunarLooney1


Great catch thanks for sharing this. So much is happening all over maybe we're nearing the truth, it's out there!

reply to post by JDN24


i have explained - see my last post - now how do people know it was a large object , come on !

Originally posted by ignorant_ape
the shutter speed and motion blur make that unlikley - or a large aircraft to be travelling at a speed to cause blur - it would MOST likley be supersonic - and you cannot miss a supersonic flyby

that argument holds true for any oher UFO

Unless the UFO is somehow technologically advanced enough to travel at supersonic speeds without causing a sonic boom.

Seriously, you know what the U stands for. How can you claim that any argument can be applied as a blanket statement to all UFOs? Let alone a statement based on human technological limitations!

This looks exactly like all the other "oh I didn't see it when I took it" pictures, which always turn out to be birds.