How do you distinguish between a UFO and an airplane?

I've seen a few things move really fast in the sky but I think they were just planes. But I think they were moving really fast. It seemed like there were objects in the sky moving at half speed and than there were these other objects in the sky moving like 2 times as fast. I'm wondering how you distinguish between a plane and a UFO because if in the event that I might see one in the sky I want to know how to spot them.

One looks as if made by man... The other doesn't

The first thing to do is not think, "A ufo, it's a ufo!"

The next thing to do is watch for a bit realizing that you have no way of judging the size of an object in the sky without knowing how far away it is and, without knowing how far away it is you have no way of judging its size or its rate of movement.

Now, look to see if you can actually see a physical object, not just a light source. If it's just a light source you have to determine if it's reflecting light or if it's producing its own light. Look to see if there are any bright sources of light (the sun for example) that could be reflecting off of something and making it appear larger (which would would make it appear closer) than it really is.

A good thing to do is to think of something "mundane" that it might be. "If it is an airplane (or mylar balloon), how far away would it be. If it's that far away, how fast is it really moving".

Bottom line is run through all the "normal" possibilities before thinking "ufo!" If you can do that, guess what? It's a UFO!

[edit on 11/27/2008 by Phage]

[edit on 11/27/2008 by Phage]

reply to post by Frankidealist35


A few things I can think of:

1. Does it make extemely unlikely maneuvers? (High-speed right angle turns, etc)
   
2. Does it have lights? Especially in standard locations (Planes are required to have those lights for a reason)
   
3. Do you live somewhere that planes travel a flightplan that would bring them into visible range of you? (Yes, that means 99.99% of them will most likely be planes)
   

Since UFO means UNIDENTIFIED, then really the easiest question to ask yourself is, can I identify that object with a high degree of accuracy?

Observing from the ground any man made aircraft at a high altitude moves in a straight line normally and crosses your observable area of view at a steady slow pace.

Low altitude aircraft can appear to move much faster, but they still follow basic known physics as far as what our technology allows. An example, no commercial or private aircraft can make a sudden reversal of direction or a 90 degree change in vector.

Anything like a rock entering the atmosphere from space follows a single trajectory from the point of entry until it burns up or impacts the surface.

Who knows what the military has, but remember, the very definition of a UFO is the fact that you can't identify it, the craft is airborne, and it is an actual object.

Thanks for all of the help.

Also, when looking for UFOs how do I make sure my imagination doesn't get the best of me?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Get rid of it.
Imagination is bad. Very, very bad.

reply to post by Phage


.......
Let me make myself more clear. How do I make sure that when I am watching for UFOs that I don't mistake a plane for a UFO and think that it it has all the features needed for a UFO?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


By definition, UFO's don't have known features. If you can identify one feature of an object it is not a UFO.

As a side note, planes are not the only objects that fly or are in the sky.

reply to post by Phage


some very good points - but just feel compelled to point out - that you can get reflected light with NO obvious source - iridium flares spring to mind

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Good thread

I think there is more to it than just being able to identify planes... or at least there should be, if you want to be reasonably competent at working out what is a UFO and what is not.

It's a bit like learning a language - if you want to talk fluently, you need to know more than one or two words.

For example - I've seen people claim planes are comets, or meteors, or space junk. Sometimes they can appear to hang still in the sky, imitating planets and stars. So you need to be fairly familiar with all these things to be 'fluent' in identifying UFOs.

The only way to do this is to spend time observing and learning (the net is a great place!) about all of the possibilities.

I recommend you start by learning about the stars and planets, which will give you a good foundation to build on. Stellarium is a great free planetarium program that will help you find your way around the sky.

You should look into all the following phenomena:
Stars and planets
Comets, asteroids and meteors
Satellites and satellite flares
Clouds and contrails

Check out my stickie on identifying meteors

My last tip: Learn about perspective, how it affects our view of objects, especially things like contrails in the sky, and how our judgment is affected when viewing objects in the sky

I've found the following links quite useful also:
www.ianridpath.com...
www.realclearwx.com...