It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by black cat
You heard me right. I'm going to say that most of those claiming a sighting is a "Chinese lantern" probably has never seen one.
sky lanterns are constructed of light-weight, flame-proof paper, and operate on the same principal as a hot air balloon. A fire inside provides the heat necessary to make the vessel rise into the air since warm air rises.
The light will most likely not change color, though I cannot rule this out completely. The paper on the sky lantern is colored.
Since the light is a candle or wax fuel cell or some other fuel that burns and flame will always flicker
I'm not saying sky lanterns won't go past 1,000 meters but is it reasonable to assume that they can go 5,000 feet or more into the sky?
The flame driving a sky lantern will flicker and that flickering can usually be seen with the naked eye.
Sky lanterns cannot move through the air very fast since their only source of power is rising hot air. They certainly will not move faster or even close to the speed of a prop airplane.
They will not change shape during flight. A change in shape could mean letting the hot air escape which would bring the vessel back to the ground.
With these facts in mind, can all of the conclusions of "it's a Chinese lantern" be accurate when analyzing UFO videos? In my opinion, the "Chinese lantern" conclusion is becoming more and more like the old knee-jerk conclusions of "it's Venus" or "it's swamp gas" played out by skeptics.
3. Sky lanterns cannot move through the air very fast since their only source of power is rising hot air. They certainly will not move faster or even close to the speed of a prop airplane.
Originally posted by FOXMULDER147
You're obsessed with chinese lanterns!
A glowing, orb-shaped light that seems to flash and change color, and what doesn't move like a plane, helicopter, missile, or kite. How could someone possibly mistake it for a UFO?!
It's not a "knee-jerk" reaction to call chinese lantern. Remember - it's much, much more likely to be one of these than an alien spaceship.
It's common sense to take them into consideration. To do otherwise is irresponsible.
P.S. I'm going to guess you're not British? Well I live in England and I've seen dozens of these things in the sky. A couple of times I got really excited thinking maybe it was a UFO. They are really popular over here right now (annoyingly!). I don't know how much they are used in the states
[edit on 30-5-2010 by FOXMULDER147]
[edit on 30-5-2010 by FOXMULDER147]
Originally posted by SacredLore
This is man-made. A common sight in Rio de Janeiro and I have seen it many times myself. Almost every night you can see small hot air balloons in the night sky. The burning material that produces the hot air often starts to drip and fall off to the ground, exactly like on this video. Maybe it is even parts of the balloon catching fire and falling off (they are usually made of paper).
Call it Chinese lantern if you like
Beauties of the Sky, Filled With Hot Air and Peril
YouTube: Les ballons pirates de Rio (Portuguese/French)
The only difference is that the hot air balloons in Brazil are not tethered, they move with the wind. This one seems tethered, or maybe the wind indeed was changing direction several times.
The sight is impressive and surprising if you don't know what it is. I would have mistaken it for a UFO as well. But no local resident of Rio de Janeiro would ever think that such lights are not from earth.