Streetlight of the day ...

[Mulder]

http://www.ufocasebook.com/2008/derry.html

[bobdezon]

Captured on google maps FROM SPACE!!!! O0

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/mm?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=54.976548,-7.344301&spn=0.002361,0.004973&t=k&z=18

[Matt]

http://www.ufocasebook.com/2008/derry.html

Cool, original article in the derry post and follow-ups here.

http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/UFO-spotted-in-Derry.4068021.jp?CommentPage=3&CommentPageLength=10#comments

http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Derry-UFO-sparks-global-discussion.4075054.jp

http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/UFO-snapper-defends-spaceship-photo.4078323.jp

Comments section are quite entertaining.

I'm getting the impression this is a genuine UFO rather than a hoax. That's not to say I think it must therefore be a flying saucer flown by little green but it'd be interesting to see if it can be identified.

[Mulder]

I'm getting the impression this is a genuine UFO rather than a hoax. That's not to say I think it must therefore be a flying saucer flown by little green but it'd be interesting to see if it can be identified.

It's amazing the range of opinions you get when you put an odd photo on the web. The majority tend to be bizarre, for some reason. It's as if people vie for the silliest explanation possible.

[Rat]

I read the picture-taker's insistence that it it all real at http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/UFO-snapper-defends-spaceship-photo.4078323.jp wherein I find the amusing statement "We slowed down and were literally crawling along the road at about 20 miles per hour when I took the photo". I have to say that if I were literally crawling at 20mph, I don't think I'd be able to take a photo at all.

[Mulder]

When analysing anomalous photos you have to remember one important thing: cameras are generally efficient recorders of light with good accurate memories. By contrast, many photographers fail to notice much that is in plain view in front of them and remember even less. I generally ignore the 'story' that goes with a photo and concentrate on the picture itself.

[Mulder]

Here's an analysis someone did! Maybe not a streetlight after all ...

http://www.thesecondeclipse.com/current-cases-and-analysis/

It shows the value of doing a proper investigation using a decent copy of the photo.

[Matt]

Good to see a full res version with EXIF data intact.

Looking at this I can't help but wonder in my amateurish way if the car in the background is being lit from the left whilst the saucer is being lit from the right?

[Mulder]

Another link: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread354228/pg7

It seems no one believes in street lights any more ... :(

[dalriada]

Excellent photo analysis on the website, I was going for "streetlight story" till the flying-saucer-candy hypothesis came up and I became convinced that the top and bottom halves of the object were indeed of different colours, just like the aforementioned sweeties.

Photographic analysis aside, I do think the stories themselves are worth an analysis, although as far as this story goes, I only had to read that the tale originated in Derry before I started smirking and expected it to be a tall one...

>:D