Video of glowing object behind Outer Banks lighthouse sparks UFO debate. What was it?
A lively debate has erupted on social media over a video that appears to show an unidentified flying object last week over North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
It looks a lot like a meteor, but photographer Wes Snyder says that’s only because he sped the video up.
“The object was visible for just under 3 minutes total so I doubt it’s a meteor, (or) shooting star as those typically only last a few seconds,” Snyder posted on YouTube.
The object also appears to have corners in some of the time lapse photos.
Snyder, who is well known in the Carolinas for coastal photography, shared the video on Facebook and YouTube in hopes of getting sensible explanations. The result has been 300-plus comments, 600 shares and 1,500 reactions. The video was recorded around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, he says.
“I spent a night at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse shooting time lapse photos in order to create an upcoming video. While I was looking through my footage I realized there was something in the video that I could not explain,” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s much larger than your typical plane appears, and it’s moving way faster than clouds.”
Snyder says the best explanation is that it may be “space junk or a satellite burning up in the atmosphere.”
Facebook commenters seem to agree it’s likely not a meteor or shooting star. Some say it’s clearly “extraterrestrial,” while others suggest something more ghostly, tied to the thousands of mariners who died in Outer Banks shipwrecks.
“That area is sacred ground. I have always felt that way — The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” one woman posted on Facebook.
“I have seen a lot of weird things on the coast at night,” another commenter wrote.
“A space ship. Aliens crash landing. There is no other possible explanation,” one woman guessed.
North Carolina’s coast is well known for reported UFO sightings. Large segments of the Outer Banks are undeveloped and the lack of light pollution allows for extended viewing of the night sky. Add to that the ocean reflecting light and you have a perfect mix for strange sightings.
Experts believe some of the suspected UFOs reported off the coast were actually military exercises, which often employ a mix of aircraft and flares. Still others may have been the elaborate lights on fishing trawlers, experts say.
Some commenting on Snyder’s video say it was probably a military craft, like a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
“I’m happy to see the response, as it validates that I’m not crazy and that I captured something unique,” Snyder told McClatchy News.
“I’ve seen tons of planes, meteors, shooting stars, satellites in my timelapses before and this just didn’t act like anything I’ve ever seen before. I figured and hoped that the online community would give me some better ideas of what it could be and it’s been fascinating to see all the various guesses and responses. I always love when I capture something I can’t explain.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Video of glowing object behind Outer Banks lighthouse sparks UFO debate. What was it?."