Lens Flare Likely Cause of 'UFO' in CCTV Footage Shared by Australian Police

A still image from the CCTV footage. (Image credit: Kimberley District-WA Police Force / Facebook) — A still image from the CCTV footage. *(Image credit: Kimberley District-WA Police Force / Facebook)*

Video shared to the Kimberley District - WA Police Force Facebook page on February 17th purports to show an unidentified flying object, but examination of the video has led many to believe the only phenomenon present is lens flare.

The Kimberley District is a subsection of the beach resort town of Broome, located in West Australia.

The CCTV footage was shared along with the caption, “After reviewing CCTV at town beach of last nights storm, it appears we were not alone.”

Viewers of the video were quick to comment on the likelihood that the lighted object in the upper left of the screen could be explained by lens flare.

The Singular Fortean Society’s video and photography expert, Emily Wayland, came to the same conclusion.

“This is definitely a result of lens flare, but I could see how most viewers would mistake it for a UFO,” she said. “When I intentionally capture lens flare from the sun as an artistic element, I position the sun in an upper corner of the frame so the light can pass across the circular lens diaphragm into the opposite lower corner. In this case, the car is in the lower right, and the light artifact is in the upper left and moves simultaneously with the car.”

“The car’s taillights appear to be causing the lens flare,” Emily added. “You can see how bright and hazy the lights are in the lower right corner of the screen. The flare first appears when they turn on around -0:14, and then the car reverses.”

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