Quick Guide to Identifying Interesting Aerial Phenomena (and not wasting everyone’s time with common things)

I can’t be the only one tired of all these “is this a UFO??” when it’s another Starlink launch/deployment or literally a drone. So, here’s a quick guide to sorting UFOs. Feel free to add/correct me, as I’m no expert; but I know at least this much:

If it’s a long string of lights all moving together and not doing anything special other than floating across the sky: it’s a Starlink (Elon space internet) deployment If it’s a light shooting up to the sky with all sorts of whacky Halo plasma grenade effects around dawn/dusk and you live near either Southern California of South Florida: that’s a rocket launch (most likely SpaceX) If it’s day time and appears to be a silver orb doing all sorts of whacky maneuvers: odds are high it’s a balloon fucking around in high winds (they’re much higher speed off the ground, and can be incredibly turbulent) If it has any manner of flashing lights: extraordinarily likely to be a conventional aircraft or drone, especially if those lights follow FAA regulations (steady white with flashing red or white) If it’s a silver thingy in the distance slowly moving what looks like “down” and smoke “above” it: it’s probably a jet airliner flying away from you

Ok then, what’s worthy of everyone’s time?

Anything that breaks the laws of known physics.

Think instantaneous acceleration/deceleration. Changing directions and/or moving at sharp angles, again, from our perspective: instantaneously. Be careful to note: lights can reflect off windows and camera optics that sometimes appear to be weird shit. So if you’re filming and think you see some spooky shit, try paying attention to if it moves when you move. Generally speaking: if it doesn’t in some way violate ballistic trajectories in a major way, it’s probably nothing. Like think of an F-22. It can do some incredible maneuvers. But when you see it flying a certain direction, it’s probably going to keep a certain profile along a certain path of its direction/speed. It can’t instantaneously stop. It can’t make a sharp, 90 degree angle maneuver. And it can’t do what it does do without a shit ton of noise.

In conclusion, if it isn’t doing something absolutely wild outside of known/conventional flight envelopes it’s most likely nothing remarkable.