What UFOs turn out to be

Reflections and photo artefacts mistaken for UFOs

Many UFO photos show an object nobody saw when the picture was taken: an internal lens reflection (often mirroring a light source across the image centre), an insect or bird darting past the camera, a raindrop or a speck of dust lit by the flash.

Phone processing (long exposure, image stacking) adds odd streaks and shapes. Keeping the original file, with its metadata, often settles the question.

SkyUnknown lists 44 UFO sightings explained as a reflection or photographic artefact, from 2006 to 2025, drawn from official records: GEIPAN (CNES). The busiest year was 2007, with 6 cases.

Most frequently named places: Marseille (2) and Fouchy (2).