Viewing a UFO crossing the Moon

This document summarizes my frame-by-frame analysis of a possibly-authentic UFO video that shows an object crossing the Moon. I've used open-source software to:

1. Select interesting frames from the UFO video.
2. Extract (crop and interpolate) UFO closeups (enlargements) from the frames.
3. Create an online slideshow of UFO closeups.
4. Examine the UFO's features, including its components and activities.

Note: If you're curious, you too can analyze UFO videos, frame by frame. For more information, please see How to analyze UFO videos.

UFO video

While making a video of the Moon, Tom Dozier recorded a UFO crossing the Moon. On 02-21-2016, Tom posted the video on his Facebook page. He writes, "Satellite? Asteroid? Aliens? I was shooting some night video of the moon and caught this. What is it and how big is it to be seen crossing the moon?"

UFO closeups
I've extracted interpolated closeups from 35 sequential frames of the above Moon-crossing UFO video. I published these frames in a slideshow, Closeups of a UFO crossing the Moon. Figures 1 through 7 show seven sequential closeups that I've borrowed from my slideshow.

Notes:

• The typical video camera records approximately 25 frames per second. Therefore, within 35 sequential frames, the images occur at 0.04-second intervals, for a total of 1.4 seconds (35 X 0.04 = 1.4).
• Each uninterpolated UFO closeup has relatively few pixels, typically between 200 and 2500. Therefore, we cannot see details as clearly as we prefer because each pixel appears as a relatively-large square. However, graphics software uses interpolation to calculate many new pixels among the uninterpolated pixels, which smooths out the squares. While not perfect, an interpolated closeup helps us see general shapes more clearly than would the patchwork of pixels in an uninterpolated closeup.

Figure 1 - The UFO seems to have a complex structure.

Figure 2 - The lower section seems to have moved upward.

Figure 3 - The upper section grows complex, and the
dark middle section seems to be forming a triangle.

Figure 4 - The upper section continues changing.

Figure 5 - The lower section changes greatly.

Figure 6 - A triangle (similar to that in Figure 3) has reappeared. 

Figure 7 - The upper-left corner changes greatly,
which adds more complexity to the upper section.

UFO characteristics
In my opinion, if Tom Dozier's UFO video is authentic, the object is an object of unknown origin. There is no way to estimate its size because we do not know whether the UFO is close to the Moon, close to Earth, or somewhere between. Figures 1 through 7, and all the other slides show the UFO rapidly rotating and/or changing shape. Moreover, certain features of this UFO seem to change shape while its other features remain static.

Viewing a UFO over Rio de Janeiro

This document summarizes my frame-by-frame analysis of a possibly-authentic UFO video shown in UFO recorded during flight over Rio de Janeiro. I've used open-source software to:

1. Select interesting frames from the UFO video.
2. Extract (crop and interpolate) UFO closeups (enlargements) from the frames.
3. Create an online slideshow of UFO closeups. Important: My slideshow, Closeups of a UFO over Rio de Janeiro, shows many more images than I can include in this document.
4. Examine the UFO's features, including its components and activities.

Note: If you're curious, you too can analyze UFO videos, frame by frame. For more information, please see How to analyze UFO videos.

UFO video
Near Rio de Janeiro, on 10-12-2013, a UFO reportedly followed a private plane for approximately 25 minutes. There were three witnesses: the pilot, his copilot, and Rodrigo Andrade, a Brazilian singer and actor who recorded the UFO video. Concerned about possible repercussions, the witnesses did not report the UFO until 12-31-2015. For more information, please see Famous Actor Films UFO Chasing A Plane In Brazil.

UFO closeups
I've extracted interpolated closeups from from various frames of the above Rio UFO video. Figures 1 through 6 show closeups from six sequential frames. A video camera records approximately 25 frames per second. Therefore, within this sequence, the images occur at 0.04-second intervals (relative times 0.00 through 0.20).

Note: Each uninterpolated UFO closeup has relatively few pixels, typically between 200 and 2500. Therefore, we cannot see details as clearly as we prefer because each pixel appears as a relatively-large square. However, graphics software uses interpolation to calculate many new pixels among the uninterpolated pixels, which smooths out the squares. While not perfect, an interpolated closeup helps us see general shapes more clearly than would the patchwork of pixels in an uninterpolated closeup.

Figure 1 - Starting this sequence at time 0.00,
the object that seems to have a specific structure.

Figure 2 - At time 0.04, the object has morphed into an
interim shape. It seems to have stretched in two directions.

Figure 3 - At time 0.08, the object seems similar to its time-0.00 shape.

Figure 4 - At time 0.12, the object seems to change its lower
portion. Often, some features change while others remain static.

Figure 5 - At time 0.16, the object seems to
change shape, possibly while rotating clockwise.

Figure 6 - At time 0.20, the object is still changing shape.
(It continues doing so throughout the entire video.)

Note: For more closeups that I've extracted from the Rio UFO video, please see my slideshow, Closeups of a UFO over Rio de Janeiro.

UFO characteristics
In my opinion, if the Rio UFO video is not a hoax, it is an object of unknown origin. There is no way to estimate its size because we do not know the distance between the plane and the UFO. Its composition is unknown because its shape changes continuously throughout the video. It seems to be made of multiple parts that change shape and/or move at differing rates. Sometimes, components seem to dissolve into a gas that later solidifies into new components.

How to analyze UFO videos

This document can help you analyze videos of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) by extracting (cropping and enhancing) closeups from interesting video frames that you select. For example, if you find either a Facebook or YouTube UFO video that you think might be authentic, you can use open-source software to copy one or more video frames and then extract closeups from them.

Note: Various procedures in this document require:

• VLC (media player)
• RowVid.com or Analyzer.com (utilities that let you view YouTube videos frame-by-frame)
• GIMP (image editor)

However, you can use other software tools and alter your procedures accordingly.

Most UFO videos are either hoaxes or natural phenomena. However, a few seem authentic. For example, the web page, UFO recorded during flight over Rio de Janeiro, contains an intriguing video. Figure 1 is a UFO closeup that I've extracted (cropped and enhanced) from a single frame in the Rio video.

Figure 1 - Is this object a starship, an Interstellar
probe, or simply an elaborate hoax?

My first UFO-video analysis

As I watched the Rio video for the first time, its UFO seemed to be spinning, tumbling, or changing shape, but I couldn't see its actions precisely. After watching the video a few more times, I wanted to get a closer look so that I might better understand the UFO. I decided to extract UFO closeups from a few frames in the video. I've published many of these images in a slide show: UFO closeups extracted from video. The closeups are pixelated (grainy), but more detailed than the video. Compare Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2 - This original video frame shows the UFO as a small object.

Figure 3 - The extracted image shows UFO as a basically-cubic structure that has multiple components.

Copying UFO video frames
You can copy video frames from either Facebook or YouTube.

Copying Facebook video frames - To copy Facebook video frames, you can download the Facebook video as an MP4 file, and then copy one or more of its frames.

Downloading a video from Facebook - To download a video from Facebook, do the following:

1. Go to the web page that contains an embedded Facebook video, such as UFO recorded during flight over Rio de Janeiro, select the video, and then start playing it. Note: I recommend starting with this Rio video; it contains many frames worth analyzing.
2. Pause the video, right-click on it to display a menu, and then click Show Video URL to display it.
3. Click on the URL to highlight it, and then press Ctrl + C to copy it.
4. Open a new browser tab, select the address field, paste the URL, such as https://www.facebook.com/RodrigoAndradeOficial/videos/999375636766239/, into the address field.
5. Replace the 'www' with an 'm' to change the URL, such as to https://m.facebook.com/RodrigoAndradeOficial/videos/999375636766239/, and then go to that URL to display the video launch window.
6. Start the video, right-click on it, and then click Save Video As to display its dialog.
7. Rename the video, such as ufo_rio.mp4, and then save it to your desktop or a working folder.

Copying frames from a Facebook video - To copy one or more frames from a Facebook video, do the following:

1. Download a Facebook UFO video as an MP4 file according to the section above.
2. Open the MP4 video with a VLC media player, start the video, and then pause it at any frame that shows a good view of the UFO.
3. Click Tools, and then click Effects and Filters to display a dialog.
4. Click Video Effects, select Sharpen, and then adjust the Sigma level until you see a clear image. IMPORTANT: This step is vital for the best possible image resolution.
5. Toggle the play-and-pause button to find an interesting video segment, and then, as shown in Figure 4, click the Frame by frame icon repeatedly until you find the exact frame you want to copy.

   

   Figure 4 - An interesting frame in a Facebook video.
6. Click Take a snapshot (camera icon) to save your copied frame image (vlcsnap screenshot) in your Pictures folder.
7. Move your copied frame image, to your desktop or a working folder.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each frame you wish to copy. 

Copying YouTube video frames - To copy YouTube video frames, you can make screenshots of one or more frames. To copy a specific frame, do the following:

1. Start playing a YouTube UFO video, pause it, and then copy its URL.
2. Open a new browser tab, and do either of the following:
• Go to RowVid.com, paste the URL into the ENTER VIDEO URL OR ID field, and click WATCH VIDEO.
• Go to Anilyzer.com, paste the URL in the ENTER VIDEO URL field, select YouTube, and then click WATCH VIDEO.
3. Click Settings (the gear icon), click Quality, and then select the highest possible quality; preferably 1080p or 720p.
4. During an interesting interval, click 0.25 for the slowest video speed.
5. Click either the forward or back arrow button to stop the video at a specific frame, and then continue clicking these buttons until you find a frame you wish to copy.
6. Press Print Screen to display a Save Screenshot dialog, and then click Save to copy the screenshot of the frame (as shown in Figure 5) to your desktop or working folder.

   

   Figure 5 - Screenshot of an interesting frame in a YouTube video.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each frame you wish to copy.

Extracting UFO closeups

After copying frames from either a Facebook or YouTube video, you can extract UFO closeups. To extract a UFO closeup, do the following:

1. Use GIMP to open any UFO video frame that you have copied.
2. Click Tools, click Transform Tools, and then click Crop to enable the Crop tool (a cross-hair pointer that you move with your mouse).
3. Use the Crop tool to draw a box around the small UFO image.
4. Press Enter to crop the new image.
5. Click Image, click Scale Image to display its dialog, and then set Image Size-Width to approximately 500 px (the Height should automatically be proportional, such as 492 px), and then click Scale to resize the image.
6. Click Colors, click Brightness-Contrast to display its dialog, adjust Brightness and Contrast as necessary, and then click OK.
7. Click File, click Export As to display its dialog, rename the image, and then click Export to save the UFO closeup, such as shown in either Figure 6 or 7.

Figure 6 - UFO closeup from a Facebook video.
(Along with Figures 1 and 3, this is another 
closeup of the UFO in the Rio video.)

Figure 7 - UFO closeup from a YouTube video.