On October 3, a space observatory photographed the sun, and a long, white spot appeared on the side of the image. Scott C. Waring claimed it was a massive craft passing through the solar system, as reported by the Walla! website on October 17.
The spot was visible in only one photograph, but Waring identified it as a mothership with three smaller craft being towed behind it. He even estimated its length at about four kilometers (2.5 miles). The image itself contains no information showing what the spot is or how fast it's moving.
One Spot, Three Craft
The image was taken by a space observatory that photographs the sun. Its instrument blocks the sun's direct, powerful light to allow imaging of its surroundings. Waring inverted the image colors and declared the spot an alien mothership.
He claimed the craft was moving at nearly the speed of light, and that three smaller craft were being towed behind it by a tractor beam. He presented the image as proof that aliens are traversing the solar system. However, a single photograph doesn't show movement; to know how fast something is moving, its position must be tracked over time.
What Can Look Like a Spacecraft
Bright dots and lines have appeared in observatory photos before. Space particles hitting the camera can create such marks. An overly bright star, dust, or tiny fragments from the spacecraft itself might also appear unusually in an image.
Such explanations don't identify this particular spot, but they show there are routine ways for strange shapes to appear in photographs. The size of the spot also cannot be calculated from the image alone; its distance must be known.
What Remains Unknown
The observatory team has not published a specific explanation for this spot. Therefore, it's unknown what created it, and the image offers no proof that it's a spacecraft, moving at an unusual speed, or towing three smaller craft.
The photograph remains a long, white spot. Sometimes, a single small shape is enough to tell an entire story.
