{"id":5821,"date":"2018-12-12T16:51:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T16:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/casefiles\/?p=5821"},"modified":"2020-06-20T00:16:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-20T00:16:57","slug":"ufo-over-knoxville-tennessee-july-14-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/casefiles\/ufo-over-knoxville-tennessee-july-14-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"UFO over Knoxville, Tennessee -July 14, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Case File Status: Solved, out of focus celestial object (Star)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Witness Kevin Lane submitted the following case to The Black Vault \/ TBV Investigations on 07\/14\/2018. It was assigned to TBV Investigator Jim Kerr for investigation and analysis.<\/p>\n

Witness Testimony<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Witness Lane submitted the following testimony which is unedited and appears as it was submitted.<\/i><\/p>\n

“Large glowing object, it seems to change colors from inside out. It comes and goes and changes spots in the sky in a matter of seconds. It is bright orange but changes rapidly from orange to green to blue then back orange. I have tried looking through a telescope ( Walmart brand bought for my young son ) it does not zoom in close, but it looks like it is pulsating inside out. I have pics and video with my phone that I will try and upload.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Evidence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Witness Lane submitted one photograph.<\/p>\n

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The Analysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Jim Kerr, TBV Investigations<\/p>\n

As an amateur astronomer, photographer and videographer I have spent many years observing celestial objects in the night sky. I have experience with astrophotography along with coupling DSLR camera and video cameras to telescopes using eyepiece projection to film celestial objects. I am familiar with camera focus issues in low light and have intentionally observed and filmed celestial objects that are not in focus. Based on my database of out of focus planets and stars I can recognize photos and video of these objects that are out of focus.<\/p>\n

The witness stated he had additional photos and video of the object he witnessed. I requested he forward the additional data along with answers to questions I submitted to him. At the time of writing this report, the witness has not responded to my request. If the witness submits the additional requested information, I will add the information to this report; however, based on the single photograph submitted, I was able to resolve this case.<\/p>\n

Weather\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Knoxville, TN., 07\/14\/2018 at 10:00 pm. Source: Wunderground Weather Website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the time of the witness\u2019 sighting, it was 81 degrees, Dewpoint 73 degrees, Humidity 77%, Wind speed ten mph SSW, and was cloudy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Astronomy<\/strong><\/td>\nDay Length<\/td>\nRise<\/td>\nSet<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Actual Time<\/strong><\/td>\n14h 22m<\/td>\n6:31 AM<\/td>\n8:54 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Civil Twilight<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n6:02 AM<\/td>\n9:23 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nautical Twilight<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n5:26 AM<\/td>\n9:59 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Astronomical Twilight<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n4:46 AM<\/td>\n10:39 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Moon: waxing crescent<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n7:11 AM<\/td>\n9:25 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Astronomical Data<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Searching the archives of Stellarium,\u00a0(a planetarium software that shows exactly what you see when you look up at the stars),<\/i>\u00a0I was able to view exactly what celestial objects were visible to the witness in his night sky from his location in Knoxville, TN on 07\/14\/2018 at 10:00 pm.<\/p>\n

Based on the witness\u2019 description that the object was pulsating (twinkling) showing colors of orange, blue and green is consistent with stars. Two of the brightest stars were visible, Arcturus which is the 4th<\/sup>\u00a0brightest star and Vega which is the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0brightest star we see from earth.The visible planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus, can be ruled out as the object he observed because planets do no pulsate (twinkle) or change colors.<\/p>\n

Refer to the article link below, Why do stars twinkle but planets don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/why-dont-planets-twinkle-as-stars-do<\/a><\/p>\n

Below: Excerpt from the above article. Credit, Deborah Byrd, EarthSky.com<\/p>\n

Stars twinkle, while planets (usually) shine steadily. Why?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cStars twinkle because\u00a0\u2026 they\u2019re so far away from Earth that, even through large telescopes, they appear only as pinpoints. And it\u2019s easy for Earth\u2019s atmosphere to disturb the pinpoint light of a star. As a star\u2019s light pierces our atmosphere, each single stream of starlight is refracted \u2013 caused to change direction, slightly \u2013 by the various temperature and density layers in Earth\u2019s atmosphere. You might think of it as the light traveling a zig-zag path to our eyes, instead of the straight path the light would travel if Earth didn\u2019t have an atmosphere.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPlanets shine more steadily because\u00a0\u2026 they\u2019re closer to Earth and so appear\u00a0not\u00a0as pinpoints, but as tiny disks in our sky. You can see planets as disks if you looked through a telescope, while stars remain pinpoints. The light from these little disks is also refracted by Earth\u2019s atmosphere, as it travels toward our eyes. But \u2013 while the light from one edge of a planet\u2019s disk might be forced to \u201czig\u201d one way \u2013 light from the opposite edge of the disk might be \u201czagging\u201d in an opposite way. The zigs and zags of light from a planetary disk cancel each other out, and that\u2019s why planets appear to shine steadily.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo credit,\u00a0AstroBob, via\u00a0The Random Science blog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Photo credit,\u00a0AstroBob, via\u00a0The Random Science blog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Screenshot from Stellarium depicting what witness Lane observed from his location in Knoxville, TN on 07\/14\/2018 at 10:00 pm. Photo contains data about Vega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Screenshot from Stellarium depicting what witness Lane observed from his location in Knoxville, TN on 07\/14\/2018 at 10:00 pm. Photo contains data about Arcturus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n