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A. Shepperd: I have to quash ongoing Mystery #79558 theories

Pits formal training at Western Kentucky University against the brain trusts - who think Great Thought - of the Great Wood South U. Even suggests a dirty lens on Mr. Fudge's lens and fears her good friend's retirement is playing with his faculties.
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See original photo with theories and links: A UFO over Green Hills? Mystery#79558

By April Shepperd

It wasn't that very long ago when another mystery vexed your readers. Remember when the "ghost" reflection of a lady wearing a hat was seen in the window of Moore's Pool room? I had written in to explain that the image was just a refraction of the window painting of a tasty hamburger meant to entice hungry passersby into the restaurant.

Once again I have to quash the ongoing theories concerning Mystery#79558. It's not that I don't have faith in the brain trusts of the Great Wooded South University, for I'm sure they think great thoughts.



However, there is a very simple explanation for this floating, black "UFO." If you examine the depth of field in the photograph (the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears acceptably sharp), you will see that the overall image has great DOF, meaning that camera was probably shooting with a small aperture because of the abundance of natural light allowing everything to be in focus.

Now, look at the black object. See how fuzzy it is? This tells us that the object was exceptionally close to the camera. When focusing, the default sensor in the camera did not take into consideration the close object, only the overall scene. This means that the "UFO" was most likely something on the lens itself, or something floating in the air very close to the camera lens. If the "UFO" was in the air above the trees or in the clouds, it would have been in sharp focus like the rest of the objects.

Now, I attended Western University, and I'm not sure how we stack up against GWSU, but I'm sure Mr. Fudge is investigating every clue. As a friend of many years, I'm considering suggesting to him that a visit to his favorite optometrist might be in order. Either that or retirement is playing with his faculties.

Just throwing my two cents in. Thanks for the ear. Have a wonderful day.

- April Shepperd


This story was posted on 2018-07-06 08:57:38
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