Photo of Triangular Object Near Moon.
Photo Was Brightened With Software to Reveal Object.

Photos of Triangles Taken in Scotland, Chile, and California.

Greenville is in Western South Carolina.

Date of Sighting: May 13, 2008
Time of Sighting: 11:15 PM EDT
Date Sighting Reported: May 14, 2008
Duration of Sighting: Not Known
Location of Sighting: About 15 Miles From Greensville, South Carolina
Latitude: 34.8 Degrees North
Longitude: 82.4 Degrees West
Number of Witnesses: One
Weather: Clear Skies. Visibility 10 Miles. Winds Were From the East-Southeast at 4 MPH.
Astronomical: Moon Was NOT FULL as Stated by Witness and As Seen in The Photo. The Moon Was 71% Illluminated, 30 Degrees Above the Horizon, and in a West-Southwesterly Direction at 11:15 PM EDT.

Description: Hey Mr. Puckett: Last night I was relaxing in my chair in my back yard. There was a full moon in the sky, and at around 11:15 PM I witnessed a black triangle object making a turn as it was about to pass in front of the moon. I had my camera with me and was only able to get one photo. My camera was not able to focus with only a full moon as its light source, but you can see the triangle to the left of the moon. You can really see it when the photo is lightened up. It was a cool nice night with no wind and clear skies. I guess I need to get a better camera because the one I have is over 5 years old. The object made no sound.

Comments: This is the second time that UFOs Northwest has received photos of triangles from this witness. Click here to read the other report and view photos submitted by witness. The meta data with this photo confirms that the photo was taken at 11:15 PM on May 13, 2008. (This is assuming that the date/time was properly set on the camera.) The meta data also shows that a Konica Minolta Dimage Z5 digital camera was used to take the photos. The meta data does not indicate any photo editing by software. (Editing stamps can be hidden by some software programs). The triangle is not evident until the photo is brightened. (The above photo was brightened by me using Photoshop Elements.) However, the major problem with this photo is that the moon was 71% illuminated at the time and date of the photo. The witness stated that the moon was full and the photo shows that the moon was full. The moon will not be full until May 19. Given this discrepancy is a strong indication of deception on the part of the witness. Therefore the authenticity of this photo has to be seriously questioned. This also raises some questions about the photos submitted in the previous report. (See comments below regarding this photo.)

We Received The Following Comments Regarding This Case From a Trusted Source: Yes, I saw the discrepancy in the moon phase right away, BUT I would like to offer the following observations:
 
PRO:
1. Many astronomically-illiterate people refer to the Moon as "full" anytime it is near full.
2. Overexposure can mask the exact outlines of the lunar disk.
3. As can brightening with software (perhaps).
4. The lunar disk in the photo is not circular, although it is very nearly so.
 
CON:
1. I am always suspicious of repeat witnesses.
2. I wonder how he saw the craft given the low light level, but the eye is much more sensitive in those conditions than the average off-the-shelf camera, so this may not be a valid criticism.
3. The difficult to reconcile size and speed indications of the previous photos that I have described to you before.
 
We Received Further Comments From the Same Source: I am becoming more skeptical.  How could the Moon be so distorted unless it is severely out of focus?
 
But if it is so out of focus that a barely 50% moon becomes almost circular, how come the triangle is fairly well defined?
 
The answer that comes to mind is that the triangle is much closer to the camera.  By "much" I don't mean 10 miles vs. the Moon's 250,000.  I mean 10-20 FEET vs the Moon's distance!  Once the subject is beyond much more than a few hundred times the aperture (and that is a high-end qualitative SWAG), the focus doesn't change dramatically. A triangle at 20,000 feet is going to be basically just as out of focus as the Moon is.

Once again basic conflicts of reasonable size, range and speed rear their heads.  I am suspecting a hoax.

Update May 21, 2008: We received the above photos taken in Scotland, Chili, and California from a reliable authority on aircraft. These photos have been posted on other websites. These photos have some differences with the photos received from Greenville.

Update June 2, 2008: Similar photos were taken in Morganton, Georgia on May 2, 2008.