# Drones over New Jersey **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2024, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243 "2024-12-06T04:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/121 "2024-12-15T17:52:48Z")
Is it real or is it memorex? How about if it was 3D aerial imaging, a movie stunt ala Star Wars let’s ask George Lucas ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/122 "2024-12-15T17:57:26Z")
Who does aerial imaging at night? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/123 "2024-12-15T17:58:40Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > funny discussions on the drones(r/technology)…main drone sub is still closed. > [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1hen9td/the_new_jersey_drone_mystery_may_not_actually_be/) I laughed at some of these comments. The one that indicated the aliens might have traveled millions of light years to visit New Jersey was hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/124 "2024-12-15T18:10:59Z")
Or a hologram > **[Hologram experts can now create real-life images that move in the air](https://new.nsf.gov/news/hologram-experts-can-now-create-real-life-images)** > > Brigham Young University's holography research group has figured out how to create "lightsabers" -- green for Yoda and red for Darth Vader -- with actual… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/125 "2024-12-15T18:19:01Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > funny discussions on the drones(r/technology)…main drone sub is still closed > [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1hen9td/the_new_jersey_drone_mystery_may_not_actually_be/) There is also a group dedicated to the New Jersey drones: [https://www.reddit.com/r/NJDrones/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NJDrones/) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/126 "2024-12-15T18:23:26Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Do people literally never go outside and look up? Hey, this is serious, people! I took a look in the sky last night and I saw approximately 7 drones in a fixed formation that took the shape of a big ladle…or ‘dipper’, if you will. And there was also a similar-looking, yet smaller drone formation nearby! A ‘little ladle’, I named it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/127 "2024-12-15T18:50:03Z")
Chuck Schumer has gotten into the act and [is feeding the Fear of Drones frenzy](https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/us-agencies-should-use-advanced-technology-to-19982415.php). ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/128 "2024-12-15T18:55:18Z")
Well it is distraction but distraction slathered in madness. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/129 "2024-12-15T19:36:09Z")
The mass hysteria that makes people all over an area see what they think are mysterious aircraft in the skies goes way back, long before the flying saucer scare of the late 1940s. In 1896, many people in Oakland saw lights and heard voices coming from overhead late at night. They returned the next few nights, especially as Oakland newspapers covered them heavily, and then moved to over San Francisco, which - coincidentally? - had more newspapers and less scrupulous reporters. Ironically, people _hoped_ that the things they saw in the skies was actually an airplane, because that would give Californians the honor of the first working powered heavier-than-air craft. Indeed, people confessed to this, naturally seeking backers for more development. The sights moved down the coast and then eastward along the railroad line. In a few months half the country had made sightings. It was easy to prove that once the sightings started, the newspapers made up stories to boost circulation. Few cared. They knew they had seen something up there, something new and exciting. The parallels between 1896 and later scares are more uncanny that any of the causes. I wrote about this in an article called "What Was It? The Mystery Airship of 1896. I can’t link to it because it’s on sale at Amazon. But I can give away the ending behind a spoiler for anyone who wants to guess. The fact that the first sightings were accompanied by voices from the sky narrows the possibilities greatly. No aircraft of the time was silent; motors made thundering rackets. Gliders maybe? Or hot-air balloons? Those were almost never taken aloft at night because that made navigation and landings too dangerous. Nor did the movements correspond to a flight path by either. Even people at the time could dismiss them. Aliens, then? Yeah, well. Anything is possible if you start with aliens. Astronomers came down on unusually bright displays from Venus, which is the accepted answer today for early and not hysteria-launched sightings. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/130 "2024-12-15T19:41:41Z")
It goes back further than that: see jack o’ lantern, will-o-the-wisp, St Elmo’s fire, etc. for folk re-interpretation of lights as sinister. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/131 "2024-12-15T20:53:24Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Anything is possible if you start with aliens. Astronomers came down on unusually bright displays from Venus, which is the accepted answer today for early and not hysteria-launched sightings. Venus has been very prominent in the sky lately, and I saw it between the moon and the set sun about 10 days ago, after dark. I noticed it when leaving campus, and it was clearly visible during the entire drive home, and hovering over my neighbor’s house. Made me wonder if Venus was contributing to the NJ hysteria. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/132 "2024-12-15T21:31:00Z")
Seems to be happening. > [@](#): > > While I am not arguing this is the explanation for every sighting, one potential source of isolated drone reports might be Venus. _[EarthSky.org](http://EarthSky.org)_ editors [said](https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/venus-after-sunset-greatest-elongation/), “In December 2024, Venus – Earth’s brightest planet – is shining in the western twilight after sunset. It’ll remain visible in the evening sky through the rest of this year.” It is expected to be quite evident during twilight. NASA’s website stated, “(Venus) shines brightly as the “Evening Star” in the southwest after sunset, climbing higher each evening” as December progresses. > **[Mass Drone Hysteria And The Possible Role Of Venus](https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2024/12/15/mass-drone-hysteria-and-the-possible-role-of-venus/)** > > The science of mass hysteria through the lens of recent drone sightings and a potential celestial explanation too. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/133 "2024-12-15T21:57:47Z")
Absolutely. The 1896 hysteria is not even the first case in which aircraft were postulated as the source, but it was the largest and best documented case. The sightings went on for months as they moved gradually from California to Illinois. New York papers began reporting on the sightings, although they never reached the East. Nobody has a good answer for sightings following along the major railroad line. I don’t think that Venus moves east in the sky, but I’m no astronomer. Nevertheless, modern mass newspaper and wireservice coverage was certainly a factor in 1896, multiplying the audience by possibly orders of magnitude. Sightings were no longer confined to be mere local events after that. They could go national. That pattern has emerged in every major sighting craze that I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/134 "2024-12-15T22:34:23Z")
Well yeah, but I’ll bet they didn’t see scintillating orbs in the sky (that were actually just Venus seen through an out-of-focus telephoto lens): [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/wsJoYKY.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/wsJoYKY) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/O3TaZFP.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/O3TaZFP) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/135 "2024-12-15T22:41:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The mass hysteria that makes people all over an area see what they think are mysterious aircraft in the skies goes way back, long before the flying saucer scare of the late 1940s. There is the Battle of Los Angeles. > **[Battle of Los Angeles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Los_Angeles)** > > 5 civilians died > The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which took place from late 24 February to early 25 February 1942, over Los Angeles, California. The incident occurred less than three months after the U.S. entered World War II in response to the Imperial Japanese Navy's surprise attack on Pear... ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/136 "2024-12-15T23:09:52Z")
Doesn’t anyone in NJ own a pair of binoculars? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/137 "2024-12-15T23:13:36Z")
Only the ones who don’t report sightings. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/138 "2024-12-16T00:02:52Z")
An unskilled person looking at Venus through hand-held binoculars would report “It’s moving all over the place!” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/139 "2024-12-16T00:13:10Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Doesn’t anyone in NJ own a pair of binoculars? I suspect few people own binoculars these days, but most have smartphones with really nice cameras. So perhaps video the suspected drone, even without zooming in, and then zoom in on the video later? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243/140 "2024-12-16T00:32:09Z")
I still think we should send up armed fighter aircraft to shoot down the planet Venus. It’s the only way to be sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-over-new-jersey/1011243.md?page=8)