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KPTV - FOX 12

Fireball UFO seemingly explodes over Oregon

Several witnesses contacted Portland, Oregon Fox affiliate KPTV with photos of a strange fireball UFO in the sky on the morning of Wednesday, November 20. The aerial object was observed just after 7:00 a.m.

Fireball UFO as seen from Portland, OR. (Credit: Ed Tynan/KPTV)

Fireball UFO as seen from Portland, OR. (Credit: Ed Tynan/KPTV)

KPTV contacted Jim Todd, director of space science education at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). According to Todd, some of the photos sent to the news station seem to depict an explosion. KPTV explains that an explosion could indicate that the aerial object was a bright meteor known as a fireball. But an exploding fireball would apparently have caused a sonic boom. And, according to Todd, “So far, there is no indication there was a sonic boom.”

Todd added the possibility that that object in the photos could be an airplane contrail, and “what looks like an explosion in the photos could actually be the rising sun reflecting off a cloud layer.” And KOIN meteorologist Bruce Sussman agrees. The station describes, “The contrail was expanded by winds in the sky, and then the sun hit it just right — lighting it up. The bright light did indeed look like a fire ball or meteor. But, unfortunately for sky gazers who sent KOIN 6 News images of the sighting Wednesday and were hoping for another diagnosis, it was not.”

But according to Todd, “The verdict is still out.” The fireball UFO has not been positively identified. But experts believe the most likely explanation is an airplane contrail.

About Jason McClellan

Jason McClellan is a UFO journalist and the producer/co-host of the web series Spacing Out! He is also the web content manager and staff writer for OpenMinds.tv, and a co-organizer and technical producer of the International UFO Congress. As a founding member of Open Minds, Jason served as a writer and editor for the now defunct Open Minds magazine. He has appeared on Syfy, NatGeo, and, most recently, he co-starred on H2's Hangar 1: The UFO Files. ------ Follow Jason on Twitter @acecentric and subscribe to Jason's updates on Facebook.

8 comments

  1. this is the second time that this has happened so maybe it some type of balloon that caught fire?.

  2. Headline says “explosion”, but not one image shows an explosion. Pilot and meteorologist say it’s a contrail, but don’t let that get in the way of a good “UFO” story. Theater of the mind.

  3. @dan – The headline says “SEEMINGLY explodes.” And, in this article, it says that the director of space science education at the local museum stated that some of the photos the station received “seem to depict an explosion.”

  4. Could be several things, a lump of space rock burning up in the sky…..Or, if there are any airbases in that area (I’m in the UK so don’t know the area) could it have been a military aircraft/rocket test/ drone test gone wrong?. Or, it could have been space junk entering the atmosphere. With no reports of a sonic boom, sounds like a meteorite could be ruled out. Great pictures and an interesting mystery awaiting to be solved.

  5. Hi Jason
    We had exactly the same fireball over Melbourne Australia about a month ago. I took a picture using my Iphone 5 – It is unbelievable how they look so much alike. I took the picture about 6.30 at night and there was no noise associated with it, nothing. If you want the picture I can send it, just not sure how to do that.
    Your welcome to use it as I believe there must have been more people here who saw what I saw. I can confirm there were two of us that saw it and that it lasted quite a while before it dissapeared.

  6. Chemtrails not Contrails. Contrails dissipate by design, Chemtrails get bigger and become fake clouds – and contain Barium and aluminum…and are sprayed by unmarked planes – open your mind Dan. This isn’t theater.

  7. Contrail.

  8. It does not look any thing like a chemtrail or a contrail . It looks like a disk shaped object in a controlled fiery descent!

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