Within Lens Flare
Was Gimbal rotation a camera effect?
The Gimbal debate shows how an infrared-bright shape can look like a rotating craft when glare and camera geometry are contested.
On this page
- What the infrared clip appears to show
- The glare rotation interpretation
- Why camera system data matters in the dispute
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Introduction
The Navy’s “Gimbal” infrared video is one of the most debated pieces of modern UFO evidence because it appears to show a dark, glowing object rotating in mid-air while being tracked by a fighter aircraft’s targeting system. For some viewers, the rotation suggests an extraordinary craft. For others, the most important feature is not the object itself but the behaviour of the infrared image. The central question is whether the apparent rotation belongs to a real aircraft-like body or to infrared glare generated within the camera system. This dispute matters because it illustrates how optical artefacts can transform ambiguous sensor data into apparently dramatic UFO behaviour. [Naval Air Systems Command]navair.navy.milNaval Air Systems Command Documents | NAVAIRNaval Air Systems CommandDocuments | NAVAIR - FOIAVideo - GIMBAL.mp4 - Please download. Download · 2023-009866 N0001923F0093… This is…
Was Gimbal rotation a camera effect?
What the infrared clip appears to show
The Gimbal footage was recorded in January 2015 by an F/A-18 Super Hornet using an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared) pod. Near the end of the clip, the bright infrared target appears to rotate roughly 90 degrees while remaining tracked by the sensor. The apparent rotation became one of the strongest visual arguments that the object was displaying unusual flight characteristics. [Naval Air Systems Command]navair.navy.milNaval Air Systems Command Documents | NAVAIRNaval Air Systems CommandDocuments | NAVAIR - FOIAVideo - GIMBAL.mp4 - Please download. Download · 2023-009866 N0001923F0093… This is…
A key complication is that the image does not show a clearly resolved aircraft. Instead, the target appears as a bright infrared source surrounded by a larger shape. In infrared systems, intense heat sources can produce glare, blooming or diffraction-like patterns that are larger than the underlying object. As a result, what viewers perceive as the outline of a craft may actually be the shape of the sensor’s response to a bright thermal target. [Leonard David]leonarddavid.comdebunking navy ufo videosLeonard DavidDebunking Navy “UFO” Videos30 Apr 2020 — What you see is the infrared glare of the engines, larger than the plane. It looks…
The glare interpretation does not require the target itself to be imaginary. Rather, it proposes that a real heat-emitting object was present, but that the visible rotating shape was an imaging artefact obscuring the object’s true form. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of…
The glare-rotation interpretation
The most influential optical explanation argues that the rotating feature is infrared glare whose orientation is tied to the camera optics rather than to the target. According to this interpretation, the ATFLIR system had to rotate parts of its optical path while maintaining target lock, and the glare pattern rotated relative to the stabilised image. The result is the illusion that the target itself is turning. [PetaPixel]petapixel.comfamous navy ufo video was actually camera glare evidence suggestsPetaPixelFamous Navy UFO Video Was Actually Camera Glare…14 Mar 2022 — One of West's main points is that glare orientation is relative… YouTube Supporters of this explanation point to several observations: [youtube.com]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of…
- The apparent rotation occurs at moments when the camera system is undergoing changes in orientation while tracking the target.
- The bright shape resembles a glare pattern more than a sharply defined object.
- Similar infrared glare artefacts can rotate when the optical system rotates, even if the external target does not. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of… PetaPixel A recurring argument involves image stabilisation and derotation. Targeting pods are designed to keep the scene stable for the pilot despite [petapixel.com]petapixel.comfamous navy ufo video was actually camera glare evidence suggestsPetaPixelFamous Navy UFO Video Was Actually Camera Glare…14 Mar 2022 — One of West's main points is that glare orientation is relative… aircraft motion and gimbal movement. In the glare hypothesis, the background remains visually stable because the system compensates for rotation, while the camera-generated glare remains tied to the optical hardware. This creates a situation where the glare appears to rotate against an otherwise steady scene. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of… YouTube Researchers and analysts supporting the glare explanation have also noted that the orientation of the infrared shape appears to correlate wit [youtube.com]youtube.comOpen source on youtube.com. camera geometry more closely than with any independently demonstrated manoeuvre by the target. They argue that this makes a sensor artefact a more parsimonious explanation for the visible rotation. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of… [Boing Boing]boingboing.netnavy ufo moves with camera mechanisms in glaring problem for alien fansNavy UFO" moves with camera mechanisms in glaring…14 Mar 2022 — It's probably an infrared glare, hiding the hot object behind it, and…
Why camera-system data matters in the dispute
The disagreement persists because the available public video is only a small part of the original sensor record. Determining whether the rotation belongs to a real object or to glare requires detailed knowledge of how the ATFLIR optics, mirrors, stabilisation systems and image-processing functions behaved at that moment. Much of that information is not publicly available. [ResearchGate]researchgate.netRecorded in January 2015 off the coast of Florida by a U.S. Navy…Read more…
Critics of the glare interpretation argue that some proposed optical mechanisms have not been conclusively demonstrated for the ATFLIR system itself. They maintain that the publicly available evidence does not definitively prove that the observed rotation is merely a camera effect. Discussions involving former technicians, pilots and analysts have therefore focused heavily on the exact architecture of the targeting pod and on whether the hypothesised artefacts are physically consistent with it. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of… [YouTube At the same time]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of…, even studies that explore more unusual interpretations generally acknowledge the existence of the glare hypothesis as a serious alternative explanation. Analyses that reconstruct potential flight paths from the video often discuss infrared glare as one of the principal competing models for the observed imagery. [arXiv]arxiv.orgarXivReconstruction of Potential Flight Paths for the January 2015 Gimbal UAPJune 15, 2023…
What Gimbal demonstrates about UFO imagery
Within the broader category of lens flare and optical artefacts, the Gimbal video is important because it highlights a recurring problem in UFO investigations: a sensor image may not directly represent the physical shape or behaviour of the object being observed.
The debate is not primarily about whether a target existed. Rather, it concerns whether the most striking feature in the footage—the apparent rotation—is evidence of extraordinary motion or evidence of how an infrared imaging system responds to a bright heat source. The case therefore serves as a modern example of how optical and sensor effects can become central to UFO interpretation, especially when the available imagery lacks sufficient calibration data to separate a real object’s behaviour from the behaviour of the camera observing it. [YouTube]youtube.comYou Tube Gimbal UFOGimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of… [ResearchGate]researchgate.netRecorded in January 2015 off the coast of Florida by a U.S. Navy…Read more…
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Endnotes
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Source: navair.navy.mil
Title: Naval Air Systems Command Documents | NAVAIR
Link: https://www.navair.navy.mil/foia/documentsSource snippet
Naval Air Systems CommandDocuments | NAVAIR - FOIAVideo - GIMBAL.mp4 - Please download. Download · 2023-009866 N0001923F0093... This is...
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Source: researchgate.net
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ATFLIR-display-and-parameters-of-interest-for-potential-flight-path-reconstructions_fig1_371606041Source snippet
Recorded in January 2015 off the coast of Florida by a U.S. Navy...Read more...
Published: January 2015
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Source: youtube.com
Title: You Tube Gimbal UFO
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsEjV8DdSbsSource snippet
Gimbal UFO - A New AnalysisThe gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that the shape of...
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Source: petapixel.com
Title: famous navy ufo video was actually camera glare evidence suggests
Link: https://petapixel.com/2022/03/14/famous-navy-ufo-video-was-actually-camera-glare-evidence-suggests/Source snippet
PetaPixelFamous Navy UFO Video Was Actually Camera Glare...14 Mar 2022 — One of West's main points is that glare orientation is relative...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X1PRDbtiF0Source snippet
Explained: Gimbal UFO rotation caused by...a Gimbal!The Gimbal UFO video seems to show a rotating flying saucer. However, the shape real...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_bX9Hx1H0Source snippet
Gimbal UFO: Why Does the Glare Rotate When the Horizon...As explained in the ATFLIR patent, there a "derotation" mechanism that r...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: You Tube Rotating UFO or Rotating Infrared Glare?NEW ANALYSIS ** • Gimbal UFO
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcsAZTKRv5ESource snippet
Rotating UFO or Rotating Infrared Glare?NEW ANALYSIS ** • Gimbal UFO - A New Ana... The recently released video showing a rotating UFO lo...
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Source: researchgate.net
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371606041_Reconstruction_of_Potential_Flight_Paths_for_the_January_2015_Gimbal_UAPSource snippet
ResearchGateReconstruction of Potential Flight Paths for the January...An alternative hypothesis, which proposes that Gimbal shows infra...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGHeu5GeR-0Source snippet
Raytheon ATFLIR expert discusses Navy gimbal UFO/UAP...Raytheon ATFLIR expert discusses Navy gimbal UFO/UAP video with Mick West...
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08773Source snippet
arXivReconstruction of Potential Flight Paths for the January 2015 Gimbal UAPJune 15, 2023...
Published: June 15, 2023
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OVt_SkhCdwSource snippet
who has done some work on the ATFLIR system...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-4ZqTjKmhn4FcIJPKnJVGskuXDjHnTOSSource snippet
The IR Glare Hypothesis. Mick West · 3:55 · Gimbal UFO: New Footage Proves Glare Rotation.Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVrlG8RhIGUSource snippet
chnology? Can we explain the GIMBAL UAP video using science...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le7Fqbsrrm8Source snippet
Breakdown of the Pentagon UFO videos with Mick WestThe Pentagon have officially released three videos of unidentified aerial phenomena wh...
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Source: researchgate.net
Title: Typical gimbal control loop
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Typical-gimbal-control-loop-The-gimbals-use-the-inertia-of-the-platform-low-friction_fig3_263808115Source snippet
The gimbals use the inertia of...The gimbals use the inertia of the platform, low friction bearings, and gyro stabilization to point the...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Mick West: The Gimbal UAP Video Explained
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0T07h03p-kSource snippet
The Truth About the Navy's "Gimbal" Video...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: The Truth About the Navy’s “Gimbal” Video
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5yV9m79X70Source snippet
Debunking the Navy UFO "Gimbal" Footage...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Debunking the Navy UFO “Gimbal” Footage
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJ_x2719pMSource snippet
Infrared Glare and the "Gimbal" UAP...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Infrared Glare and the “Gimbal” UAP
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3zWw4N0hX4Source snippet
Understanding ATFLIR Artifacts in Navy Footage...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Understanding ATFLIR Artifacts in Navy Footage
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_j0P_UfP5QSource snippet
These videos provide expert analysis and technical breakdowns of how infrared glare, blooming, and gimbal rotation artifacts can create t...
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Source: leonarddavid.com
Title: debunking navy ufo videos
Link: https://www.leonarddavid.com/debunking-navy-ufo-videos/Source snippet
Leonard DavidDebunking Navy “UFO” Videos30 Apr 2020 — What you see is the infrared glare of the engines, larger than the plane. It looks...
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Source: boingboing.net
Title: navy ufo moves with camera mechanisms in glaring problem for alien fans
Link: https://boingboing.net/2022/03/14/navy-ufo-moves-with-camera-mechanisms-in-glaring-problem-for-alien-fans.htmlSource snippet
"Navy UFO" moves with camera mechanisms in glaring...14 Mar 2022 — It's probably an infrared glare, hiding the hot object behind it, and...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: Gimbal UFO
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/tdud5t/gimbal_ufo_a_new_analysis_mick_west_lays_out_the/Source snippet
A New Analysis: Mick West lays out the more...The gimbal ufo video almost certainly shows a glare that hides the actual object and that...
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Source: youtu.be
Title: hzmd Ssszf5g
Link: https://youtu.be/hzmdSsszf5gSource snippet
"Gimbal" UFO ATFLIR video rotation explained by a Depot...Jul 31, 2020 — This video will explain the rotation of the "Gimbal" object, fr...
Additional References
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo/comments/ntt8ln/gimbal_video_is_not_debunked_new_chris_lehto_vid/Source snippet
Gimbal video is NOT debunked!: New Chris Lehto vid: r/ufoThen he claimed a derotation device in the ATFLIR was responsible for the Gimba...
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Source: Wikipedia
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videosSource snippet
Pentagon UFO videosThe Pentagon UFO videos are selected visual recordings of Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) targeting cameras from Un...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/c1dkm0/why_does_the_gimbal_video_just_cut_off_right/Source snippet
The only rotating effect we can see from the video is the rotating glare...Read more...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/tu837d/great_video_showing_the_details_of_the_gimbal/Source snippet
rotational glare like Mick West falsely claims. Another L for Mick...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ufoupdates/posts/10157515430476790/Source snippet
ike "mental gymnastics" so I made this 60-second explainer...
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Source: popularmechanics.com
Title: navy official release ufo videos
Link: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a32289669/navy-official-release-ufo-videos/Source snippet
The Navy Has Officially Released the UFO Videos27 Apr 2020 — The US Navy has officially published three videos that show UFOs are genuine...
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Source: metabunk.org
Title: a gimbal glare explainer.12230
Link: https://www.metabunk.org/threads/a-gimbal-glare-explainer.12230/Source snippet
A Gimbal Glare Explainer17 Jan 2022 — The rotating spikes you see in that military video are typical [lens flares]({{ 'lens-flare/' | relative_url }}), probably caused by the...
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