The light over the Dome of the Rock (hoax)
In late January 2011 a YouTube video appeared showing a small bright light dropping slowly toward the Dome of the Rock some time after midnight on January 28, hovering just above the golden dome, flashing, and then shooting straight up out of sight. A second clip from another angle followed, then two more, posted under the challenge “Have fun debunking this one”. The videos went round the world, with commentators noting that the multiple viewpoints made them hard to dismiss. Within days investigators pointed to the anonymous sources, the lack of any other witness in one of the most watched places on Earth, the missing reflection on the dome and signs of editing, and the case became a standard example of a digitally inserted UFO.
Explanation
The videos were faked. They were posted anonymously; nobody else among the many people in and around the Old City reported the light; it casts no reflection on the gilded dome; one clip was filmed off a monitor screen; and the analyst Robert Sheaffer showed that the camera shake had been added with an edge-mirroring “motion tile” effect. Nobody has owned up, but no one who examined the clips found them genuine.
What was seen
Shape: A bright white light that descends, hovers over the dome, flashes and shoots straight up
Witnesses: The anonymous uploaders of four videos; no independent witness
Duration: Under a minute
Sources
- Space.com — Hoax in the Holy Land: Jerusalem UFO a proven fake
- Village Voice — Jerusalem UFO videos a hoax
- NPR — A UFO over Jerusalem? Only if you believe in those sorts of things