The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and astrophysicist Avi Loeb from Harvard University have criticized a recent report about a solid black UFO flying over the skies of Kyiv.
The recent report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) flying over Ukraine’s skies was officially dismissed by the country’s national scientific agency due to “serious flaws” in the methodology and results of the study. The report, published in mid-September by a group of scientists at the Kyiv Astronomical Observatory (MAO), described “a large number of objects of unclear nature,” including several “phantoms” that appeared completely black against the sky and flew through the atmosphere at a speed of 53,000 km/h, nearly twice the speed of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Simulation of an unidentified flying object in the sky. (Photo: iStock)
The authors of the report referred to these “phantoms” as UAP, or unidentified flying objects (UFOs), but did not attempt to rule out more obvious explanations such as satellites, drones, or artillery used in Russia’s current operations in Ukraine, which began approximately six months earlier. Currently, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) has concluded a study on the report and rejected its conclusions due to a lack of professionalism and scientific accuracy.
“The process of processing and interpreting the results was conducted at an inappropriate scientific level and with many serious errors in determining the distance to the observed objects,” the NASU board of scientists stated. They emphasized that the report “does not meet the professional standards for publishing scientific research results” and requested the removal of NASU’s name from the document.
In the report, the MAO research team analyzed observations of fast-moving unidentified objects detected by one of the two observatories near Kyiv. They speculated about the distance, size, and speed of the objects based on the amount of background light that the objects blocked, concluding that many mysterious objects were as large as an airplane but moved through the air at the speed of a spacecraft.
However, since they only considered data from one telescope, the researchers seemed to inaccurately predict the distance and position of the objects, leading to miscalculations of their size and speed, according to Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard University. “The correct method to estimate distance is called triangulation (a technique in trigonometry and geometry), where you observe the same object from different angles. But they did not have that data,” Loeb stated.
If the “phantoms” are large and moving quickly as described by the research group, each object would create a massive fireball, similar to a rocket or a meteorite, when flying through the atmosphere. In reality, their solid black color does not prove they are extraterrestrial technology but rather indicates that the astronomers miscalculated the corresponding position of the objects.
Loeb pointed out that the Ukrainian research team likely miscalculated the distance to the objects with a discrepancy of tenfold. If the “phantom” was much closer to the camera than the researchers concluded, they would align in size and speed with artillery shells common in conflict zones like Ukraine. If the object was ten times closer to the camera, it would resemble bullets.
NASU also seems to draw similar conclusions in its investigation of the report, emphasizing that astronomers not only made “serious errors” in determining the distance to the objects but also failed to rule out more obvious explanations. The report’s authors did not mention natural phenomena or man-made objects of terrestrial origin that could be among the observed UAPs.
