A mysterious black ring appeared in the sky over a highway in Williamsburg, Virginia, leaving many bystanders wanting to believe.
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Witnesses took nearly a dozen photos of the foreboding dark circle, which was seen hovering in the northern part of the city from various angles starting around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, as reported by WAVY TV 10.
However, the ring of potential “smoke” vanished entirely within just 10 minutes, as stated by Ron Stepp, one of several individuals who submitted the footage to the local station.
Witnesses speculated that a fire or explosion might have caused the eerie sight. However, officials from the James City County Fire Department reported that no such incidents had occurred in the area when the ring appeared.
Ricky Mathews, a meteorologist at the station, believes the unusual circle may have originated from concentrated heat rising, potentially linked to pyrotechnics used for a film. Meanwhile, another meteorologist, Steve Fundaro, suggested that it could have been the result of industrial activities or a deliberate explosion.
Last Year, an Incident Similar to the Black Rings in Virginia Went Down at Disneyland
However, the black ring spotted over Virginia might have a straightforward explanation by way of a recent example. You’ll note a similar “UFO” captured in 2023 over Disneyland was slapped with a “readers add context” label on X.
“Black rings like this are caused by pyrotechnics”, the context reads.
According to NBC News, creating smoke vortices typically involves forcing smoke through a circular structure, whether it be from a factory smokestack, a DIY trash-can smoke ring launcher, or a specially designed apparatus.
Take a moment to watch this 2008 video from the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Afterward, consider whether the black rings over Virginia still hold their air of mystery.
Meanwhile, comments under WAVY TV 10’s piece on the rings were chock full of interesting theories.
“Once the aliens enter Earth’s atmosphere they switch over from coal to diesel. The coal flares up when the diesel fuel hits it and it always makes that little puff,” one person quipped.
“The photographs are too well focused and clear to be a UFO sighting,’ a second reader joked.
“Bored high school kids blowing stuff up in the woods and got a cooler result than expected,” a third onlooker wrote. “At least if this were 1985, that would be the case. Not that I ever blew things up in the woods back then. Nope, not me,” they added.