Branchoria Arnold Sighting Arnold Sighting

A careful look at the pilot report that launched the modern flying saucer era.

Within USS Russell

How Night Vision and Camera Artifacts Created Pyramid Shapes

Analysis of night-vision and camera effects that created the triangular visual illusion in the video.

On this page

  • SLR and night vision interaction
  • Bokeh and light artifact analysis
  • Comparison with drone swarm footage
Preview for How Night Vision and Camera Artifacts Created Pyramid Shapes

Introduction

A striking aspect of the 2019 USS Russell naval UAP video was the appearance of one object as a sharply defined triangle or pyramid of light when viewed through nightvision and recorded on a camera. That visual impression was widely shared online, but official and technical analysis indicates that the triangular form was not the actual physical shape of an object in the sky instead it was an optical and imaging artefact arising from the interaction between nightvision goggles and the camera system used to record them. The key question for this subtopic is how camera optics, sensor effects and nightvision technology combined to create the iconic pyramid impression, and what mechanisms are most plausible for that visual outcome.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos

Optical Effects illustration 1

NightVision Coupled with Camera Recording

The video that became known as the pyramid UAP was captured at night by sailors on board USS Russell using nightvision imaging devices, then recorded through a singlelens reflex (SLR) camera pointed at the eyepiece. The Department of Defense has publicly confirmed that this footage was taken through nightvision equipment and recorded for further analysis.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos

Nightvision optics intensify very low levels of light so that human eyes can perceive objects in darkness. However, when a bright point of light (such as a distant light on a drone or aircraft) is viewed through nightvision and then filmed through another lens system, the result can be geometric distortions or artefacts that do not reflect an objects actual shape. These distortions arise because light interacts with the optics and the sensor in multiple ways before it becomes a video frame.

In the subsequent 2022 U.S. House of Representatives hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena, Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray stated that the triangular appearance resulted specifically from light passing through nightvision goggles and being recorded by an SLR camera not from an inherently triangular craft.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s house intel uap hearing 2022 hhrg 117 ig05 transcript 20220517UFO TransparencyFirst Open Congressional UAP Hearing, May 2022, U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence…Published: May 2022

Jeremy Corbell, Ross Coulthart & Bryce Zabel: Full interview | UFO UAP News

Channel: 7 News Spotlight · Views: 1.3M · Uploaded: February 2024 · Length: 54 minutes

Open on YouTube

Aperture, Lens Shape and Bokeh Effects

One of the key optical explanations proposed by analysts for the pyramidlike impression is a variant of the bokeh effect, a wellknown phenomenon in photography and videography where outoffocus light points take on the shape of a cameras aperture. In normal photography, if the lens is focused far beyond a bright point light, the resulting blur or bokeh can take a polygonal shape reflecting the aperture blades inside the lens. On cameras with a triangularshaped aperture or diaphragm, outoffocus point lights can therefore appear triangular in the recorded image, even though the actual light source is not triangular.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos

Nightvision goggles and optical sensor systems do not use typical photographic diaphragms, and their internal optics can produce other complex artefacts when filmed through a consumer camera. However, the trianglelike bokeh concept remains a useful analogue: a threebladed or otherwise noncircular aperture in the imaging chain can turn point sources of light into triangular patches in the recorded footage. This explains why what looked like a structured, geometric object in the video may have been just a point light from a drone or aircraft navigation light rendered through the optical system.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos

Skeptical analyses of the released footage note that such artefacts can be reproduced by outoffocus lights filmed through lenses with noncircular apertures. While the specific military nightvision optics system used in this case has not been fully documented publicly, the principle holds that lens and aperture geometry strongly influences the shape of rendered highlights.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSource details in endnotes.

Optical Effects illustration 2

Sensor and NightVision Image Artefacts

Beyond bokeh, other optical factors can contribute to unusual shapes in nightvision footage:

  • Infrared sensor blooming: Nightvision and FLIR (forwardlooking infrared) sensors can produce blooming when a bright light saturates the sensor, causing geometric streaks or shapes to emanate from the light source that do not correspond to physical structure.
  • Diffraction patterns: Light passing through small apertures or multiple optical elements can diffract, creating patterns under certain conditions that resemble geometric figures rather than round blobs.
  • Secondary reflections: Internal reflections within the eyepiece or between lens elements can generate ghost images or extended shapes that look permanent in the video but arent present in the outside scene.

These effects are wellunderstood in optical engineering and are documented in civilian and military imaging contexts. While detailed technical disclosures for the Russell footage still remain limited, analysts outside government commentary have repeatedly suggested that such sensorbased artefacts are far more plausible than an actual pyramidshaped craft.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSource details in endnotes.

Strange-Shaped UFOs Spotted Around the World | The Proof Is Out There | History

Channel: HISTORY · Views: 81.2K · Uploaded: August 2025 · Length: 25 minutes

Open on YouTube

Drone Light Sources and Misinterpretation

Another critical part of the optical explanation is that distant aircraft or unmanned aerial system (UAS) lights, when filtered through nightvision equipment and then rephotographed, can appear as simple points of light that, due to the imaging system, are painted as distinct shapes. In the Russell case, subsequent analysis by defense officials connected the triangular video to situations where unmanned aerial systems were observed nearby, strengthening the interpretation that the videos lights corresponded to conventional aircraft or drones not physically triangular vehicles and that the appearance was a consequence of imaging distortion.[AIP]aip.orgDOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial PhenomenaAIPDOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - AIP.ORGMay 23, 2022…Published: May 23, 2022

Comparison with Other UAS Footage and Optical Illusions

The pyramid appearance in the USS Russell video resembles familiar photographic illusions rather than suggesting an exotic craft. In civilian night photography and videography, point lights filmed out of focus often take on the shape of the lenss aperture, giving rise to hexagonal, triangular, or other polygonal bokeh shapes. In controlled settings, photographers routinely see such shapes when focusing just in front of or behind distant streetlights, stars, or other light points. In the Russell video, repeating triangular points of light that remain fixed in size and shape across the sequence are consistent with a static optical artefact rather than a dynamic triangular object in the sky.[Wikipedia]WikipediaPentagon UFO videosPentagon UFO videos

Evidence from public records and official testimony suggests that what the crew recorded were lights associated with drones or conventional aircraft, which only appear triangular or pyramidlike due to the combined optical effects of nightvision intensification, camera aperture functions, and sensor recording artefacts. That combination can produce highly memorable but misleading shapes in the final video frames.[AIP]aip.orgDOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial PhenomenaAIPDOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - AIP.ORGMay 23, 2022…Published: May 23, 2022

Optical Effects illustration 3

Implications for Interpretation of the Footage

Understanding the optical and camera factors here has two key implications for how the USS Russell video should be interpreted:

  • Shape in the video does not equal physical structure: The geometric triangle seen in the released clip is not reliable evidence of a triangular craft; it reflects how the imaging system rendered bright light sources.
  • Optics matter in UAP analysis: Nightvision and camera artefacts must be carefully considered in UAP investigations, especially when the only available evidence is video from complex optical setups. Misinterpretation of sensor effects can lead to inflated claims about object shape or behaviour.

By anchoring the pyramid shape to known optical phenomena bokeh, aperture influence, sensor effects the most parsimonious explanation for the footages striking triangle form lies in imaging physics, not in the description of a novel aerial vehicle.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.comdecade 2020s house intel uap hearing 2022 hhrg 117 ig05 transcript 20220517UFO TransparencyFirst Open Congressional UAP Hearing, May 2022, U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence…Published: May 2022

Interview: Mick West, Identifying UFOs

Channel: Fraser Cain · Views: 27.4K · Uploaded: April 2021 · Length: 57 minutes

Open on YouTube

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

No matched book cards were available for How Night Vision and Camera Artifacts Created Pyramid Shapes, so this fallback keeps a direct Amazon reading path visible.

Topical books

UAP hearing guide

Browse books, explainers and reference titles related to this topic.

Search Amazon

Related search

UAP books

Browse books, explainers and reference titles related to this topic.

Search Amazon

Related search

UAP hearing books

Browse books, explainers and reference titles related to this topic.

Search Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

eBay marketplace picks

Marketplace Samples

Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.

Using USA
Browse more on eBay.com

Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.

Browse more on eBay.co.uk

Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.

Endnotes

  1. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Pentagon UFO videos
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos

  2. Source: aip.org
    Title: DOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
    Link: https://www.aip.org/fyi/dod-promises-rigor-in-analyzing-unidentified-aerial-phenomena
    Source snippet

    AIPDOD Promises Rigor in Analyzing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - AIP.ORGMay 23, 2022...

    Published: May 23, 2022

  3. Source: military.com
    Link: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/05/17/congress-first-military-ufo-hearing-50-years-deflates-speculation-alien-spacecraft.html
    Source snippet

    May 17, 2022 CONGRESS' FIRST MILITARY UFO HEARING IN 50 YEARS DEFLATES SPECULATION ON ALIEN SPACECRAFT Image Deputy Director of Naval I...

    Published: May 17, 2022

  4. Source: skepticalinquirer.org
    Link: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/08/great-expectations-house-hearing-on-uap-excites-fans-offers-little-else/

  5. Source: ufotransparency.com
    Title: decade 2020s house intel uap hearing 2022 hhrg 117 ig05 transcript 20220517
    Link: https://ufotransparency.com/files/decade-2020s-house-intel-uap-hearing-2022-hhrg-117-ig05-transcript-20220517
    Source snippet

    UFO TransparencyFirst Open Congressional UAP Hearing, May 2022, U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence...

    Published: May 2022

Additional References

  1. Source: wnd.com
    Link: https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/navy-intelligence-official-explains-bizarre-ufo-sightings-historic-hearing/
    Source snippet

    Navy Intelligence official explains bizarre UFO sightings in historic hearing * WorldNetDaily * by Around the WebMay 17, 2022 NAVY INTE...

    Published: May 17, 2022

  2. Source: livescience.com
    Link: https://www.livescience.com/ufo-hearing-metallic-hypersonic-flying-object
    Source snippet

    May 17, 2022 What to read next * Rare 'daytime fireball' meteor creates powerful sonic boom as 7-ton space rock explodes above eastern...

    Published: May 17, 2022

  3. Source: oliberal.com
    Link: https://www.oliberal.com/mundo/video-com-ovnis-em-formato-de-piramide-e-verdadeiro-afirma-pentagono-1.374915
    Source snippet

    April 13, 2021 VDEO COM OVNIS EM FORMATO DE PIRMIDE VERDADEIRO, AFIRMA PENTGONO Gravado em 2019, o vdeo mostra ovnis (objetos voa...

    Published: April 13, 2021

  4. Source: vistaalmar.es
    Link: https://www.vistaalmar.es/recursos/fotografia-video/10046-pentagono-confirma-autentico-video-ovni-forma-piramide.html
    Source snippet

    Vista al MarApril 14, 2021 EL PENTGONO CONFIRMA QUE ES AUTNTICO EL VDEO DE UN OVNI 'EN FORMA DE PIRMIDE' Vista al Mar Categora: Fo...

    Published: April 14, 2021

  5. Source: sciencealert.com
    Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/pentagon-confirms-pyramid-shaped-ufo-video-footage-is-authentic
    Source snippet

    Pentagon Confirms 'Pyramid-Shaped' UFO Video Footage Is Authentic: ScienceAlertApril 14, 2021 PENTAGON CONFIRMS 'PYRAMID-SHAPED' UFO V...

    Published: April 14, 2021

  6. Source: thisamericanlife.org
    Title: DAVID KESTENBAUM UFOs, by the way, have now been rebranded UAPs, Unidentified
    Link: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/780/transcript
    Source snippet

    780: Setting the Record Straight - This American LifeSeptember 30, 2022 SCOTT BRAY --subject matter experts from a wide variety of fiel...

    Published: September 30, 2022

  7. Source: theblaze.com
    Title: Pentagon confirms leaked video of ‘pyramid-shaped’ UFO is real | Blaze Media
    Link: https://www.theblaze.com/news/leaked-ufo-video-pentagon-real
    Source snippet

    April 16, 2021 Image: Pentagon confirms leaked video of 'pyramid-shaped' UFO is real YouTube Jeremy Corbell video screenshot ufos PENTA...

    Published: April 16, 2021

  8. Source: bigworldtale.com
    Title: Leaked UFO video showing ‘flying pyramids’ buzzing US Navy ship is ‘genuine’
    Link: https://bigworldtale.com/science/leaked-ufo-video-showing-flying-pyramids-buzzing-us-navy-ship-is-genuine/
    Source snippet

    Big World TaleApril 12, 2021 LEAKED UFO VIDEO SHOWING FLYING PYRAMIDS BUZZING US NAVY SHIP IS GENUINE April 12, 2021 Video showing...

    Published: April 12, 2021

  9. Source: techeblog.com
    Title: U S Navy Acknowledges Pyramid-Shaped UFO Captured with Night Vision Camera
    Link: https://www.techeblog.com/us-navy-pyramid-ufo/
    Source snippet

    US Navy Acknowledges Pyramid-Shaped UFO Captured with Night Vision Camera - TechEBlogApril 14, 2021 US NAVY ACKNOWLEDGES PYRAMID-SHAPED...

    Published: April 14, 2021

  10. Source: conspiracydata.com
    Title: Navy destroyer, encountered what appeared to be
    Link: https://conspiracydata.com/ufo-uap-uso/the-pyramid-uap-filmed-by-the-uss-russell/
    Source snippet

    The Pyramid UAP Filmed by the USS Russell Conspiracy DataFebruary 14, 2025 THE PYRAMID UAP FILMED BY THE USS RUSSELL AN UNEXPLAINED E...

    Published: February 14, 2025

Topic Tree

Follow this branch

Parent topic

USS Russell

Related pages 2