Could this picture prove we really are not alone? Dedicated UFO spotter Ernie Sears believes so.
This and other pictures were taken by Mr Sears and a colleague, who wants to be known only as 'George', over Portsmouth harbour [English south coast -fs] and the naval base.
And, according to UFO spotters, there has been an unprecedented number of UFO sightings over the city over the past two years.
Mr Sears and George estimate as many as 200 of these have been captured on film by themselves alone.
Mr Sears, from Netley Abbey, said: 'It is unusual to see so many. I believe that what we are seeing are the aliens, or whatever they may be, watching the earth and biding their time before they make contact. I think they select certain people to make contact, and I think Portsmouth could be attracting them.
'It could be the fact that we are surrounded by water, but I also think it may be something to do with the military activity in the area.'
George, who is 83, has severe glaucoma and can only see these flying objects once they have been printed out on film after the event.
But Mr Sears, 82, has been sighting UFOs for more than 50 years. The pair teamed up when George made contact with Southampton UFO Group, of which Mr Sears is a long-serving member.
Mr Sears said: 'When George first came to me he couldn't understand what he was seeing in his photos. People may get scared if they don't understand it properly.'
Mr Sears has been interested in UFOs for more than 40 years. His first sighting was over Portsdown Hill in March 1960.
He said: 'I saw this bright object in the sky and it just hovered there. It didn't move. I started believing after that.'
However, although UFO enthusiasts are convinced that aliens are watching over us, their views are still treated with scepticism by many people.
Professor Bob Nichol, of the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at Portsmouth University, agrees there may be such a thing as alien life.
But he doubts whether these sightings are that.
He said: 'I think we need to keep an open mind and, as a scientist, I do try to do that.
'But I have to say I think there is probably a more mundane explanation for these things.
'If they are advanced beings that travel thousands of miles to us, why don't they make contact?
'There's a lot of space junk up there – we hear about meteorite showers at certain times, but in fact they happen all the time.
'In Mexico there was a case where hundreds of people saw bright lights in the sky. In fact it was a rocket launch in Russia that ionised part of the atmosphere and caused it to glow – it was trapped in the Earth's orbit.
'So things happening on the other side of the world could provide reasonable explanations.'
alex.forsyth@thenews.co.uk
Have you seen a UFO? If so contact Alex Forsyth on (023) 9262 2132 or e-mail alex.forsyth@thenews.co.uk
(Original headline: A host of unexplained sightings captured )
