Mystery of the f loating smoke rings
MENACING black rings swirling in the sky have long baffled people around the world, with theories suggesting they could be anything from flocks of birds to alien portals.
But now one has been seen in the UK and the explanation appears to be simpler than many imagined. Kimberley Robinson, 22, spotted it on Sunday afternoon as she drove on the M62 near Birkenshaw in West Yorkshire.
There were initially fears that it might have been the result of a fire, but there were no reports of blazes at the time. And now author and UFO expert Nigel Watson believes he has the answer: ‘It is the byproduct of cannon fire at a battle re-enactment at the nearby Yorkshire Wartime Experience.’
The event, which took place the same day, involved more than 500 military vehicles and 50 re-enact- ments. Cannon fire can create a ‘smoke vortex’ because it produces a sudden disturbance in the surrounding air that leads to a circular swirl of changing pressure.
Last year a black ring was spotted above Disneyland in California and in 2015 eerie footage emerged of one in Kazakhstan.