A strange ‘flying saucer’ shaped object was hovering silently over the desert near Veguita. The object’s smooth oval shape appears more like a spacecraft than a cloud. But the truth could be stranger.
There were no flashing lights. No engine noise. No movement. What could be seen was only a pale, flattened shape hovering above the dark horizon near Veguita. Its smooth outline was so symmetrical that it appeared to belong to the pages of a UFO magazine.
Joshua Ainscough, photographed the strange sight near his home in Veguita. The image immediately invites curiosity among people who have been asking for generations whether the skies over the American Southwest have untold stories to tell.
What on earth is that?
The object appears as a softly glowing oval. It is wider than it is tall, with tapered ends and an extraordinarily smooth surface. It looks almost three-dimensional — a classic flying saucer image out of the pages of UFO books.
New Mexicans, who have been familiar with the mythology of unidentified flying objects, can hardly ignore that eerie resemblance.
After all, this is the state of Roswell. It is where stories of mysterious aircraft, classified military activities, and unexplained lights have been woven into its culture.
Was it a UFO? A classified aircraft? Or could it be something the human eye was not ready to recognize?
Ainscough’s photo offers few clues.
Firstly, the flying saucer-like image seems isolated from any obvious cloud formation—no fluffy edges and no wisps that are usually associated with ordinary clouds. Instead, it has a smooth appearance, like a silver disc turned on its side.
And secondly, the low-light conditions make matters even more complicated, if not deceptive.
With no trees, buildings, or terrestrial objects nearby to compare it with, the human brain struggles to make an informed judgment. A cloud several miles away can appear to be an object. And the apparent warm glow beneath it fuels more curiosity.
The image is almost the same image that has driven UFO reports in the past. But the most likely explanation comes directly from the mountains.
Meteorologists say the shape is consistent with a lenticular cloud, one of nature’s impersonations of a flying saucer that convinced many. Lenticular cloud formation occurs when air flows over mountains, and a standing atmospheric wave is produced.
It cools when moist air is forced upward. And under the right conditions, water vapor condenses into a cloud at the crest of the wave. The air continues moving, but the cloud remains almost fixed in one place. That gives rise to an eerie appearance that it is hovering.
The result can be startling. The cloud develops a smooth, lens-shaped form instead of ragged edges. Some become stacked like multiple pancakes. Others would flatten into an uncanny artificial look, nearly perfect discs with sharply defined outlines.
These cloud formations are not new to pilots because they often indicate strong air currents. And photographers love them primarily because they can do good postcard stuff. But UFO believers could take them for spacecraft.
New Mexico’s geography adds drama. Its mountain ranges, dry air, and dramatic elevation changes often create atmospheric conditions needed for mountain waves. Veguita, where Ainscough lives, lies in the Rio Grande Valley. With mountains rising on both sides, it is the most likely candidate to produce these unusual formations.
But that does not make the photograph ordinary. The scientific explanation makes the photo even more remarkable. The image captured by Ainscough was not a solid craft. It was just a cloud through which air is constantly flowing, an atmospheric wave that becomes visible due to air moisture.
The air moves, while the cloud stays. An illusion that was nearly perfect for anybody in the New Mexico desert after dark.
