I love photos that make you say WTF? It’s easy now to dismiss photos as fake, thanks to programmes such as Photoshop, and the development of Artificial Intelligence. But, in years past, it wasn’t quite so easy. Some of these photos have since been given explanations but do you think the official stories are convincing?
1 - Apollo 17 Pyramid
In 1972 Apollo 17 was the last mission with humans landing on the moon. Many photos were taken, including this one. There is clearly a pyramid in the background; could this connect to the theory that aliens were responsible for building the ancient Egyptian pyramids? Well, no. It’s a photo of the floor of the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle taken while it was doing its rounds.
2 – The Chilean Blob
This humungous thing washed up in Chile in 2003. Measuring 40 feet wide and weighing 13 tons, it was originally thought to be a gigantic squid, octopus, or even a new creature altogether as it only had one tentacle. DNA testing later proved it to be the carcass of a sperm whale. Bet that smelled delightful.
3 – The Face on Mars
In 1976 The Viking I spacecraft captured this image on the surface of Mars. The creepy photo shows a humanoid face staring back out into space. Proof of alien life? Nope, simply a disturbing optical illusion.
4 - The Solway Firth Spaceman
In 1964 Jim Templeton took a photo of his daughter. When the film was developed, he noticed something strange in the background; was that a spaceman? Probably not. The official explanation is that his wife stepped into the background of the photo in her blue dress and overexposure caused the whiteness and the spaceman vibe. I prefer to believe it’s a spaceman.
5 – The Zuiyo-Maru Carcass
In 1977 the Japanese fishing trawler, the Zuiyo-Maru, picked up a large carcass off the coast of New Zealand. Professors and doctors believed it to be the corpse of a plesiosaur, a dinosaur thought to have become extinct millions of years ago. Eventually, the official explanation was that it was a basking shark's carcass.
6 – The Black Knight Satellite
Believed to have been orbiting the Earth for thousands of years, no one laid claim to this unknown item, leading to theories that it had been placed there by ancient aliens to watch the planet. NASA say it’s unlikely to be anything more than space junk. Hmmm.
7 – The Hessdalen Lights
We’ve all heard of the Northern Lights, but have you heard of Norway’s Hessdalen Lights? These lights started in the 1980s, with theories varying from aliens to the physical manifestation of the world's psychic consciousness. The fun thing is, no one knows what causes them so the theories could well be true!
8 – The Newby Monk
Sometimes known as the Spectre of Newby Church, this famous photo was taken in 1963 and speculated to be the spooky ghost of a 16th-century monk. The white mask is believed to have been a shroud to disguise the person’s leprosy. Chances are, it’s simple double exposure but it still makes me want to get the sage out.
9 – Nessie
One of the most famous, original WTF photos. In 1934, The Surgeon’s Photo was taken by DR Robert Wilson, depicting ‘proof’ of the Loch Ness Monster. It caused many to flock to the area, hoping to have their own glimpse at the infamous Nessie. Sadly, years later, those involved in the photograph admitted it was staged.
10 – De Loy’s Ape
One of my all-time favourite freaky photos! Francois de Loy and his associates were travelling when they claim they were attacked by ape-type creatures, shooting, and killing a female. Having never seen anything like it before, they took photos of the humanoid creature. Anthropologist, George Montandon, believed it to be proof of the missing link between humans and apes. The photo eventually turned out to be a spider monkey, but it still gives me the creeps.
There are a lot more photos like these, some explained, some still unexplained, and I will write about them in the future. Although most of these photos have been given a ‘scientific reasoning’, I like to think that not all of them can be explained quite so easily. As always, thanks for reading, take care of yourselves and I will see you next time.
Hi! I spend a lot of time writing for the website and I basically exist on caffeine and anxiety - if anybody would like to encourage this habit, please feel free to buy me a coffee!
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