Anaheim California – A mysterious Black Ring was sighted hovering above the Magic Kingdom in Disneyland. Visitor Kyle Hawkins was walking with others when they witnessed what appeared to be a “smoke ring” floating in air.
Hawkins grabbed his cell phone and began to take a short video which he instantly placed on YouTube.
If you examine the video questions arise as to what really is this thing? If it isn’t from another planet can we take an educated guess here? Some feel it can be best described as a group of insects, bees or birds but there is still speculation.
The strong black color suggests it may contain carbon particles; for example, burnt substances such as food burned to black residue on a kitchen stove. The “ring” at Disney may have been lingering exhaust gasses from the motors that run rides, deep fryers , even a diesel truck engine backfiring; all sources of carbon particles or was it something more mysterious?
It does resemble a ring of smoke what does that tell us? From a scientific point of view a smoke ring is actually a vortex ring, which a tornado is a similar effect. The smoke is moving slower than the air around it, and thus holds a donut or toroidal shape. The German Physicist Herman Von Helmholtz first described the mathematics of such phenomena in 1867 that still hold true today.
Since the object was seen during a parade under windy conditions, one would think if the ring was made up of natural airborne particles it should have expanded quickly and eventually dissipated into the air.
While, it is possible that even though conditions were windy on ground level (partly due to the motion of the parade) the air may have been more stable at a slightly higher altitude in as little as 50 to 75 feet above the ground. That could explain why the ring hovered and its slow movement. Theories in meteorology demonstrate under proper conditions air currents may have actually held the Disneyland ring together for an extended time rather than tearing it apart.
It is well known that similar vortex rings can be made by dolphins and whales as they blow air into water. The mammals often create “bubble rings” after a brief leap out of the water to gulp some air and release it under water. They can be found playing with their bubble creation and may bite it to break the bubble when they are done. In any case the principles of bubble rings and smoke rings are the same, just occur in different mediums – water and air.
While the UFO over the Magic Kingdom may have brought fear and concerns to many people in the crowd it maybe easier to explain than first thought.
Over the past several years mysterious black rings have appeared in various places in the world. Most recently there have been sightings in Astana, Kazakhstan and in the UK.
We feel in the Disney case; there is enough science to suggest possible explanations.
