Explained: Gimbal UFO rotation caused by ...a Gimbal!

The Gimbal UFO video seems to show a rotating flying saucer. However, the shape really just looks like the IR glare of a distant jet engine. But why is it rotating? The reason seems to be to do with the ATFLIR camera system which is mounted in a way that restricts rotation and forces the field of view to rotate when tracking left to right. This is then "derotated" internally. But this rotation of the optical system causes optical effects, forcing the shape of the glare to rotate when the horizon does not.
This rotation problem gets far worse at very shallow angles, so it's particularly noticeable in the Gimbal case as that's just 2° down.
The fact that the artifact is caused by the camera's gimbal system is probably why the military called the video "Gimbal"

[Jbenneballe]

this video suddenly became relevant again :) And what a great explination. Really easy to understand. great job.

[Byronjesk]

Pentagon should hire you to evaluate these things.

[doodelay]

Incredible service you're doing. I feel like I'm course correcting

[beetlegin]

Really appreciate the crude mock-up of the mechanics for us dunder heads ! That's really helpful.

[TheRumpusView]

Excellent video Mick and excellent woodworking. I like the tools :)

[thesammyjenkinsexperience]

Mick, have you seen Dave Falch's attempt to debunk this? He seems to be erroneously suggesting that you are claiming the IR glare is being caused by the de-rotation device. It seems more likely to me the glare/light diffraction is happening where the light enters the front window of the ATFLIR system. The way the window is angled when the camera is facing forward would certainly explain the rotation of uneven lighting which just so happens to occur at precisely the same moment there is the illusion of the centered object rotating.

[TheBosolin]

I have a question. Why doesn't the skyline rotate together with the objects? Shouldn't everything on the image rotate with the camera movement?

[EthanfromEngland-]

Great video. Surely however if it's the image being rotated wouldnt the whole image rotate? In the clip with the rotation, the left video that pops up around 4:50, you can see clouds or something to the bottom left which do NOT rotate at the same speed or really at all. Can you shed some light on that?

[Mopki]

I knew about this. It become recent news, and I'm not hearing anyone talking about how it "rotating" in time with the rotation of the camera in the video... big red flag... why is no one saying this in the news?!?!? Finally found this video. THANK

[PaikCitron]

It's funny how the name of the video is actually the explanation of what we're seeing.. Like the person that recorded and shared it wanted us to know.. More funny is people like Luis Elizondo still keeping this as the mega proof. Definitly says a lot about the dude himself.

[Also_Ran]

There is so much to like about this recent series you've done, oh please do the Nimitz!!!

[leenihill]

Very plausible and we'll explained theory so went back and watched entire video saw some of what you said happen but then "the craft" rotates but the clouds and the horizon don't rotate proportionately can this be explained... I get perspective and all that but surly the angle of the entire picture would rotate in accordance with what it is focused in on

[janesam]

Not to discredit any of your work, it’s great by the way, but how likely is it that multiple US Navy pilots incorrectly interpreted their AFTLIR footage? If it was a distant jet surely they would recognise this? And what do you make of the alleged “fleet” of craft on the ASA that one of the pilots mentioned? Do you propose that there was a fleet of unknown jets? He was lying, mistaken maybe? I’m genuinely curious of your opinion on these matters.
Occam’s razor suggests that your interpretation of these data are likely correct. However, there are some interesting data, specifically from pilots that witnessed the “Tic Tac” craft that can’t really be debunked, assuming they’re speaking truthfully of course.

[scarman]

I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you by chance try to recreate the gimbal video?

[disconnectica]

Been watching some of your great UFO debunking videos. My question is why are the pilots fooled by this stuff? Why don't other pilots or officials come forward to acknowledge that there are mundane explanations? Shouldn't the Pentagon be explaining these things rather than what seems like more and more officials coming out to say that they show technology beyond human abilities? Don't they have experts who know how to interpret these things? And have they not noticed that their videos have been debunked? Do neither they nor the media ever contact you for comment? Thanks.

[fastraca]

I understand the camera thing, but why didn't the clouds rotate as well?

Of course, they rotate but not that hard as the object does.

[Modafinil]

The fact that the rotation of the object occurs at the same moment as Mick has described here is quite proof of what Mick is saying here. However, the 'glare' itself is quite odd-looking thing. I've watched Dave Falch's videos and a glare produced by a jet is looking quite different than this. And if the object banks the shape of it should come visible. Again, the fact that the video ends almost as soon as the rotation occurs, maybe a hint that the video is actually a demonstration of the 'rotation' phenomenon and meant for pilots with the purpose of instructing. I cannot imagine a reason why the clip stops at all when there is an unidentified craft in the targeting device. Or the rest is cut out to hide something that might be too much of a shock for the general public.

[NotTheMaestro]

Not really sure about this explanation.
1. In the footage you can hear the pilot seem very surprised by how it rotates, surely they would have either seen this rotating effect before, or have been told about it by HQ or some other pilot. Imagine all the times they went out, are we to assume it never happened before?
2. There is very little movement in the horizon relative to the subject, if the camera is correcting for any rotations why does it not correct the subject wihtin the frame?
Again why arent't the pilots aware of this?

[Modafinil]

Is there a way to analyze the jet's distance from the target as the jet seems to be banking to the left quite constantly as the indicator on the screen of the monitor may point out? This could help to estimate the distance of the target as it seems to travel the same trajectory as the jet is. Yet another thought I have about this is that the clip is short and it would be very interesting information how there could be another jet in the air that the crew of F-18 is not aware of? And if the crew has followed the target after the clip has ended, there would be eventually an opportunity to either identify the target to be another jet or notice it e-g- to vanish into a thin air. So this clip actually shouldn't represent anything unrecognizable in the first place. So maybe this clip has been a training video to demonstrate the glare rotation that may cause confusion as Mick hints but why it has ended up being scrutinized by Elizondo's unit is a mystery.

[roystemman]

So, when we hear the pilot say "Look at that thing rotate" (or words to that effect) is he simply reporting what he sees on the image being captured by the Gimbal, or is he reporting what he's seeing with the naked eye?