AARO Paper Explains How Optical Illusions Distort UAP Size and Speed Reports

The All-domain Within that caveat, however, AARO advances a specific and testable claim — that the effects of forced perspective and parallax can frequently explain the excessively large sizes or high speeds described in UAP reports. The framing matters because it sets the analytical posture for everything that follows. AARO does not present the paper as a case report or an investigative finding; it is an explanatory document that walks through basic optical principles and their impact on observation.

The office notes that in many cases the reporter may be positioned far from the object being observed while moving fast relative to it. Under those conditions, an observer can misinterpret the apparent size and speed of a UAP due to two separate but related phenomena. By pairing the concession that no universal explanation exists with the assertion that these two effects are frequent contributors, AARO stakes out a middle position.