Within Trudel Case
Did Trudel's 1967 Photos Show a Large Craft?
The seven daylight images looked convincing, but without a measured distance, second viewpoint or independent witness, they could not establish size.
On this page
- What the seven Woonsocket photographs actually show
- Why power lines and perspective do not establish scale
- Missing witnesses, originals and measurements
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Introduction
Harold Trudel’s seven daylight photographs from East Woonsocket in June 1967 remain among the best-known UFO images associated with Rhode Island. At first glance they appear to show a large domed craft moving near high-voltage power lines. Yet the photographs could never establish one of the most important facts in photographic evidence: scale. The images recorded only a two-dimensional view. Without a measured distance to the object, a second camera angle, independent witnesses, or physical reference points known to occupy the same space as the object, the photographs could not determine whether the subject was a large craft hundreds of metres away or a much smaller object much closer to the camera. That limitation became central to later sceptical assessments and remains one of the strongest reasons the photographs are regarded as intriguing but inconclusive evidence.[newengland.com]newengland.comAliens in New England?A Timeline of UFO Sightings and…As the UFO hovered over the power lines, Trudel snapped pictures for about five minutes. He captured s…
What the Seven Woonsocket Photographs Actually Show
The photographs depict a dark, disc-shaped object with a pronounced dome, photographed in daylight near power lines and trees. Because the sequence contains several frames rather than a single image, it gives the impression of documenting a real object moving through space. This was one reason the pictures attracted attention far beyond Rhode Island.[newengland.com]newengland.comAliens in New England?A Timeline of UFO Sightings and…As the UFO hovered over the power lines, Trudel snapped pictures for about five minutes. He captured s…
However, the photographs do not record any information about distance. A camera lens compresses three-dimensional space into a flat image. Unless investigators know how far away the object is, its apparent size in the frame reveals very little. A small object close to the camera can appear identical to a much larger object farther away. Photographic analysts have long noted that determining scale requires additional information beyond the image itself, such as triangulation from multiple viewpoints, known dimensions at the object’s location, or precise measurements of the scene.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo…
In Trudel’s case, none of those elements were available.
Why Power Lines and Perspective Do Not Establish Scale
Many viewers assume the power lines visible in the photographs solve the scale problem. If the object was beside or above the lines, it might seem possible to estimate its size.
The difficulty is that the photographs do not prove the object and the wires occupied the same plane in space. In a photograph, objects at very different distances can appear to overlap. An aeroplane thousands of metres away can seem to pass directly behind a nearby lamppost, even though they are nowhere near each other.
For the power lines to provide a reliable measurement, investigators would need evidence that the photographed object was genuinely adjacent to them. The images alone do not provide that proof. The object appears near the wires, but its exact position relative to them cannot be measured from a single viewpoint. As a result:
- The object could have been large and distant.
- It could have been medium-sized and somewhat nearer.
- It could have been very small and close to the camera.
All three possibilities can produce similar photographic results.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo…
This problem is common in UFO photography. Analysts of other famous cases have repeatedly noted that visible wires, poles, trees or buildings only establish scale when the object’s distance relative to those features can be demonstrated independently. Otherwise, apparent proximity remains an assumption rather than a measurement.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMc Minnville UFO photographsMc Minnville UFO photographs
Why a Sequence of Images Still Was Not Enough
The existence of seven photographs is often presented as a strength of the case, and in some respects it is. Multiple frames can reveal whether an object changes position, shape or orientation.
Yet a sequence does not automatically solve the scale problem.
All seven Trudel photographs were taken from broadly similar viewpoints. Because there was no widely separated second camera position, investigators could not use parallax—the apparent shift in an object’s position when viewed from different locations—to calculate distance. Parallax is one of the most reliable ways to determine how far away an object is. Without it, the object’s range remains largely speculative.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo…
The photographs therefore documented appearance but not geometry. They showed something in front of the camera, but they did not provide the information needed to calculate how large that something was.
Missing Witnesses, Originals and Measurements
The scale question became even harder because other forms of corroboration were absent.
No independent witness was known to have photographed the object from another location. No radar track fixed its position in the sky. No survey measurements were taken at the scene to reconstruct the object’s location. The case depended primarily on Trudel’s account of where the object had been.[newengland.com]newengland.comAliens in New England?A Timeline of UFO Sightings and…As the UFO hovered over the power lines, Trudel snapped pictures for about five minutes. He captured s…
Later researchers also faced limitations involving the photographic record itself. Questions arose over the availability and quality of original materials used for analysis, making it difficult to perform the sort of detailed geometric study that might have strengthened or weakened claims about the object’s true distance. When crucial measurements are missing at the time an event occurs, later investigators often cannot recover them.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo…
As a result, the central question—how far away was the object?—remained unanswered.
How the Scale Problem Fed the Hoax Debate
The inability to establish scale opened the door to alternative explanations.
If the object’s distance was unknown, then the possibility of a small nearby model could not be ruled out from the photographs alone. Later sceptical discussions of Trudel’s photographic claims frequently focused on exactly this issue. Critics argued that without verified distance measurements, viewers could not assume they were looking at a large airborne craft rather than a smaller suspended object.[forums.forteana.org]forums.forteana.orgHarold Trudel's Photos (Woonsocket, Rhode Island; 1967)3 May 2019 — Harold Trudel himself was a serial faker, who took at least four diff…
This became especially significant after examination of a later Trudel UFO film from 1968 led several investigators to conclude that it behaved like a small object hanging from a wire rather than a large vehicle moving through the sky. While that later film does not prove the 1967 photographs were staged, it made the lack of scale evidence in the earlier images appear more consequential. If the photographs cannot independently establish distance, then they cannot independently establish size either.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgSkeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo…
What the Scale Question Means for the Rhode Island Case
For Rhode Island UFO history, the Trudel photographs remain important because they are visually striking and unusually clear compared with many reported sightings. They helped make the Woonsocket area one of the state’s most discussed UFO locations and continue to appear in books, articles and retrospectives.[newengland.com]newengland.comAliens in New England?A Timeline of UFO Sightings and…As the UFO hovered over the power lines, Trudel snapped pictures for about five minutes. He captured s…
Their enduring weakness is that they never answered the most basic quantitative question: how big was the object? The photographs show a shape, but they do not provide a reliable way to calculate distance, diameter or altitude. Because power lines, trees and perspective alone cannot solve that problem, the images cannot demonstrate that a large craft was present.
That does not automatically prove a hoax, nor does it confirm an extraordinary vehicle. It means the photographs occupy an uncertain middle ground. They are genuine photographs of something seen through a camera lens, but they lack the measurements needed to transform a striking image into strong evidence of a large unidentified craft over Rhode Island.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: newengland.com
Title: Aliens in New England?
Link:https://newengland.com/yankee/history/ufo-sightings-alien-sightings/
Source snippet
A Timeline of UFO Sightings and...As the UFO hovered over the power lines, Trudel snapped pictures for about five minutes. He captured s...
2.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Mc Minnville UFO photographs
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMinnville_UFO_photographs
3.
Source: forums.forteana.org
Link:https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads%2Fharold-trudels-photos-woonsocket-rhode-island-1967.65798%2F=
Source snippet
Harold Trudel's Photos (Woonsocket, Rhode Island; 1967)3 May 2019 — Harold Trudel himself was a serial faker, who took at least four diff...
Published: May 2019
4.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2019/03/Issue-04-4.pdf
Source snippet
Skeptical InquirerIssue-04-4.pdfJames W. Moseley, Moseley commented that "even the best" still photographs can be faked. He added that mo...
Additional References
5.
Source: youtube.com
Title: How scientists use math to help explain UFO videos
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diPXow8zgc8
Source snippet
The story of the Calvine UFO photograph | In Case You Missed It...
6.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1395438638073618/posts/2031961357754673/
Source snippet
What are the facts behind Woonsocket, Rhode Island's...Harold Trudel's 1967 photos of a dome- He reported witnessing a 30-foot saucer ho...
7.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/269112089770353/posts/4399405066741014/
Source snippet
What happened with the 1967 Rhode Island UFO story?Rhode Island resident Harold Trudel walked out to a set of power lines after spotting...
8.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/269112089770353/posts/770974859584071/
Source snippet
Additional UFO photos by Woonsocket resident Harold...In the summer of 1967, Rhode Island resident Harold Trudel walked out to a set of...
9.
Source: topfoto.co.uk
Link:https://www.topfoto.co.uk/asset/345296/
Source snippet
UFO photographed by contactee Harold Trudel, in East...14 Dec 2018 — UFO photographed by contactee Harold Trudel, in East Woonsoc...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Shag Harbour UFO Incident
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPbDa5D7IUE
Source snippet
Carl Petrick describes his experience seeing a UFO in 1967...
11.
Source: jazzhot.net
Link:https://www.jazzhot.net/Files/29476/CDChroniques.txt
12.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/13p820r/cigarshaped_ufo_photographed_by_joe_ferriere_and/
13.
Source: jstor.org
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25690880.pdf
14.
Source: archive.org
Link:https://archive.org/stream/medicinehealthrh8211rhod/medicinehealthrh8211rhod_djvu.txt