28/03/2025 – Cropthorne – White Orb Photographs & Videos

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report

Author: Dave Hodrien

Release Date: 01/02/2026

In early January 2026 a lady named Pauline got in touch with BUFOG via our experience report form to inform us about a UFO she had both observed and recorded in March 2025. After examining the photographs and videos which she sent to me I got in touch via phone to go over the details of what took place.

Sighting Details

On the evening of 28^th March 2025 Pauline had her sisters round to visit at her house on Main Road (B4084), Cropthorne, Worcestershire. It was a clear, still but cold evening. Due to the time of year the sun had already set.

At 8:08pm her sister Elaine stepped outside the back door of the house for a cigarette. She suddenly called out “Come and see this Pauline!”

Pauline went outside to join her. Elaine pointed up into the sky. In the distance high up in the sky was a stationary white glowing orb of light. They watched it for a short while before she called out her other sisters Jackie and Sue to come and see also.

Suddenly the orb moved a short distance across the sky before coming to a halt again! They continued to watch and it carried on in this fashion – hovering motionless a while before moving in a direction before stopping, while remaining roughly in the same area of the sky. Over time it seemed to get brighter and larger, potentially moving closer.

The witnesses headed over to the outside garden bar and grabbed a drink while continuing to watch the orb. After a short while Pauline decided to take some photographs and short pieces of video of it.

According to Pauline the object remained for about half an hour. After this time, it moved in the usual way but then seemed to vanish. It did not make a re-appearance.

Photographic & Video Analysis

Below is the first photograph Pauline took of the orb visible in the sky over the roof of the garden shed:

Here is the second photograph where she attempted to zoom in on the object:

Below are the two short videos Pauline took:

I have no reason to doubt that the photos and videos are real, but it is important to verify this, especially given how easy it now is to create fake photographs and video footage using CGI or AI.

I asked Pauline to send me the photos and videos directly from her mobile phone to E-Mail. then utilised an online Exif metadata viewer in order to see the hidden metadata behind them.

Below is the metadata extracted from the first photograph as an example:

When images or videos are modified using editing software the metadata changes in lots of different ways. If an image/video is created using build software it's metadata will also be wildly different. While it is possible to modify metadata this is quite challenging to do accurately and most people are not even aware it exists. So it is possible to analyse the metadata to aid in confirming authenticity.

In the above screen grabs I have highlighted certain metadata values. Picasa is the standard image storage software utilised by iPhones. Various values mention Apple Computer Inc, again pointing towards the image being genuinely shot on an iPhone. Similar metadata can also be seen in the other image and videos, and I am satisfied that they are real and un-tampered.

As you can see the object just looks like a bright white point of light, most likely due to the distance. The different shades seen within it in the second zoomed photograph are an image artefact caused by the brightness of the light against the dark background.

Sadly in the two short videos she took Pauline did not manage to capture any movement of the object, so we only have her testimony to go on regarding what it was doing throughout the sighting.

Sighting Analysis

There are numerous possible explanations for white orbs of light seen in the sky after dark. It could not have been a satellite as these move on a continuous straight path across the sky.

Pauline informed me that the object was situated to the South South East. Looking on the Stellarium application for the location, date and time in that direction and at the elevation on the video it can be seen that there are no bright stars/planets at that position:

Also, while the movements it performed were unfortunately not captured, Pauline testified to the fact that the object was occasionally moving, which rules out a star/planet as the explanation.

As the sighting lasted for an extensive period of time it is very unlikely to have been a white coloured LED balloon. Over that amount of time even in still conditions there would likely be noticeable drift, not the sudden darting movements observed.

Examining the video footage I do not believe it was a distant hovering helicopter. Even when far away it is usually possible to see the regular beat of the white strobe light, and this is not apparent from the video footage.

However, one explanation which cannot be fully ruled out is that the object was a distant drone with white lights on it. At distance these lights can bleed into one making it look like a singular glowing orb. The sudden manoeuvres described by Pauline certainly sound like movements a drone would be able to perform. That said, when I suggested this as a possibility, she did mention that her husband owns a drone and she has seen how this looks after dark at a distance, and says it does not look the same.

Without me being able to confirm the drone theory at present (unless the pilot actually gets in touch) the sighting will likely remain a mystery. I would like to thank Pauline for getting in touch and sending BUFOG the footage to include in this report.

Copyright Dave Hodrien 2026