Top 10 Mysterious Photos That CANNOT Be Explained

This one is also called the Tadpole Creature, which aptly describes the little we know about what the supposed sea monster looks like. Robert Le Serrec took the photo of this 75-90 foot long marine organism in 1964 when he and his family were on a boating trip in Queensland, Australia. Initially immobile, the creature began to move when he attempted more photos… after it which it opened its gaping mouth wide, prompting Mr. and Mrs. Le Serrec to take off… fast. Probably wisely so, despite the fact that no plausible explanation has been put forth to prove or disprove what had actually been photographed that day.

Since at least the 1930s, strange lights have appeared in the skies around Norway’s Hessdalen valley; balls of light of different colors that hover or move sharply across the night skies. Occurring with alarming regularity between 1981-84, the lights attracted tourists, who could see the lights 15-20 times a week on average. One photo captured the phenomenon incredibly, with the lights appearing as a giant ethereal cluster with a prismed rainbow reflected underneath. Though UFOs are often cited as the supposed culprit, scientists have come up with several hypotheses ranging from the combustion of natural elements to the ionization of certain particles. The lights still occur in the early 21st century, but less frequently than before. The picture remains unexplained.

No JFK conspiracy would be complete without the Babushka Lady. Many photos and videos of the assassination capture the lady in close proximity to the attack, including one taken moments after the shooting. Curiously, she does not duck or flee when it occurs; instead she is shown filming from a valuable point that would have provided priceless footage- which is why everyone tried to find her. Despite numerous claims by individuals, Babushka Lady’s identity has never been confirmed. The mystery surrounding her identity, attire, and actions puts her in the center of the conspiracy, with some thinking she might have had a role in the attack itself.

In 1924, two crewmembers of the SS Watertown died mysteriously while cleaning a cargo tank. The deaths were attributed to leaked gas fumes in the closed quarters, and since the ship was nowhere near land, the bodies were buried at sea. In the days following the burial, the crew reported seeing the faces of the dead in the waves, and several photos were taken of the water. All of them came out normal, except for this one. What’s more, this photo reportedly survived several investigations by experts, who concluded it’s never been doctored. While a few articles, like those in The Fortean Times, claim to debunk the photo, conclusive evidence against its veracity has yet to be agreed upon.

This photo surfaced on Reddit in the early 21st century and has been the subject of much scrutiny ever since. The poster claimed that the photo, taken sometime in the ‘70s or ‘80s, shows his uncle standing on a rock ledge overlooking the Grand Canyon. What they didn’t realize—until the photo was developed, that is—was that a figure was standing in the foliage behind him. The person appears to be wearing a black cloak, looks much taller than a human, and very much resembles… the Grim Reaper. The uncle, and his friends who took the photo, claim that they never saw the figure and were the only ones occupying that spot of the canyon. Anybody else have goosebumps?

This 1963 photo taken of the Newby Church in North Yorkshire, UK, features an unexpected figure in the right corner. The specter, the supposed ghost of a 16th century monk, appears to have a shroud over his face and his hands in a position of worship or mourning. Experts have examined the photo, and though the figure was theorized to be a case of double exposure, it was concluded that this is not the case and that the photo is genuine. But that’s not even the spookiest part: in relation to the items in the photo, the figure would be nine feet tall.

If you’re a connoisseur of ghost photos, this is your holy grail. Freddy Jackson was reportedly an air mechanic who was accidentally killed by an airplane propeller. Two days after the accident, the squadron of Sir Victor Goddard took a photo together without Freddy, but sure enough Freddy turned up when the photo was developed. In the back row on the left side, the face of the dead mechanic – not wearing a hat - appears behind one of the soldier’s heads. Believers insist that this photo is evidence of the presence of spirits in our physical world, especially considering it was produced in 1919, many years before modern photo tampering software could’ve rendered such a believable fake.

This photo, released by NASA in 1998, shows a large irregularly shaped object orbiting the Earth. Conspiracy theorists believe this is an alien satellite that’s been surveying our planet for 13,000 years. Their evidence runs all the way back to Nikola Tesla’s 1899 radio experiment in which extraterrestrial sounds were recorded, and the supposed satellite has been the supposed culprit for nearly every unexplainable radio signal in the years since. Space journalist and former NASA engineer James Oberg offers a much more reasonable explanation: it’s a thermal blanket confirmed lost on one of the space missions, or some other type of debris – but this has yet to be proven.

A couple’s trip to Norfolk’s Worstead Church produced what’s arguably one of the most convincing ghost pictures in modern history. Peter Berthelot snapped a photo of his wife praying alone on one of the church benches. When the photo was developed, it showed that the wife was not alone at all, as there appears to be a whitish figure sitting behind her. Further investigation revealed that the ghost of a 1800s healer, called the White Lady, was long believed to haunt the church grounds, and that the photo apparently captured the entity. Diane Berthelot believed in the validity of the photo so much that it resurrected her religious verve.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- The Extra Hand
- The Skunk Ape

In 1966, a former clergyman from White Rock, British Columbia, paid a visit to the Queen’s House in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. Believing he was alone, he took a photo of the historic Tulip Staircase. But, after development of said photo, a mysterious figure is seen. An unmistakable entity, shrouded and despaired, looks like it’s holding onto the railing and trying to climb the staircase. The section of the museum has long been rumored to be haunted, with strange paranormal phenomena having been reported in prior years. The photo was reportedly submitted for examination, and the findings stated that no alterations had been made.