This Picture of a Moth is Going Viral Because People Think It’s an Angel

A man in Michigan claims he captured proof that angels are real with the motion sensor camera outside his house… and that’s enough for some media outlets to run with it.

The problem? The photos show what many experts say is clearly a moth.

Glen Thorman, the fire chief for the city of East Jordan, says he was “blown away” by the miracle that mysteriously appeared above his truck in two frames shared from a nighttime security camera. His friends, family, and pastor believe him, and news reports are coming out with headlines like, “Was an angel caught on camera?” and, “Security camera appears to capture ‘angel’ hovering over truck.”

The non-story went viral after Thorman shared the images of the so-called “angel” with his pastor, who responded by saying there’s “no question who is watching over their residence while they sleep.” Their church, Jordan Rivers, later shared the images on Facebook where they spread quickly.

These photo’s have not been altered in anyway. The second photo, the security camera also shot because the angel was moving away. The camera is designed to photograph anything in motion or unusual…. lots of tears today when they opened the security on their camera …WOW!

Thorman and Pastor Deneille Moes aren’t the only ones who think these photos are proof of the supernatural. The media is pushing the narrative as a serious possibility, and commenters on the church’s post are mostly from believers who say the photos reaffirmed their faith.

Very few of the commenters are willing to accept that an insect may be the true star of the photos.

Fortunately, one news outlet that decided to sensationalize this non-issue also dug a little deeper into the opposing (a.k.a. the reasonable) side.

“Depending on your interpretation, you can see what looks like a head and wings.

But others aren’t so sure. The owner of a camera store says it looks more like a moth…

“It is definitely moth-shaped in the first photo,” photography studio owner Joe Clark said. “You can kind of clearly see what looks, or could be interpreted as, wings and a head. But at the same time, since it’s not clearly in focus and since it is what it is, there may be room for interpretation.”

There’s some room for interpretation on this, such as debating whether it’s a moth or another nocturnal insect (my money is on a moth being attracted to the light from the security camera), but there is no world in which the most reasonable answer here is that an angel came down from heaven to hang out near this guy’s truck.

There’s no room for interpretation when it comes to the facts. And the facts here are that people tend to see what they want to see, pareidolia helps our brains see familiar patterns even where none exist, and moths are more likely to be captured on a security camera than an angel, which has never been shown to exist.

(Thanks to Jordan for the link)