Authentic UFO photos from long before the era of AI-generated UFO images

In an era where AI-generated UFO images are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine photographs from fabricated ones, many people are left wondering what is real. Here are some of the oldest and most discussed authentic UFO photographs, captured long before AI image-generation tools existed. 

1. The McMinnville (Trent) UFO Photograph (1950) 

These are the famous McMinnville UFO photographs, taken by Paul Trent on May 11, 1950, near McMinnville, Oregon, USA. 

While outside on the family farm, Evelyn Trent spotted a metallic-looking object in the sky and called her husband, Paul, who quickly grabbed his Kodak camera. He managed to take two photographs about 30 seconds apart before the object disappeared over the horizon. 

2. The Salem Coast Guard UFO Photograph (1952) 

This famous photograph was taken on July 16, 1952, by Shell R. Alpert, a 21-year-old U.S. Coast Guard photographer stationed at the Coast Guard Air Station in Salem, Massachusetts. 

The image shows four bright, elliptical objects flying in a loose "V" formation above nearby smokestacks. Alpert reported seeing the objects with his own eyes before photographing them, and another Coast Guardsman, Thomas Flaherty, also witnessed the event.  

3. The Lake Cote (Costa Rica) UFO Photograph (1971)  

Taken on September 4, 1971, this image is widely regarded as one of the highest-quality UFO photographs ever captured. 

The photograph was taken by Sergio Loaiza of Costa Rica's National Geographic Institute (Instituto Geográfico Nacional) during an aerial mapping survey for a hydroelectric project. 

The aircraft was equipped with a 100-pound professional aerial mapping camera, mounted through the floor of the plane and operating automatically at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). The mysterious disc-shaped object appeared in only one frame of a sequence of photographs taken roughly every 13 seconds. 

4. The Calvine UFO Photograph (1990) 

The Calvine UFO photograph, taken on August 4, 1990, near Calvine, Perthshire, Scotland, is considered one of the most intriguing UFO images ever captured. 

According to two anonymous hikers, they witnessed a large diamond-shaped object hovering silently for several minutes while a military jet appeared nearby. They claimed the object suddenly accelerated straight upward and disappeared from sight.