Who Are the Engineers Who Created the System That Record Mysterious Lights in the Sky of Porto Alegre

Three factors motivated Fábio Celestino, 42, and Elmo Bressani, 64, to create a control system focused on the Porto Alegre sky: amateur radio, aviation and the Guaíba sunset. Engineers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the duo installed PTZ-type cameras on the 16th floor of an apartment in the São Geraldo neighborhood, in English, the acronym defines Pan (panoramic movements), Tilt ( the possibility of moving the equipment vertically) and Zoom (capacity to approach).

From a balcony, the first lens, with 4K resolution, records ships passing through the mobile opening, the buildings of the Historic Center, the edge of the Capital and the landscape of the late afternoon.

— The passion started with the sunset. I had the idea to broadcast this show. But then, later, we put the camera facing the airport. Then came the audios, and from the audios, the reports of the lights. It was like that — details Bressani about the beginning, six years ago.

From the window in another part of the property, the equipment looks at the Salgado Filho Airport runway, with the same horizon observed by pilots arriving in the state. The conversations between the commanders and the control tower are intercepted by a directional VHF antenna installed in Celestino’s apartment, three kilometers away from the takeoff and landing terminal.

— Radio listening is practiced in Brazil and in the world, we just cannot interfere — he ponders, about the legality of the activity.

The range of the antennas has a spectrum that covers the Capital, the coast of Rio Grande do Sul and part of Santa Catarina.

From the server at his home, Celestino sends the audio, synchronized with the images routed by Bressani’s cameras. Receiver radios, monitors, network cables and UPS are part of the structure, 24 hours a day.

On Youtube, the number of subscribers doubled

The content has an educational character, with the objective of entertaining the public and instigating the curious, according to Celestino, also a programmer of the sites:

“It’s a hobby. Today, it barely monetizes anything, but if one day you pay the cost of electricity, of leaving computers on 24 hours a day, that’s good enough.

The Youtube pages are Camera Pôr do Sol Guaíba and Camera Porto Alegre Airport. The number of subscribers has doubled in the last few days, with 5,000 and 14,000 respectively, especially since Friday (4), when a Azul pilot made the first alerts of unidentified luminous objects (UFOs), a situation not yet explained. . The records posted on the engineers’ internet channels were repeated for five consecutive days.

— The current moment is the most curious we’ve ever seen in the images. That night alone (from Tuesday to Wednesday, 8 and 9), we had 2 thousand people live on the live. It’s amazing — classifies Celestino.

In addition to the entirety, cuts are made in the most exciting moments of the recording. Subtitled, the compacts quickly gain social media — some publications surpassed 20,000 views in the last week.

Privacy was questioned in the condominium

At first, they faced a challenge: neighbors in the condominium where the system operates expressed fear of having their privacy invaded by the lens. The engineers presented a report in which they specified that the equipment is directed from the buildings to the outside, without filming the daily lives of the residents. They also pointed out that the legislation allows recordings, as long as they do not invade other people’s space.

Fábio limited the angle of action, to avoid exposure of the neighbors. Never aim the camera there,” recalls Bressani, pointing to the apartment next door.

With public access and in real time, there is no history of images captured outside the context defended by the two.

The duo also maintains an Instagram profile and a website where live photos and images are posted. The programming allows that, every 15 minutes, the scenario is modified in frame. During rush hours, users prefer to focus on traffic, engineers say.

Asked about the mystery surrounding the apparitions, both smile. There is no consensus on this issue.

“A beacon of that size cannot be a drone,” ponders Bressani, remembering one of the images.

— It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, they don’t look like aviation lights. But I certainly don’t kick at anything — points out the colleague.