8 Famous Paranormal Photographs Debunked

7. Solway Spaceman

This photograph, taken in 1964, appears to show some kind of helmeted spaceman or astronaut popping out from behind this little girl at a jaunty old angle. The photographer, Jim Templeton, only spotted the strange visitor after the photographs were developed.

Is this some kind of time-slip? Perhaps even an alien visitor? Man had barely begun its journey to the stars in '64, yet this guy has the distinct look of an Apollo astronaut. The media frenzy at the time covered pretty much all options.

It's actually more likely to be the little girl's dear old mum.

With the horizon levelled and the exposure knocked back, you practically can't unsee a dark-haired person with their back to the camera. The angle of the arm is also odd for a forward-facing figure (although, perhaps alien spacemen have a different joint configuration), and much more suited to a figure with its back to us.

Templeton insists that he didn't see anyone there at the time, and he's probably telling the truth. The viewfinder on the camera he was using would cut out 30% of the final image, creating a blind spot.

The picture was taken at a time when spacemen were at the forefront of the public imagination, there's little wonder it caused the stir that it did.