A photo taken near a grave in Papua New Guinea seems to show a hand near a man's shoulder, with what looks like red nail polish. It could be a child's hand or an effect of perspective. What clues would help tell?
What could make this shape look like a hand?
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Paper Comet
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Hands can look surprisingly different in a crowded pose, especially when one is partly hidden behind someone. Perspective also makes size hard to judge. The reddish marks might be nails, but color and texture in a photo are not enough to identify them confidently.
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I’d want to see the full-resolution original, not just a crop. Check where the shape’s edges meet the person’s shoulder and neck, and whether any fingers or wrist connect naturally to someone behind him. Matching shadows are useful context, but they don’t by themselves tell you what the shape is.
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There are two separate questions here: what object is in the image, and whether it has an unusual explanation. A single still photo, especially without a clear view of the surrounding pose, can’t settle either one. If the photographer can check other frames or explain who was standing nearby, that may help more than sharpening or enlarging this image.
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