Plane or drone?: Here's how you can check to see what's flying overhead

PHILADELPHIA - Planes, drones, or visitors from a galaxy far, far, away?

As officials continue to investigate the origins of mysterious drones spotted in our area, there's an easy (and free) way to help you tell what you've spotted.

Flightradar24.com provides users with a real-time radar of active flights, and gives information about each aircraft, including flight numbers, origin and destination.

The website is free to use with ads, but users can also unlock more flight information by signing up for a subscription.

Several sightings of mysterious drones have been reported in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania in recent weeks. 

Professional drone pilots are just as captivated by the mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and parts of the Philadelphia region and are sharing their expertise on how to spot one in the sky.

"I think it’s very odd and concerning that nobody is really taking ownership of these drones," said Brett Tiagwad, the owner of Elevated Angles, a commercial drone service provider in Center City specializing in professional media production. "If it's hovering, number one, if it’s not moving I would say that’s the number one give away that it is a drone."

Ashlee Cooper is a Drone Pro for the State of Delaware through the FAA Safety Team and the CEO of Droneversity. She suggests paying attention to the lighting throughout the aircraft and describes the lights on a drone.

"A series of probably like four lights they are going to be red, they’re going to be green. If it’s a nighttime flight, they’re going to have auto collision lights that are blinking," said Cooper. "I am actually hoping that this will be an opportunity to spark the conversation for individuals to get used to some larger sized drones. Drones that are delivering goods, delivering first aid, delivering organs and response. This is something that is happening in states and municipalities as we speak. It’s not science fiction."

Cooper also echoed the use of apps on your phone like Flight Radar 24 to track passenger flights.

Tiagwad said to consider if flight activity is common in your neighborhood.

"If you were living in an area where there is no airport landing strip, and you’re not used to seeing planes fly at a low distance and all of a sudden you have one that’s pretty low and you can take a video of it, then most likely that’s a drone," said Tiagwad.

Cooper said if you still aren’t sure, take a picture of the object you’re seeing in the sky and seek out an expert opinion. In fact, she will be speaking at a FAAST seminar and webinar called "Deck the Skies: Drone Safety and Flying Tips with Pilot Ashlee Cooper."

Cooper will hold a live Q&A session as part of the presentation on Wednesday, December 18 at 7 p.m. in the New Castle County Gilliam Building adjacent to the Wilmington Airport off Reeds Way.

Theories about their origins have run wild on social media, and on Wednesday New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew claimed that an ‘Iranian mothership’ was housing the elusive crafts.

"These drones should be shot down," Van Drew said during an interview on FOX News. "Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can’t imagine, or whether it is Iran – and I think it very possibly could be – they should be shot down." 

In a letter to urging President Joe Biden to "act swiftly," Van Drew claimed the Coast Guard has observed drones coming into New Jersey from the Atlantic Ocean and that a sea-based Iranian mothership is currently missing from port. 

The Department of Defense quickly shot down Van Drew's theory, adding that there is no so-called ‘mothership' harboring the drones. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the drones don't pose a threat at this time, but admitted that his administration is taking the investigation "deadly seriously."