Bullet hole in windshield on JFK's Limo

[Jim Hawthorn]

Also, look at the shape of the mirror in Algens 6 (on the right below). If there is no bullet impact, we should see a curved edge.
What we in fact see is the bullet impact in front of the edge of the mirror (with light rays coming off it in front of the mirror).

[Charles Collins]

I haven’t followed this thread so I apologize if I am repeating anything that has already been covered. But it appears to me that there is some diffraction of light caused by the aperture in the camera that is causing some “starburst effect” that is being confused with a bullet impact defect in the windshield. I have circled in red another area of bright white light that gives a similar effect. I don’t know exactly what the source of that white light is. Maybe someone else has an idea. Best I can tell, there is no windshield defect that corresponds to the “starburst” I have circled in red. Please let me know if you have an idea of the source of this patch of bright white light.  Thanks.

[Jim Hawthorn]

I haven’t followed this thread so I apologize if I am repeating anything that has already been covered. But it appears to me that there is some diffraction of light caused by the aperture in the camera that is causing some “starburst effect” that is being confused with a bullet impact defect in the windshield. I have circled in red another area of bright white light that gives a similar effect. I don’t know exactly what the source of that white light is. Maybe someone else has an idea. Best I can tell, there is no windshield defect that corresponds to the “starburst” I have circled in red. Please let me know if you have an idea of the source of this patch of bright white light.  Thanks.

That lower "starburst" look s like it's merely a relection of the sun. In the car behind, it's reflecting off the front of the hood:

[Charles Collins]

That lower "starburst" look s like it's merely a relection of the sun. In the car behind, it's reflecting off the front of the hood:

I think that theory is worthy of testing in a 3D model. Your idea is that the windshield is reflecting the sun back towards the camera (if I understand you correctly). The sun’s position in the sky and the positions of the camera and windshield (and its relative angles) can be modeled in 3D. That might help to rule this theory in or out.

[Charles Collins]

I think that theory is worthy of testing in a 3D model. Your idea is that the windshield is reflecting the sun back towards the camera (if I understand you correctly). The sun’s position in the sky and the positions of the camera and windshield (and its relative angles) can be modeled in 3D. That might help to rule this theory in or out.

I have done a quick study using my 3D model and found that the sun’s position at 12:30pm on 11/22/63 is basically behind and above the camera. So, it seems possible to me that we are seeing a reflection of the sun on the windshield inside the red circle that I drew. However, my model is relatively crude and generic, so I cannot say for sure that that is what we are seeing in Altgen’s photo. The associated starburst effect appears to me to be similar to the one on the bright spot above JFK’s left shoulder. These starburst effects are caused by refracted light created by the aperture of the camera. So, I see no reason to believe that there is a defect in the windshield at the time the Altgens 6 photo was taken.

[Jim Hawthorn]

These starburst effects are caused by refracted light created by the aperture of the camera. So, I see no reason to believe that there is a defect in the windshield at the time the Altgens 6 photo was taken.

The upper zone (which I'm suggesting is a bullet impact) isn't a reflection like the one lower down. It doesn't have the same intensity at all. It's in front of Kennedy's shoulder (as you can see in the extreme zoom) and it merges with the woman's bag at the rear.

[Andrew Mason]

I haven’t followed this thread so I apologize if I am repeating anything that has already been covered. But it appears to me that there is some diffraction of light caused by the aperture in the camera that is causing some “starburst effect” that is being confused with a bullet impact defect in the windshield. I have circled in red another area of bright white light that gives a similar effect. I don’t know exactly what the source of that white light is. Maybe someone else has an idea. Best I can tell, there is no windshield defect that corresponds to the “starburst” I have circled in red. Please let me know if you have an idea of the source of this patch of bright white light.  Thanks.

The "starburst" which is just over JFK's left shoulder in Altgens' #6 is some part of what the woman red-circled here is holding or some part of her clothing:



This is what she looks like in Croft's photo:

[Charles Collins]

The upper zone (which I'm suggesting is a bullet impact) isn't a reflection like the one lower down. It doesn't have the same intensity at all. It's in front of Kennedy's shoulder (as you can see in the extreme zoom) and it merges with the woman's bag at the rear.

It doesn't have the same intensity at all.

Yes, if it is simply the woman’s bag then it wouldn’t be a direct reflection off of the windshield and therefore would not have the same intensity as a direct reflection.


 However, I believe that it could be intense enough that it could still cause a starburst effect through the aperture of the camera. I don’t know what the woman has, but I seem to remember women’s white patent leather bags being popular back in that era. If it is white patent leather, then I think that the reflectiveness of the shiny white patent leather could reflect the sun similarly (to the reflection we think we see lower down on the windshield). And the curvature of the windshield (that that light would pass through to reach the camera from the bag) might cause the shape of the starburst that is associated to the bag to be different than the shape of the starburst of the sun’s reflection (directly from the surface of the windshield).


It's in front of Kennedy's shoulder (as you can see in the extreme zoom) and it merges with the woman's bag at the rear.

If it is a starburst effect caused by the aperture of the camera, then it might appear to you to be in front of JFK’s shoulder. After all the camera aperture is between the film and JFK’s shoulder.