The truth is out (there) over a mystery flying “smoke ring” spotted in the sky over West Yorkshire.

The weird phenomenon was captured on camera by Kimberley Robinson and her boyfriend Danny Cooper over the M62 near Birkenshaw last Sunday.

Photographs of the swirling black mass puzzled onlookers and experts alike.

Some thought it could be aliens or UFO activity but the reality has proved much more grounded.

The organisers of The Yorkshire Wartime Experience, a two-day wartime re-enactment event, have held their hands up.

The smoke ring was created by pyrotechnics experts creating mock explosions on the battlefield.

Mystery 'ring' spotted near the M62 in West Yorkshire

And because the air on Sunday was quite still the smoke didn’t disperse and floated gently away, causing much amazement.

Kimberley described the sight as the “weirdest thing I have ever seen.”

Sarah Clarke, one of the organisers, said the event was held every year in Hunsworth Lane, Hunsworth, near Cleckheaton, and the explanation was very down to earth.

“Fear not, the truth is out there,” she said. “The smoke ring was part of our pyrotechnics but because there was no wind it just floated away.

“I can understand why people thought it was a bit weird.”

A message on the event’s Facebook page says: “Keep calm. Don’t panic. It’s not a UFO. The truth is out there...”