A mystery in the window of a pickup truck

November 4, 2009 4:20 PM

What could be causing an image of Jesus to appear in this man's truck window?

What sort of treatment or coating could cause an image to reccur like this handsome visage of Jesus is reported to?

posted by longsleeves to Science & Nature (22 answers total)

Wax painted on to the glass in the shape of what people think Jesus' head looks like. Or oil. Or some other substance which water does not mix with.
posted by dfriedman at 4:23 PM on November 4, 2009

An anti-fog spray sprayed on with a stencil?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:24 PM on November 4, 2009

My first thought is Rain-X or Glass Wax applied through a stencil. (Or freehand, if you're talented.)
posted by The Deej at 4:24 PM on November 4, 2009

Possibly someone drew that image into the frost with their finger, which left an oily residue. Now, every time the frost builds back up, that image is still there. That's just a guess, but I've noticed the same thing happens on bathroom mirrors.
posted by katillathehun at 4:24 PM on November 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Rainex and a stencil. I've heard of people doing Jesus glass etchings as well.
posted by dunkadunc at 4:27 PM on November 4, 2009

Maybe the previous owner (if there was one) had one of those decals of jesus. They removed it when they sold the truck and it left a residue?
posted by a.steele at 4:32 PM on November 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

Could it be.....SATAN??

Yeah, I'm guessing a prank. Either the guy himself or a younger relative.
posted by DU at 4:47 PM on November 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm thinking either sticker residue or something thru a stencil as well.

If it was a sticker, it's sure better than if he had Calvin peeing on something appear on his truck window every morning.
posted by altcountryman at 5:02 PM on November 4, 2009

I did this prank with a stencil and Rain-X. Now, when ever my mother takes a steamy shower the word SATAN is on the bathroom mirror.
posted by munchingzombie at 5:03 PM on November 4, 2009 [10 favorites]

Could it be.....SATAN??

Why so negative? Could it be....Jesus?

Nah, just Rain-X and someone with a sense of humor.
posted by zardoz at 5:13 PM on November 4, 2009

A friend was driving with his girlfriend one winter evening and when the windshield fogged up, the image of two bare feet appeared on it. She got pissed, assuming that he'd had some other girl doing things with him in the car. He swore up and down that the last time he'd had a girl in the car was the previous summer. I guess the oil from her feet had been a) invisible until the glass fogged and b) durable enough to stick around for multiple months.

So: some sort of oily something can do this.
posted by wyzewoman at 5:25 PM on November 4, 2009 [2 favorites]

Any substance that is clear and hydrophobic would do that. There are thousands of oils, waxes and other compounds that would achieve the effect.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 5:37 PM on November 4, 2009

It's probably a miracle.

OTOH, it could be anything other than a miracle. My money's on some kids pulling a prank with a bottle of Rain-X and a stencil. Not a bad idea, really...
posted by Pecinpah at 5:51 PM on November 4, 2009

going with Super-Strength Pareidolia.

Or any of the other reasonable answers above.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 6:03 PM on November 4, 2009

On second thought, Jesus proved he had hydrophobic properties by walking on water. So it could be the real deal.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 6:07 PM on November 4, 2009 [8 favorites]

going with Super-Strength Pareidolia.

In this case, it looks like a Jesus stencil or sticker was involved somewhere. The detail is too specific to be pareidolia.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:31 PM on November 4, 2009

He (or someone else) got a hold of that Jesus pancake and mashed it on his window, leaving a greasy residue.

I hear Jesus also sometimes makes appearances at Mefi meetups.
posted by at the crossroads at 7:25 PM on November 4, 2009 [2 favorites]

I'm from the area of Tennessee whee this was reported. people are crazily religious there, and there are fake Christ sightings all. the. time. so tedious.

someone once obviously stencilled His Heavenly Mug on the side of a bridge in orange paint and it got called a miracle for about a week. be assured, this is probably no coincidence. more like a bored high schooler messing with the Baptists.
posted by patricking at 9:07 PM on November 4, 2009 [1 favorite]

Images of His Noodly Appendages are far more common on rain-slicked windows... but somehow those never make the news. Persecution.

Also: stencil.
posted by rokusan at 4:41 AM on November 5, 2009

That's not Jesus, it's Charles Manson!
posted by willc at 5:54 AM on November 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

Anytime someone says the "image" is Jesus as opposed to Karl Marx, Charles Manson, or Jeffrey Spicoli is definitely seeing something that is not there. Basically, as has been said, Super-Strength Pareidolia.
posted by JJ86 at 6:22 AM on November 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Here's a similar story that might shed some light
posted by tigrrrlily at 12:26 PM on November 5, 2009