Actor Russell Crowe spots a UFO! Star tweets pictures of close encounter with mysterious light in sky outside his office

Russell Crowe has sparked a furore after claiming to have photographed a UFO outside the window of his office.

The Hollywood megastar posted a video on YouTube which he says could show a spaceship moving across the night sky.

The actor seems to have anticipated that some would be sceptical of his supeatural claims, as the clip was captioned 'THESE ARE REAL'.

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Mr Crowe, star of blockbusters including Gladiator and Les Misérables, put the video online yesterday.

He titled it: 'UFO? Time Lapse Photos Outside RC's Woolloomooloo Office (THESE ARE REAL!)'

The clip is a montage of five photographs apparently taken seconds apart, with a flash of red and yellow light moving across the screen.

The source of the light appears to be suspended in the sky above the trees which are the main focus of the images.

Mr Crowe later added: 'A friend and I set camera to capture fruit bats rising from Botanic Gardens, this was a big surprise'.

In a response to fans who suggested that the spooky effect came from the camera itself, he wrote: 'Canon 5D, no flash, can't be a lens flare because it moves, camera is fixed'.

A number of his online followers responded with ridicule, with one writing: 'Please never post anything online again Russell. It's just embarrassing.'

One even made fun of the star's past, saying: 'It's probably a telephone, flying past the window at someone's head.'

But some were more constructive, offering explanations for the phenomenon including suggestions the light came from a nearby mobile phone or car headlights.

Mr Crowe took to Twitter again today to refute suggestions that the photographs were manipulated in some way.

He wrote: 'I will grant you at the time the music wasn't playing, also, yes, we have pushed in on the frame... this is three photos in order, nothing added'.

The 48-year-old Australian came to inteational fame in LA Confidential, and went on to win an Oscar for his role in 2000's Gladiator.

He has also appeared in hits such as A Beautiful Mind, American Gangster and most recently Les Misérables.

His latest role is alongside Mark Wahlberg in Broken City, which has just been released in the UK and Australia, prompting rumours the UFO video could be nothing more than an attempt to drum up publicity.