With the many drone sightings New Jersey residents have reported over the last few weeks, many are left wondering how they can differentiate between a drone and some other type of aircraft.

Weeks of unexplained drone sightings are leaving many in the Garden State feeling uncomfortable and looking for answers. News 12 New Jersey spoke with an applied engineering and technology professor from NJIT Newark who was able to break down a lot of the differences between drones versus other aircraft.

"These drones we're seeing in the sky are capable of vertical take-off and landing compared to a fixed-wing aircraft that needs a runway,” says Professor Pramod Abichandani. “You have probably seen situations where the pilot says we haven't had clearance to land, we're going to circle around.”

Abichandani says that the drones seen in the sky are a size or two above the size of the drones such as the News12 drone. He would put it in the enterprise drone category, but not to be confused about the weight of the drone just because it's significantly larger.

"They have bigger wingspans, or the arms of those drones are long but most of the material of the drones are carbon fiber super light and super durable," says Abichandani.

The patterns have been drones found in clusters and red and green flashing lights on the corners. They can whip in different directions quickly, which is much different compared to an airplane or helicopter.

News 12 also asked about the psychological effects of seeing these mysterious drones flying at night versus during the day.

"It doesn't feel as menacing. It feels intriguing but when you see something with green and red lights flashing and moving around in zigzags, it feels uncertain," said Abichandani.

NJIT continues to study the patterns of the drones.

The FBI also asks that residents share any videos or photos they may have of the flights, along with any other relevant information by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submitting a tip online.