NUFORC Sighting 176614

Occurred: 2023-07-05 23:38 Local
Reported: 2023-07-05 21:44 Pacific
Duration: 5-7 seconds
No of observers: 2

Location: Reno, OH, USA
Location details: Semi-rural, off county road, about 4.4 miles from Marietta

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

Rapidly moving bright light curved and faded into nothing

At approximately 11:38 PM ET, we, my mother and I, both saw the same light due West of our location in Reno, Ohio. We are located out a county road in a semi-rural location. We are very familiar with aircraft seen regularly in the area as we are due Northeast of the Mid-Ohio Valley Airport (KPKB) as well as being avid skywatchers of satellites including the International Space Station (ISS) and meteor showers/"shooting stars". This was none of the above.

In the course of seeing this object or light appear in the sky due West of our location, it seemed abnormally bright - brighter than Jupiter or Venus or even the ISS. We figured that it might be landing lights on an aircraft, but no marker or strobe lights were visible - not red, green or blue. This was a bright 'white' light.

What was most unusual about this light is how we could make out against the twilight or airglow that the light was curving rapidly in an 80 to 90 degree turn that would have made its position going from a Northerly route to a Westerly route from our perspective. It made this trajectory move quickly in what appeared to be an area much smaller than the curve of the turn radius of most aircraft large and small we regularly see here. However, shortly after (1-2 seconds) the light faded at an accelerated pace into nothingness - no more bright white light and still no markers/strobes and nothing visible against the twilight/airglow.

It is noted that a Piper Cherokee P28A (N780U) was airborne near this location at the appearance of this light, however, that flight traversed in a nearly straight line from Morgantown, West Virginia (MGW) to Athens, Ohio (UNI) South to Southeast of our location with little to no course correction resembling the path of the light we saw. The absence of marker strobes and the rapid curving and fading of this light was what made it quite unusual - granted this is not the first instance of strange lights seen in this area and we have on occasion seen blocked military or government craft flying through or to/from KPKB.

In a separate unreported incident approximately eight (8) years ago, either in the month of July or September (based on the fact we celebrate several birthdays in both of those months where we often have family get-togethers), an ultra-slow pulsating light appeared to myself and 5 or 6 other observers during a campfire one night near the same location herein stated that could be seen for over an hour - definitely not a plane or satellite as satellites do not hover and slowly move over the course of an hour and planes should have marker beacons, which this did not. Needless to say, a couple of people that were present that night who you'd label as skeptical were dumbfounded at the appearance of this light "event" and still recall how weird it was these years later.

Another instance that we're not sure about and was reported by my mom in 2017, my mother experienced a bright orange moving light on her way home from work around 10:45 PM in the late Winter (February) that traveled downward and disappeared from view at the horizon. That report was listed here: https://nuforc.org/webreports/reports/132/S132919.html

All said, we're unsure at what either of these instances were, but the one this evening was unusual enough to report. Thank you.

Posted 2023-07-10