NUFORC Sighting 11745

Occurred: 2000-01-18 18:15 Local
Reported: 2000-01-18 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 5 min
No of observers: 2

Location: Crescent City, CA, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Left a trail

Saw a bright light (looked like police chopper with spotlight). watched a few sec, noticed a blue tail of smoke??? Saw light beam get bigger, total light... light went out... then big ball of smoke. Smoke was white in color, and only lasted about 30 sec's. Blue tail stayed lit for over 5 Min's...

Driving S/B on Hwy 101 about 3 miles north of Crescent City. Driver noticed a brite light in sky, just south/west of us... perhaps a few miles up (hard to say), at about 30 deg south south west of us. He pointed it to me and I saw a very brite light,it seemed to be focused bright light that showed the outline of the light beam. at first it appeared to be a focused spotlight from a police helicopter, pointed towards the ground. I also noticed a blue smoke pattern about 500 feet away from the light and looking like it was tapered and also pointed toward the ground in a 30 deg angel. While we were driving, we slowed, and a few vehicles around us slowed, all looking at this light. The light focused on the tail, expanded it's beam, and lighting up the source with a very bright white light, totally involving into a ball, and disappeared. A large ball of white smoke expanded around this source and disappeared. After about 30 seconds, the white smoke disappeared, but the blue trail was still illumines for at least 5 minutes..

NUFORC Note:

Missile launch from Vandenberg AFB near Los Angeles at this time. Many other reports.

Posted 2000-01-22