NUFORC Sighting 16562

Occurred: 2001-02-20 13:45 Local
Reported: 2001-02-20 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 20 minutes
No of observers: 3

Location: Kearny, AZ, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

Stationary, then oddly drifting white, nearly glowing object, mid-day, with military jets in area

At about 1:45 pm, I noticed that the trainer jets which fly often in our sky were unusually active. Searching the sky I could see the tiny, sporadic contrails which are often emitted during these daily flights. Then I noticed a white light in a stationary position in the Northeast. It was in the general area of where the jet had been training but it did not move for several minutes. I had to take my eyes away for a few moments to attend to something. When I searched the sky again, I saw that the object was now perched much nearer and appeared to have some solidity to it, though it mostly appeared as a reflective type of light. It did look bigger and was in a more overhead location. I positioned myself just under some telephone wires so I could better gauge any movement of the light. It either remained very stationary, or would drift in irregular movements from time to time. I watched it come into what appeared to be a nearer location- more overhead. Its appearance of some kind of hard object grew more apparent. I could almost determine the object to have a slight cylindrical, or oblong shape. The jets that had been present earlier faded with their sound into the distance. Just as the object was nearing a directly overhead position, I went to see if I could find my friend M who was outside somewhere nearby. I did find him and we proceeded to both observe the object hold still, then drift, now apparently away from us. Soon, I left M to watch and I went to find a pair of binoculars. My son helped me look but we were unsuccessful. Then my son and I joined M in observing the object for several more minutes as it alternated between moments of stillness and movement. As it continued in a southerly direction, it appeared to either glow brighter with its own light or reflect more off of the sun. This continued until it faded in the southern distance. This daytime sighting comes after 2 nightime sightings of similar events at night 3 and 2 nights before- which were not reported here.



NUFORC Note:

We wonder whether the witness might have been looking at a helium balloon. Large balloons are released in New Mexico, from time to time, and they are frequently reported to us. Just a guess. PD


Posted 2001-02-24

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