Occurred: 2007-05-22 20:10 Local
Reported: 2007-05-23 09:52 Pacific
Duration: 20-30 sec.
No of observers: 4

Location: Des Moines, IA, USA

Shape: Changing
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

Shape Changing Tube or Rod with Pursuing Military Jets?

On May 22nd at about 20:10 (8:10PM) my wife and I were out in our front yard. I looked up in the western sky and at about 40-45 degrees (above the treetops) saw a dark object that at first looked like a boomerang and I thought was a flock of birds flying in close formation. I could not estimate distance from us, altitude or size, but was at least as large as a quarter held out at arm’s length. The sun was down below the tree line and the sky was mostly clear with high cirrus clouds.

Right away, I noticed that the object was changing shape, almost like it was rotating or tumbling. It looked like a dark tube or rod that was bending and reshaping itself. I pointed it out to my wife and she observed it also. While we were watching it move from South to North-Northwest (with the direction of the wind), our neighbors came out on their front steps and saw it also.

After about 20-30 seconds it had moved out of our sight behind trees to the North West of our location. All 4 of us stood around for a minute trying to figure out what it was and making jokes about it being the beginning of the alien invasion. We thought it probably was a kite or a banner or something that had broken loose, since it was traveling with the strong South wind. At no time did we notice a sound from it.

My wife and I then walked into our back yard and heard jets accelerating. When we looked up in the eastern sky, we saw two F-16’s from the Iowa Air National Guard wing at the Des Moines Airport turning to the northwest and heading in the same direction that the object was moving. We remarked that it was odd, since the National Guard usually flies on the weekends, not on Tuesday nights. My wife immediately remarked that they must be going after the thing, since it looked very solid and they must have spotted it on radar.

I didn't think much of the object and was willing to dismiss it as flying debris until we saw the F-16's heading in the same direction. It may be a coincidence, but it just seemed odd that we saw the fighters right after the sighting.



Posted 2007-06-12

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