NUFORC Sighting 76484

Occurred: 1977-08-15 20:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2010-07-12 19:46 Pacific
Duration: 30 seconds
No of observers: 3

Location: Bristol, IN, USA

Shape: Orb


Large Orange Glowing Orb Witnessed in August of 1977 or 1978.

This event occurred many years ago when I was a teenager camping with parents and relatives in northern Indiana. As best as I can remember, this event occurred during the summer vacation after I completed the 7th or 8th grade. It’s hard to be exact on this point as so many years have elapsed, but I can be certain of the month, August, because that’s when my father always took his two week vacation which we spent camping.

My Aunt, my cousin, and myself were enjoying live music, a country band if I remember correctly, in an enclosed pavilion at the campground when we decided to step outside for some fresh air. It was a very warm August evening around 20:30; the air was very heavy and thick, as most August evenings are, and I remember taking in a deep breath of the cooler outside air. We had walked a bit from the pavilion, making small talk, and found ourselves among a stand of pine. I had glanced up, for no particular reason, and spotted a very large, orange colored orb hovering right above.

I pointed up immediately and said ‘Look!’.

My cousin and Aunt both looked up and stared in amazement. The orb was very large and seemed as big as a three-story house. It’s hard to say how far away it was, but I remember thinking to myself that I could almost reach up and touch it. I think I may have actually stretched out my hand. The orb had a very distinct glow to it, that’s honestly, hard for me to articulate. The best description I can come up with, and I’ve thought about this from time to time over the years since the event, is that if you could imagine a giant pumpkin that’s been carved very close to the rind, and then a large lit candle place within so that it appears that the surface is emanating light, rather than a direct light source…if this makes sense.

The event lasted maybe 30 seconds, the object never moved, never made a sound, and then it just blinked out and was gone.

I looked up at my Aunt who was still staring with her jaw gaped open, and said, ‘Did you see that!?’.

My Aunt was silent, but my cousin said, ‘I think it was a firework,’ as if to provide some kind of reasonable explanation. I said in return, ‘There’s no way that was a firework, I think it was a UFO’.

We all walked back to the pavilion in silence. We never spoke of the event after that night.

There is one more detail here that I’m not totally sure about, but when we returned the band was wrapping up, and I could swear that when we had left they were just about to take a small break, not finish for the night.

I’ve heard of ‘Missing Time’ since the event and I’m not saying that’s what happened. I just wanted to note this point because I remembered at the time thinking that is was kind of strange that the band was packing.

I’ve always wondered if anyone else had ever seen an object such as this one during the summer of 77 or 78, so I decided to share this event with you folks.

I’ll always remember the amazement and utter awe I felt that night.




NUFORC Note:

Witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate. PD


Posted 2010-07-19

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