NUFORC Sighting 81543

Occurred: 2011-05-27 22:20 Local
Reported: 2011-05-27 23:28 Pacific
Duration: 10 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Oak Harbor, WA, USA

Shape: Circle


Five bright orange, round UFO east of Oak Harbor, Washinton.







I stepped outside about 10:30 PM pacific daylight time to see if there were any auroras, which potentially should have been in the area per spaceweather,com. I immediately I saw the first object when I stepped out my door. I called my neighbor when I first saw the object to confirm what I was seeing, but as we were on the phone, it reached a spot in the sky almost directly east of me, hesitated, blinked a couple times and faded away. (The sky was cloudy, but it did not seem like the disappearance was due to clouds.)

As we were on the phone, as I was expressing my disappointment that the neighbor missed it, another came over the horizon and did exactly the same thing, disappearing at the same spot after blinking a couple times. My neighbor did see this one, and all later objects. In all, when we were on the phone, my neighbor saw four, I saw five total, spaced about two to three minutes apart.

Each came from the north, heading south south east. Each one was round, and very bright orange. There was no flashing. They were approximately 40 degrees above the horizon to the east. Each was identical, and about four to five times brighter than a planet, if not more. When I first spotted each, it was moving very fast, but slowed down as it reached the exact same spot where each blinked and disappeared.

Each object had the same trajectory and speed before fading away. I could attribute the slowing and disappearance to turning and heading directly east, but I thought it odd that each disappeared in exactly the same way despite being seen over at least 10 minutes when the cloud cover would have changed.

I did grab my binoculars to look at each one and could see no distinguishing features, just large, round,and bright orange. Unfortunately I had loaned my neighbor's kid my camera for a photography class so I could get no images.


((FOLLOW-UP REPORT BY EXPERIENCED INVESTIGATOR, WHO WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.))


May 30, 2011

Informal Field Report

Subject: Investigation of Five Noctural Lights seen at about 2230 HRS. (Local) East of Oak Harbor, WA, on Friday, May 27, 2011. A Probable Explanation

By:

((Name deleted; female)) submitted a sighting report to NUFORC and to UFONW describing her sighting. Only additional details not already found in the NUFORC case file are included here. I interviewed her. today at 1545 L at her home, located several miles due East of the city of Oak Harbor and facing south. Refer to the attached aerial photo file (Figure 1) for geographic details.

I found Miss ((name deleted)) friendly, helpful, intelligent, and well spoken. She also has a keen interest in science and technology. She had gone outside to her covered porch to see if an aurora was visible (she checks a website periodically). There was no aurora but, rather the almost equally spaced (in time) round, orange, sharply edged, self-luminous objects (with no trail visible) that appeared just above a stand of tall Douglas fir trees located NE of her home. (See Fig. 2 and 3). None of the five lights passed in front of any trees (located only about 400 feet away) (See Figs. 1 and 2).

She recalled hearing the noises of a party at neighbors located directly north of her property (See Fig. 1 and 5) (later determined to be about 1,178 feet distance) and, most importantly, a crowd-like cheer before each of the five lighted objects appeared.

She also recalled seeing the next morning (Saturday) a large, reddish balloon out in Puget Sound in front of her house that was still hovering several feet above the surface of the water but tethered to something that held it down. (See Fig. 6) She estimated that it was three or four feet in diameter and thought that it was a weather balloon. She also said the objects were about the angular size of 1/4th of her thumbnail (arm outstretched) which would be about the same width as a weather balloon would subtend.

It is my tentative conclusion that these identical noctural lights were, in fact, gas-filled (probably weather) balloons with an associated light source suspended below and launched during the party over about a ten (10) minute period of time or longer. At least five (5) balloons were launched. The property has tall fir trees on its southern sides (See Figs. 4 and 5). Any balloon would have to rise at a steep angle to miss hitting them. The
party crowd may have cheered each time they saw a balloon make it over the tree line. I speculate that one balloon came down in the water and was seen the next day by the witness.

List of Figures
____________________________________________________________________________

1. NL_OHarbor2_5-27-11.jpg Downview of major sites (alt. 1545 feet). Horiz. line from
witness location indicates viewing direction when each object disappeared.
Location of party property at top.

2. NL_OHarbor_5-27-11 001.jpg Photo taken at same witness location. Line approximates path
of objects (left to right). Note same tree labeled "T" in these two consecutive photos.

3. NL_OHarbor_5-27-11 002.jpg Second photo taken at same witness location.

4. NL_OHarbor_5-27-11 011.jpg View looking west down Old Polnell Road. Note tall trees on left side (south) of road. Party property is located 3/4ths distance down this road on right side.

5. NL_OHarbor_5-27-11 010.jpg View looking east up Old Polnell Road with Fir trees on west edge of party property.

6. NL_OHarbor_5-27-11 006.jpg View looking south across Saratoga Passage from witness’s porch where red balloon was seen in water next morning.


((END FOLLOW-UP REPORT))










NL_OHarbor_5-27-11.doc

NUFORC Note:

Thanks to some prompt investigation by a party, who prefers to remain anonymous, we believe that this case has been explained, and solved. It appears that the lights, almost certainly, were so-called "Chinese lanterns," which had been released from a party, being held approximately one-third of a mile from the witness. We express our sincere appreciation to the individual who did the prompt follow-up investigation of the sighting report. PD


Posted 2011-05-29

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