NUFORC Sighting 82648

Occurred: 2011-07-22 21:15 Local
Reported: 2011-07-22 19:38 Pacific
Duration: 2-3 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Knoxville, TN, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Lights on object, Changed Colo

One spherical fireball which quickly died out leaving a dark, spinning mass that drifted southwest as it descended

I am an RN case manager and musician and visual artist. My husband is a computer scientist and jazz pianist. We are avid bird and nature watchers. We walk in our West Knoxville, TN, neighborhood almost every day.

Tonight my husband and I just witnessed what might be described as a fireball in the Farragut/Concord area just southeast of Turkey Creek and Concord Roads at about 21:15 tonight.

We were walking eastward on Turkey Creek Road just east of Anchor Park when we realized that the bright object in the sky above was not a helicopter or airplane. The center of the roughly spherical object blazed bright orange at first. It had a dark, slightly irregular outer edge. It appeared to be spinning.

This went on for maybe a minute at most and then the bright center quickly died out and all that was left was a dark, cinder-like spinning object, possibly spherical or disc shaped, that slowly lost altitude as it drifted roughly southwest and was lost to our sight as it descended in the direction of Northshore Drive. It made no discernible sound.

We do not know if there is any relation, but there has been a bad smell in the area this evening - possibly a chemical odor or the smell of something burning.

Posted 2011-08-07