NUFORC Sighting 90516

Occurred: 2012-07-05 03:45 Local
Reported: 2012-07-05 14:40 Pacific
Duration: 5:10
No of observers: 2

Location: Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach), NC, USA

Shape: Changing
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Emitted other objects, Changed Colo

Moving "stars" and shifting shapes at Wrightsville Beach.

I've sifted through the archives in this site and have found that although there have been reports seemingly describing what I and a few others have seen down at Wrightsville Beach, none of them offer contact information and so they're, regrettably, somewhat more prone to be dismissed. However, I'm too moved to want to show people what's been going on down there to just let that slip on by, so I'll add a few of my tales as well, beginning with last night's most recent event.

Now, since my first encounter at Wrightsville Beach (will describe later), I have come back a few times with a few different groups of people to show them what I refer to as the "Dancing Star." It's a large, yellowish light (sometimes seemingly blinking different colors) that will distinguish itself from its counterparts by moving in swirling, zig-zagging patterns back and fourth, though it still mostly remains true to its general area or "zone." Upon several inspections of the thing, I realized that right before it moves, you can faintly catch a tiny pinprick of light near it flash before the main star moves towards it. I called the motion "kiting," since it seemed that the small pinpricks would determine where the star moved to. It appears in random areas of the sky, sometimes even switching positions throughout the night. As a hobby, my friends and I go check it out.

Anyway, last night I was in a particular mood and wanted to go see if we could find it again. I was with my friend who agreed it would probably be a good night to just go relax for a bit: the moon was full (or at least close), and there was a lightning storm off in the distance (this time, to the opposite of the shore). We usually hang out in the area of Wrightsville that's all the way to the right where you park by the gazebo. From there, we walk down to the left for a bit until we reach the breaker in the water and usually plop down there. Well, tonight was no different: he decided to lay down on the sand and star gaze while I, a bit further up and closer to the water, squatted down and began singing to myself. It's what I do here.

About fifteen minutes had passed with me singing and my friend taking a nap close by. I had my back turned to the ocean and was singing in the direction of the lightning storm, since it was particularly gorgeous, when I suddenly felt compelled to turn around to face the ocean again and I saw it once more: hanging low to the ocean and very bright, it seemed to slowly appear as if out of mist or fog. This time there were two lights, one on top of the other. Both much more yellow and brighter than the neighboring stars. There were no clouds from the direction where they appeared, but like I described, they seemed to just sort of swim into view. The top, dimmer "star" stayed stationary in its movement towards us, while the lower star seemed to swing while it moved, like a pendulum suspended from the top one. Both moved together, though, and were recognizable as one. They got closer and stayed there. I didn't freak out since I'd seen a similar situation last year around! this same time (around June-July), so I just kept watching it and singing to myself. In between songs, it would move to the right at a fairly quick speed. As soon as I'd begin again, though, it'd move back left and lock itself into a place in "front" of me on the horizon line. I also tried talking at it, unsuccessfully.

There were flashes of what seemed to be "heat lightning" coming from around it, even though the actual storm was still far off in the opposite direction and there were no clouds to speak of near the thing. But the first time I saw this thing manifest, there was also such "heat lightning." It stayed there the whole time we were there watching it all, though it didn't do much except move back and forth and fluctuate its brightness. Mind you, not twinkling like planets, but it would get noticeably brighter, like a yellow-orange flashlight in the sky and then dim down super dim and then return to a nice, healthy medium-strength glow.

As the glow of morning began to rise in a blue hue, I told it "Good morning" in a tone of more so a "goodbye" and when I looked up above me (just to see if there was anything else interesting going on; I'm always looking everywhere at that place), I saw a pale white light form, brighten, and dart away -- too slow to be a shooting star and too fast to be anything else. We both agreed it was time to go, then. The two "star-forms" it took stayed there in the sky, though when my friend pulled up his star map ap on his phone, they didn't register as anything.

+_+_+_+_+_+ Now this same situation happened last year around this time and with the same company, and again at around three thirty a.m. til sunrise. We were down at the same spot and I was, again, singing while watching a lightning storm (this time, this one was over the water far along the horizon). I kept finding it kind of weird how the bolts of lighting that were visible from the storm kept seemingly striking the same spot, but I dismissed that. Then, a bright, yellow star emerged from among the storm clouds, became very bright and yellow, and began to "dance" around. It zig zagged and looped. I thought it was a plane at first. It did, however, get closer to us in the sky and when it did it seemed to have a slight trail/tail -- could have been the light, though. I wasn't blinking very much when watching it. It ended up sticking around for about a good two hours, moving about in the same fashion, before it stopped, dimmed, and something else happened: Close to us, appearing (again, almost as if from mist) along the shore line was this boomerang like sliver of red light. It was swaying back and fourth like a lantern at around the same speed as one would carried by someone with a bit of a limp. It kept getting closer. Mind you, I was a bit scared at this point. My friend, even, was about to bolt if need be, but we decided to brave it and see what it was (though we didn't move). Eventually, the thing stretched itself out further into a crescent and looked almost feather like. The swinging slowed down. It was quite a few feet far away from us -- I'm pretty sure it just looked closer than it actually was, but compared to the rest of the actual celestial bodies, it was noticeably closer, y'know? It gave the impression of hovering over the water, though it cast no reflection. Then became brighter and yellow until it looked like a crescent moon. This night was a New Moon night. I remember it was the reason I went to the beach. I ! figured I could see the stars perfectly on a night like that. Well, it took the shape of a moon and hovered there for about a minute and then began moving quickly to the right along the sky line. Then it would stop for about thirty seconds and then move slightly slower backward. It moved as if someone was pulling a lure through water. Fast and smooth at first then slowing and easing into its stops. No trails. It was very strange. So we kept watching it in fascination all night until dawn came. Then, again, I saw what I thought was a shooting star dart off near it and the thing stopped moving and kind of "dissolved." Also, on some nights when its been active, a low, loud humming note can be heard. Other than that, though, the objects make no noises. I don't know if its related or not. I didn't take pictures because I initially figured it might scare it away and I wanted to absorb all I could from the moment. Next time, however, I may just have to take an adequate video.

Posted 2012-08-05

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