NUFORC Sighting 143536

Occurred: 2018-10-18 18:15 Local
Reported: 2018-10-19 19:14 Pacific
Duration: 25 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Makawao, HI, USA

Shape: Light

Bright neon green light (actually two touching) over southern West Maui Mountains windfarm.

On Thursday 18th of October 2018 between 18:15 and 18:40 Hawai’ian Time.

I had just collected mail from our box and was walking back to our cottage, in Makawao, when I saw a bright, neon green light in the sky toward the southern side of the West Maui Mountains. The light was stationary above the line of broken banana palms at the rear of our house and above (what I estimate) the position of the wind farm on the flank of the mountains.

I went inside and obtained my binoculars and observed the light, which was still in the same position. Through the binoculars I observed the light to be two lights touching. I returned indoors and acquired a telephone and tried to contact my friend who lived farther up Haleakela, in Kula. Unable to reach him I contacted his wife. She went outside to see if she could see the light from her higher elevation.

As I spoke with her I observed the light move to a lower altitude, bringing it in line with the palms. The light remained stationary in this lower position for a couple of minutes before moving southward over, roughly, the channel between Maui and Lana’i. Within seconds, it changed course and moved in a curving upward arc northwards toward Wailuku and stopped approximately above the valley, maybe a little southward of, Waikapu.

The light remained stationary against a deep purple-black cloud, which made the green even more intense, for a number of seconds before it began moving to a lower altitude northward toward Wailuku and disappeared behind the branches of an avocado tree.

Just as I was informing my friend that it had disappeared, the light returned on a southerly course back toward the channel. The light then reversed course, gained a little in altitude and headed toward Wailuku once more. This time it did not return.

I was on the telephone with my friend the entire time describing the maneuvers; unfortunately she did not see it.

The light moved slowly most of the time, slower than the tour helicopters that fly over the valley between Haleakela and the West Maui Mountains.

I do not think it was a helicopter due to the lateness of the day and because it was at different points so stationary in the sky.

Just after the light moved off to the north towards Wailuku I observed the strobe red light of an aeroplane moving from north to south from Kahului airport.

Posted 2018-10-25