NUFORC Sighting 05798

Occurred: 1999-02-27 21:32 Local
Reported: 1999-03-07 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 6-8 min.
No of observers: 40

Location: Laughlin, NV, USA

Shape: Light


A group of approximately 50-70 adults watched 5 white lights, the apparent size of bright stars, maneuver in the night sky.

The sighting occurred during the banquet and closing ceremonies of the 8th Annual International UFO Congress, being held in Laughlin, NV. I had been a speaker at the event on the prior morning of the sighting reported here.

At approximately 2130 hrs. (Pacific), a friend approached me in the hallway of the hotel and urged me to run outside immediately, stating that a UFO sighting was in process. I was skeptical, but since I know the individual well, and know him to be a serious-minded person, I responded to his request.

I went out to the east side of the hotel, and found approximately 50-70 individuals looking to the east over the Colorado River, generally in the direction of Bullhead City, AZ, which is directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV.

I looked in the direction that they appeared to be looking, approximately 80-90 degrees (azimuth; true), and quickly spotted 5 small, luminous objects, which at first appeared to be prominent stars, approximately the same magnitude and "size" of the stars that form the "belt" in the Orion constellation.

Three of the lights on the right, approximately 45-50 (est.) degrees above the horizontal plane, were in a formation that made me believe initially that I was looking at the Orion constellation, but the "lights" were in the eastern sky, and the Orion constellation is located in the southern sky at that time of night.

Approximately 2-5 degrees above the three lights, and approximately 5 degrees to their left, were two more similar, "lights." Just a few seconds after I had begun looking at the two lights on the left, I observed that they were moving relative to one another. They were turning, accelerating for a second or two, slowing suddenly, and then changing direction again. Their movement seemed almost random, although they clearly were changing position, circling one another, etc..

At this point, I was intrigued by the display, given that it was profoundly bizarre and anomalous. The display was like nothing I had seen in 51 years on this planet!

I then looked back at the three lights on the right, and was even more intrigued to note that they no longer formed a straight line, but they were moving, and within seconds they were beginning to orient themselves relative to one another in a triangular formation. Within an estimated 5-10 seconds, they had formed into an isosceles triangle, and all of them were moving generally to the southwest, or south-southwest, at a very slow (angular) velocity, e.g. approx. 1 deg./sec.. That is, they had reversed their course from generally south to north, when I first observed them, to north to south, later in the sighting.

The entire group of witnesses stood in place, watching the lights slowly drift in that direction, for approximately 6-8 minutes. All of the lights passed "below" an almost full moon, becoming fainter, it seemed to me, as they moved to the southwest.

Finally, the lights were no longer visible to me and they became progressively fainter until they were no longer visible to any of the witnesses, either.

I have no idea what the objects were, but they CLEARLY were not meteors (!!), conventional aircraft, birds, insects, satellites, or any other object of terrestrial origin, with which I am familiar.

Posted 1999-04-02

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