NUFORC Sighting 17900

Occurred: 1987-06-01 06:45 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2001-06-03 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 00:15
No of observers: 3

Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA

Shape: Unknown

Moon appears to split in half

I doubt that what I saw was a UFO, but it still rates as one of the oddest events I have ever witnessed. My roommate and I were on my our to work one morning. I can only estimate that it was in the mid to late 1980's since this happened so long ago. There was a full moon setting as the sun was rising. While stopped at a red light I commented to my roommate that the moon appeared to have a "crack" cut out in the bottom of the moon. Since the moon was nearing the horizon, I assumed that the visual appearance was caused by a telephone pole or something that we could not see. After the street light turned green we continued on our way and I really did not think about it untill a couple of minutes later I glanced over and saw that the crack was still there, only bigger now, about 1/4 across the diameter of the moon. This time I was driving and the horizon was moving along but the notch remained. We kept watching as we were driving and could see the crack growing. We really did not know what was happening and thought the moon was splitting in two before our very eyes. We pulled over in a spot where we had a good view and watched to see what was happening. (We figured if the moon was really breaking up, why bother going to work because we were probably all going to die?) We watched as the crack literally went all the way to the top of the moon and gave the appearance of a moon spit into two halves! We sat waiting for the earth to be destroyed or something, but then the "crack" drifted to the right of the moon and off of the surface entirely after about 10 minutes. When we got to work and explained why we were late, everyone thought we were crazy of course except for one other guy who also saw the event. I called the newspaper and TV stations but they thought I was crazy too. The only explanation I can imagine is that somewhere on the earths surface, a rocket was being launched into space and the exhaust trail cast a shadow on the moon. Is this possible? Or do you have any other similar repor! ts as th is in your database? I know the moon did not split in half that day, but I am not making up what I saw.

NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. PD

Posted 2001-08-05