NUFORC Sighting 27833

Occurred: 2003-02-23 00:10 Local
Reported: 2003-02-22 22:55 Pacific
Duration: 1210am-1230am
No of observers: 3

Location: Wisconsin Dells, WI, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object, Changed Colo

Silent, rotating lights, strange movements and speed. Witnessed by 2 police officers.

My wife thought she saw a strange star that had "rotating lights" and called me to the kitchen window that faces south west. I looked out in time to see this star go from a stationary position to moving at a very odd angle and increasing speed. From its distance and location in the sky, the speed appeared to be very great as it moved closer to our home, but still well off in the distance. It then stopped and hovered, then dropped what my wife thought was about 500 feet. It continued to hover and then move. The speed at which it moved was too fast for a helicopter. It eventually got close enough to our house that I thought I could hear it. I stepped outside and watched it for a while and it made no noise. The lights were red, blue, green, and white and the white light got very intense at times. It continued to hover and move and move up and down and side to side. It then stayed stationary for over ten minutes. I am a ((public employee)) and called a friend of mine who was on duty to witness this thing. He is very skeptical and he is also an experimental pilot and flight enthusiast. He admitted that the movements and lights were very odd. It is now twenty minutes since he left to try to get a better view in a different part of our city. It is still hovering and has not moved for a long time.

((LATER REPORT FROM SAME WITNESS))

Strange lights, abnormal movements, very bright and noticeable on a clear night.

My wife was looking out the kitchen window and noticed a strange object in th southwest sky with multiple lights. She at first thought it was an emergency medical helicopter because she said it was coming closer. When I looked at it I told her it was just a bright star because it was not moving. All of a sudden it moved to the left and stopped. It then started to move to the left or right, and at one point dropped straight down about 500 feet in a matter of a second. There were multiple lights on the object that increased in intensity. The object then moved closer to the house so I went outside and I could not hear an engine or anything. The object conitnued to move in strange directions and would go from hovering to moving very fast across the sky and stopping again. I called a friend over who was working the midnight shift that night. This friend is very skeptical about these things but he also is a flight enthusiast and an experimental aircraft pilot. He agreed that no plane could move light that and no helicopter was that fast. He left and drove several miles towards the object out into the country and later reported that it hovered for about an hour then drove off. The sky was clear and we saw no other objects like such in the night sky.

((END))

NUFORC Note:

We have corresponded with the witness to explore whether the object might have been a celestial body, perhaps the star, "Sirius." At the time indicated by the witness, Sirius, a bright, "twinkling," star would be visible in the southwestern sky. We have invited them to look tonight, or on the next clear night, in the same area of the sky at the same time. Sirius, and any other celestial body, always appears to hop around the sky. PD

Posted 2003-03-04