NUFORC Sighting 52954

Occurred: 2006-10-01 23:15 Local
Reported: 2006-10-16 16:28 Pacific
Duration: 1 1/4 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Canon City, CO, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object, Emitted beams

Large bright light with aura, "fireworks" features, then several distinct white lights

Sighting occurred Oct 1, 2006, 11:15pm MDT east of Canon City, Colorado ------------------------------------ FIRST PARAGRAPH WAS WRITTEN ON OCTOBER 2, 2006: I was driving from east to west on US Hwy 50, just east of Canon City, Colorado, going through the traffic light at the Home Depot, when I first spotted (through my driver's side window) what appeared to be a very bright planet just above the southwestern horizon. I knew that it was too late (11:15pm MDT) for Venus to be above the horizon. I started watching the white light because it got larger and brighter; it seemed to be traveling from SW to NE across the sky. I could not judge the speed because I could not judge the height from the ground but it was not close to the ground. As it got closer the bright, round light in the center appeared much larger than any planet but smaller than the moon. At that point it had a halo or aura around it, the width of one side of the halo approximately the width of the bright light at the center. I also noticed at this point what looked like white "fireworks" shooting up (?) from the circular object. Then as the object got closer it appeared to evolve into 5 or 6 bright lights, more or less in a straight line, which continued on the SW to NE path through the sky. I was still driving and lost sight of the lights as they appeared to go overhead. The entire sighting lasted about two minutes. I should also note that, just to be sure that I was not seeing some strange reflection in my side car window, I rolled the window completely down as I was driving, and still saw the lights.

------------- NOTES RECORDED LATER FROM MEMORY, ON OCTOBER 16, 2006: When I drove that stretch of Hwy 50 again on Oct 14th, I decided that the timeframe was more likely one and one-quarter minutes to one and one-half minutes, not two minutes.

Also, the physical description of the phenomenon is best related as five distinct appearances during the one and one-half minutes I saw it: (1) Bright light on the horizon, just above the foothills to the southwest, when I first saw it; larger and brighter than a planet; (2) Bright light with aura or halo around it; (3) Bright light with aura, plus white streaks appearing to shoot out the top of it; (4) As object continued to get closer, the white streaks (trails of light) in the sky then appeared in SW to NE lines rather than appearing to “shoot out the top of it;” (5) When the phenomenon was nearly overhead, it appeared as 4, 5 or 6 distinct, bright white lights, continuing on the SW to NE pathway.

NUFORC Note:

We spoke with this witness, and we consider her to be an excellent witness. If her estimate of the duration of the event is accurate, the object, almost certainly, was not a meteor. PD

Posted 2006-10-30