NUFORC Sighting 65200

Occurred: 2008-08-12 20:00 Local
Reported: 2008-08-13 08:29 Pacific
Duration: 1 hour +
No of observers: 2

Location: Chandler/Gilbert/Mesa, AZ, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

Bright Lights in vertical formation with top craft moving as another came up from below to get in formation.

On August 12, 2008 approximately 8PM in Chandler, AZ I walked out front to smoke a cigarette when I noticed 2 bright lights on the West horizon in a vertical line just hovering. I chalked it up at first just to be 2 planes coming this way in some sort of flight pattern creating an optical illusion. However, my husband walked out to smoke a cigarette and said "Come here and look at this". Just over the tree lines where I had seen the 2, were now 4 bright lights all in a vertical formation. I tried to logically evaluate what I was seeing but logic soon flew out the window.

As we watched these very bright lights, which were much larger than what you see on jets, the top one in formation dimmed the bright light and red and blue lights began flashing on it as it began to pull away from the vertical line moving in a Northeast direction. The craft that was moving was very low to the ground, lower than I see any jets in this area fly and the sound was different than jets. It made a noise but there was no "rumble" if that makes sense like a jet makes, it was rather quiet no more noisy than perhaps a car makes. The lights undernderneath and behind it were unfamiliar to us as well. As we kept watching, we then realized that this was a pattern that kept taking place. As the top one would begin to pull away from formation, another would "appear" to come up from beneath and get in this vertical line. We watched this trying to reason what was going on but it just wasn't making sense to us. If it had been planes in a flight pattern, logic would reason that the lights would be of different size and radiance if they were lined up behind each other. These lights looked like huge bright balls of light. My husband and I when we first saw them giggled and said "Oh no, someone else is playing a hoax with flares and balloons", however, as the top one moved away, we clearly saw the craft and it's flight pattern. Whatever they were, whoever they were, they were definitely craft. I lost count after watching 6 of these follow this pattern. "That's 6" I said to my husband, and then just quit counting at that point.

I began getting very nervous as we kept watching this take place as it appeared they began lining up in a perimeter around an area. I could see them on the horizon from the back yard, clearly to the north, clearly to the east and cleary to the west, the trees were blocking my southern view. However, as they followed this flight pattern, they appeared to be randomly stopping out on the horizon, not moving at all. Just hovering. Some we could follow moving following a rather large circle pattern on the perimeter. The red and blue lights flashing on them looked different than jets and some seemed to only have a steady red glow.This has to be one of the most bizarre things I've seen.

Within a few minutes of watching this, 3 helicopters appeared in the area and there was 1 helicopter that actually kept a distance from the line of lights, but was flying what appeared to be from an "observing distance".

This went on for approximately an hour with these things all over the sky. I kept thinking, someone else surely has to see this. We came in to turn on the news around 9Pm thinking that what might be happening would definitely make the news, we watched all the way through the 10PM news, but no mention. I began checking here last night to see if anyone else had reported anything, but soon realized this isn't kept in real time, so thought I'd check back this morning and there'd be a plethora of reports, so far nothing. This truly rattled me last night, I had knots in my stomach because what we were seeing was so bizarre. This went on for over an hour. There was not a single jet in the sky during this, just the balls of light and crafts and a few helicopters.

If anyone else has seen this, or has an explanation as to what was going on, please post it here.My husband and I walk out front and sit on our porch nearly every evening and have never witnessed anything like this in the past. We'll definitely be watching again this evening.

Posted 2008-10-31