NUFORC Sighting 174307

Occurred: 2023-02-02 19:15 Local
Reported: 2023-02-04 18:08 Pacific
Duration: 30 secons
No of observers: 4

Location: Artesia, NM, USA
Location details: Southbound on 285 from Roswell to Artesia

Shape: Formation
Characteristics: Left a trail

Me, my wife and to adult age sons witnessed six lights appear in intervals I. Two line formations

Driving southbound on 285 from Roswell to Artesia, me, my wife and two adult age sons observed a total of six lights In Formation. My wife had asked what the bright celestial body was to our west, low on the horizon. As I looked west and said Jupiter, we both saw a dull orange light appear in the southwest sky, not low in the sky near lights or towers, but high in the southwest sky. Within seconds a send and third light appeared in a straight line. The lights each went out in sequence as three more lights appeared a short distance south of the first three. The new three appeared in similar sequence and in a formation like an echelon. At this moment the first three reappeared in sequence and the same echelon formation. The six moved laterally a short distance. As I realized that these were likely not flares, because they turned on and off, as they appeared and disappeared and moved laterally I called to my boys in the back seat, who saw the formation starting from the second group. I also asked my wife to film it with her phone. As she was digging in her purse to find her phone, the lights went out for the last time. The entire thing lasted around 30 seconds. As we continued to scan the sky, approximately 5 minutes later we could see what appeared to be condensation trail in the sky in that same area as lights. I describe it as a con trail although it was too dark to have actually been a con trail, but that’s what it looked like. This trail was visible for another two minutes. I’m not sure these two events are connected but I’ve never seen anything like either and the proximity would suggest they were related.

Posted 2023-03-06