THE NATIONAL UFO REPORTING CENTER  Dedicated to the Collection and Dissemination of Objective UFO Data Click Here for the Latest UFO Reports (through 1/24/2012)

REPORT A UFO On-Line UFO Report Form Hotline: 206-722-3000 (use only if the sighting has occurred within the last week.) DATA BANK Report Database Case Highlight List (director's picks) Case Briefs (special articles) Interlink (jet-chase/airline reports) Historical Reports NUFORC Video APPEARANCES Jeff Rense Program Peter currently makes a regular appearance the 2nd Tuesday of each month on the Jeff Rense radio program from 7:00 to 10:00 PM (Pacific).  The program is heard over more than 200 stations, and over the internet at www.gcnlive.com and www.renseradio.com.  Guests are witnesses to recent reports featured on this website.   Click here for details on past shows PASSIVE RADAR UFO DETECTION PROPOSAL At the MUFON symposium in Denver, Peter Davenport presented his proposal for detecting UFO's in the near-Earth environment, using "passive" radar. Download his paper Articles for Further Reading: Business Week Lockheed University of Washington Wired Magazine Shawn Herman CONTACTS Director : Peter Davenport - bio director@ufocenter.com Webmaster : Christian Stepien webmaster@ufocenter.com National UFO Reporting Center P. O. Box 700 Davenport, WA 99122 Information and Policies The contents of all material available on this Internet site are copyrighted by the National UFO Reporting Center, All Rights Reserved.

RECENT ACTIVITY AND HIGHLIGHTS SIGHTING REPORTS UPDATED ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012 We have posted approximately 240 new, or amended, sighting reports, received as of this date.  We have proof-read them to our greatest ability, but as we always request of the visitors to our site, please be on the look-out for errors, omissions, and oversights on our part.  STRANGE OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHED OVER SISTERS, OREGON, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 We received a sighting report, and several interesting photographs, from a very experienced airline pilot, who inadvertently captured a very strange, high-speed, object with his camera, as he was flying his Grumman “Albatross” from Seattle to Los Angeles.  We post below two of the photos he forwarded to NUFORC, and request that anyone who can identify the object please contact our Center.  In our opinion, the object appears to be reminiscent of an SR-71, but we are not aware that they are painted in international orange. Full Report High Res Photo #1 High Res Photo #2 REPORTS OF RED, ORANGE, AND YELLOW “FIREBALLS” HAVE NOT ABATED NUFORC has addressed this phenomenon over the last year and a half, and recent reports suggest to us that it continues.  We invite the visitors to our site to scan the reports for the last several months, an note the number of reports which describe these peculiar objects, for which we cannot come up with a logical explanation.  Posted by Peter Davenport, NUFORC Director, on Tuesday night, January 24, 2012.  WEBSITE AND DATABASE UPDATED ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 12^TH, 2012 We have proof-read, and posted, approximately 600 new written reports to our database, as of this date, our first posting since December 17^th.  We have proof-read the reports in a somewhat hasty manner this time, so there probably is an abnormally large number of items that we have missed during our survey of the reports.  Consequently, we request, as we always do, that visitors to our website keep on the alert for errors and oversights in the newly posted reports and materials.  We have attempted to remove, or label, those reports which we believe describe sightings that are not UFO-related.  In addition, we have attempted to detect and remove profanity, personal information, and other objectionable material from all the reports, but we suspect we have not managed to properly detect all of it.  If you find what you suspect is an obvious error or oversight, please let us know, and we will address the issue immediately.    Whereas typically, NUFORC has been receiving and posting approximately 10 credible reports per day, in recent months, that volume has increased noticeably.  As an example, NUFORC received approximately fifty reports on December 31^st, 2011, and approximately sixty on the following day!!  Many of those reports were submitted by seemingly quite credible sources, and interestingly, many of them appear to address similar events, i.e. clusters of red-, orange-, or yellow-colored lights.  We invite visitors to our website to scan the reports for December 2011 and January 2012, which will provide them with a good overview of the volume of reports of that nature that we have received recently.  In fact, many similar reports can be seen in the data for last summer, an issue we addressed as the phenomenon was occurring last year. We just received some interesting video of a sighting of orange “fireballs,” apparently seen by a group of young people over Corpus Christi, TX, on the evening of December 28, 2011.  We will post this video tomorrow.  It is not atypical of the many still photos and video clips of similar objects, which have been forwarded to our Center, over recent months. If anyone has witnessed one of these events, or had any other type of interesting sighting, we would like to encourage all the witnesses to submit reports, using our Online Report Form, which can be found on this website.  We will be posting more information to our website, in the near future.  Most of all, we hope to post soon some guidelines for preparing, and submitting, written sighting reports.  There is substantial room for improvement in the quality of reports we typically receive, and we are going to attempt to incorporate a few changes in the reporting process. Statement posted on Thursday night, January 12^th, 2012, by Peter Davenport, Center Director. NUFORC POSTS NEW SIGHTING REPORTS ON DECEMBER 12 (940) and December 16 (56) Following a Herculean session of proof-reading of more than 1,000 new reports, received since October 25^th, we have posted all those reports to our website.  We apologize for the delay in updating the site, and we address below the issue of how people can help us get newly received reports posted more promptly.  We are certain that there are errors and omissions that we have failed to detect, so we invite the visitors to our site to be on the alert for things that have escaped our attention.  We suspect that there are many reports posted to our site, which address “twinkling” stars, “flares” caused by Iridium satellites, over-flights of the International Space Station, and out-and-out hoaxes, and which have escaped our attention during the proof-reading process.  Many of the reports have been proof-read in the early morning hours, so a few errors and oversights on our part are almost a certainty. If, in the course of reading the reports, you find a suspicious report or fact, please “Copy & Paste” the heading of the report into an e-mail, addressed to director@ufocenter.com, and we will look at the report, and amend it, if we believe a change is warranted. A FEW NOTEWORTHY REPORTS We list below links to a few reports that we believe deserve special attention.  The reports we highlight are not significantly different from many others, but they simply have caught our attention, for one reason or another, and might be of particular interest to those who visit our site. EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS, DECEMBER 11, 2011, @ 2000 HRS. - Three people see an estimated 8 orange objects pass from south to north in the night sky, covering approximately 60 degrees of arc in an estimated five minutes.  Two more lights appeared shortly after the first group had disappeared, and followed approximately the same path as the first group had followed. Full Report LAKEWOOD, CO , DECEMBER 12, 2100 @ 0130 hrs. - A women sees a silent bright light hover, rotate and disappear, and manages to catch the photos below on her cell phone.  Full Report BELTON, MISSOURI, DECEMBER 11, 2011 @ 1801 HRS. -A husband and wife witness an intensely orange object move across the sky, turn yellow, and suddenly gain altitude and disappear from their sight. Full Report SHERMAN PASS, WASHINGTON STATE, NOVEMBER 23^RD, 2011, @ 2300 hrs. - A young woman, driving from Colville to Republic, for Thanksgiving, witnesses a cluster of white flashing lights off to the north side of Highway 20.  She slows her car, in attempt to identify the lights, and quickly realizes that they are affixed to a very large object.  The object proceeded to move slowly over her car. Full Report BERLIN, WISCONSIN, NOVEMBER 16, 2011, @ 1800 HRS. - A woman, driving home from work, encounters a car stopped on a rural highway.  She drives past the other vehicle slowly, rounds the next curve, and then witnesses a bizarre curved row of quadrilateral lights ahead of her.  The lights appear to be moving away from her position, and then they suddenly begin to disappear from her sight, as if a curtain is being drawn over them.  Full Report Illustrations supplied by the witness are shown below. COLOMA, WISCONSIN, NOVEMBER 16, 2011, @ 1750 HRS. - A husband and wife witness a strange cluster of six lights, oriented horizontally, which suddenly all dim and disappear from their sight.  Full Report KAYENTA, ARIZONA, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 @ 17:40 HRS. - A father and his children are playing basketball, when they notice a string of approximately 15 lights pass across the sky, traveling generally to the west.  Many other reports posted for this date.  Full Report HOLIDAY SCHEDULE Peter Davenport, NUFORC Director, will be away from the Center on several occasions during the Holiday Season.  However, during his absence, he will check both for messages over the Hotline, as well as accumulated e-mail, and reports submitted from the Center’s Online Report Form.  In addition, the Center will be staffed intermittently by a volunteer, who will monitor the Hotline for any important telephone calls.  Hence, it would be helpful if people would please limit the calls they place to the Center to just the most important issues.  If you believe you have been witness to a genuine UFO, we would respectfully request that you go directly to our Online Report Form, and submit a written report, rather than automatically telephoning our Center to discuss your sighting.  It is the follow-up, and detailed, written report is the most important part of your report, not the telephone call to our Hotline.  Thank you!! QUALITY OF REPORTS Although we are grateful for all the information that people submit to our Center, we observe that there is vast room for improvement in the quality of the written reports that are submitted via our Online Report Form.  The principal reason that it takes us so much time to post new reports to our site is that the majority of reports require extensive proofreading and amendment before they can be released to the public.  Most of the time we spend proof-reading is devoted to 1) removing personal information from the “Description” box of the report form, 2) editing out profanity, 3) breaking long-winded blocks of text into shorter paragraphs, 4) correcting flawed times and dates, and 5) properly labeling reports of stars, planets, rocket launches, and satellites for what we believe they are.  Consequently, we once again request that people 1) read, and heed, the instructions on our Online Report Form, and 2) perform a “spell check” of their written description, before copying them into the “Description” box of the report form.  These simple tasks will serve to vastly reduce our workload dramatically, which will allow us to be able to post reports to our website much more quickly than has been the case in the recent past.  Thank you! We close by wishing all the visitors to our website a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Posted by Peter Davenport on Friday night, December 16, 2011. WEBSITE UPDATE ON OCTOBER 19 We have updated the website on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, and have posted approximately 170 newly received, or amended, reports.  Those reports, almost certainly, include reports of celestial bodies, and other instances of mistaken identity, so please be on the look-out for errors and oversights on our part. Peter Davenport, NUFORC Director, witnessed a very peculiar event in Harrington, Washington State, on Monday night, October 17.  His written statement can be read here. SIGHTINGS IN ILLINOIS, SOUTH DAKOTA, AND COLORADO -NUFORC received a number of calls and reports from those three states on the evening of Tuesday, October 18, and we would welcome written reports from anyone who might have been witness to unexplainable events on that evening.  ILLINOIS - We received a number of calls from the Peoria, Illinois, area, and one witness said she had been told that a satellite-television company was known to be flying an advertising blimp in that area.  If anyone can provide our Center with more information about these sightings, and whether there definitely was a blimp in that area, we would be most grateful. SOUTH DAKOTA - A number of people reported to police having witnessed a very bright object passing overhead, including police officers in Renner, SD.  If anyone witnessed this event, and can help us in identifying what took place there, we would be grateful for written reports with that information. COLORADO - A law enforcement officer reported witnessing a V-shaped formation of lights in the vicinity of Denver.  If anyone witnessed the event, or knows what might have caused the sighting, please send an e-mail to director@ufocenter.com.   Thank you! PLEASE NOTE:  PETER DAVENPORT will be away from the Center for a few days.  Hence, we would be most grateful if you could refrain from calling the Hotline, except for very important issues.  If you are a witness to what you believe may have been a UFO, we would be most grateful if you would please go directly to our Online Report Form, found on our website, and submit a detailed written statement about your sighting.  Thank you!! Posted on Wednesday afternoon, October 19, 2011 WEBSITE UPDATED ON OCTOBER 10, 2011 We are pleased, and relieved, to be able to report that we finally have updated the website as of this date with more than 1,000 newly received reports.  Since it has been seven weeks since our last posting of reports, we apologize to the regular visitors to our site for the unusually long delay, which is explained by travel, a short vacation by our webmaster, and an unusually large volume of sighting reports. Because of our rush to get the new reports posted, we have not been as careful in our proof-reading as we traditionally aspire to be.  Hence, we invite those who read to the reports to be on the look-out for flawed reports, or reports for which there may be some terrestrial explanation.  We suspect that the new reports may contain some hoaxed reports, which we have failed to correctly detect, for which we apologize.  In addition, some of the reports may contain profanity, which we traditionally attempt to remove before posting.  If, in reading the reports, you encounter a report that you believe we should amend, or remove, please identify the report as to time, date, and location, send the information to director@ufocenter.com, and Peter Davenport will address the issue, forthwith. REPORTS OF STARS AND PLANETS NUFORC is receiving over both its Hotline, and its Online Report Form, an unusually heavy volume of reports of both Jupiter, and the bright star, Sirius.  These reports are taking a great deal of our time, and we urge everyone to educate himself on what these two objects look like, and where they are located currently in the nighttime sky. Sirius, the fourth or fifth brightest naturally occurring object in the northern hemisphere, currently first appears in the mid-evening hours in the northeast sky, close to the horizon.  In that location, because of the dust and moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere, it appears to give off red and blue light in rapid sequence, and to some observers, it appears to “hop around” in the sky.  Jupiter currently is quite prominent in the eastern sky in the evening sky, first appearing at approximately 9:00 p.m., local time.  As the Earth rotates to the east, Jupiter appears to ascend, over the course of the evening, until it is visible in the southern, or southwestern, sky during the morning hours.  A good test of whether the object of interest is Jupiter can be performed with a good pair of binoculars, which will allow a careful observer to see up to four of the prominent moons of Jupiter, arranged in a straight line through the center of that planet. If you witness a bright object in the night sky, which you cannot identify, and which appears to be relatively stationary over several minutes, before concluding that the object is an alien space craft, please consider whether you might be viewing Jupiter, Sirius, or some other star or planet.  Thank you! During the upcoming week, we will post a few of the illustrations and photos that have been shared with our Center over recent weeks.  Posted on Monday evening, October 10, 2011.  Peter Davenport, Director MULTIPLE DRAMATIC SIGHTINGS WITNESSED OVER FLORIDA AND GEORGIA On Thursday night, October 6^th, 2011, the National UFO Reporting Center received several very interesting reports from both Florida and Georgia about sightings over those two states at approximately 8:40 p.m. (EDT).  Telephoned reports were made from Pensacola and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, as well as from Macon, Hampton, La Grange, and Flowery Branch, Georgia.  All the witnesses, except for two in Flowery Branch, reported a green light, seen streaking across the night sky, moving generally to the east.  The two witnesses in Flowery Branch report a distinctly red object, seen flying almost directly overhead, and generally to the southwest.  Peter Davenport will appear as a guest at 9:00 p.m. (PDT) on the JEFF RENSE RADIO PROGRAM, perhaps accompanied by one or more witnesses, to discuss the event described above.  The NUFORC website and database of cases will be updated sometime this weekend.  The delay in the posting of new cases has been due principally to Peter’s travel schedule, and other commitments, over the last six weeks.  However, a major delay has been due to the woefully poorly written reports, submitted in the recent past.  It has led us to the realization that we will have to implement a new policy, regarding the quality of reports, and what we will accept for posting.  Apparently, very few people are reading, and heeding, the three simple instructions that are posted at the beginning of our Online Report Form, and it is causing us severe difficulties, and delays, in proof-reading of those reports. Posted on Friday afternoon, October 07, 2011.  Peter Davenport Featured in Seattle Weekly Article The Seattle weekly has just published a new article on the National UFO Reporting Center, which is available here:  http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-02-09/news/peter-davenport-believes-in-ufos/.    Check it out for some great never before seen photos of the center! RECENT PASSING OF MR. BUD HOPKINS, RENOWNED ABDUCTION RESEARCHER It was with great sadness that we received the sad news of the death of Bud Hopkins on August 21^st, following a long illness.  Bud was a pioneer in the field of abduction research, and his work will remain as a cornerstone in that field of investigation.  He was a wonderful friend, with an effervescent manner, and an irrepressible sense of humor.  We will miss his presence among us! For a discussion of his life and work, we would like to invite you to visit the Intruders Foundation website, where Leslie Kean’s remembrance of Bud’s life is posted:  http://www.intrudersfoundation.org/inside.html SIGHTING REPORT DATABASE UPDATED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 22^ND, 2011 We have posted approximately 350 new, and newly revised, reports, as of this date.  If, in reading the reports, you encounter a report that appears flawed, please send a note to director@ufocenter.com, and we will examine the report, at our earliest convenience. NOTICE:  Peter Davenport, Director, will be traveling, and away from the Center, for several days.  During that time, the Center will be staffed by a volunteer, who will check messages several times per day.  She may respond via telephone to urgent messages. REQUEST:  We would be most grateful if people who wish to submit a sighting report would refrain from telephoning the Center’s Hotline, and/or try to avoid leaving long messages on the Hotline answering service.  Instead, we would like to have people prepare detailed written statements about their sightings, and submit them, using our Online Report Form.   Peter will monitor e-mail, and written reports, while away from the Center.  Thank you!!   NUFORC DATABASE OF SIGHTING REPORTS UPDATED ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 07, 2011 The database of sighting reports has been updated, as of Sunday evening, August 07, 2011.  The update includes approximately 440 new, or newly revised, cases. Given the unusually heavy load of reports that we have received over the last several weeks, we have not had the time to proof-read the new reports as carefully as we traditionally aspire to do.  Consequently, the newly posted reports probably include sightings of the International Space Station, and other orbiting objects; flares from “Iridium” satellites; reports of “twinkling” stars, and other astronomical bodies; contrails; and any other items which are not in any way related to sightings of authentic UFOs.  Other likely errors include occasional flawed dates and times, which may have escaped our attention.  Hence, we invite visitors to our site be on the alert for reports that may be intentional hoaxes, or which may contain errors. We list below links to some of the new reports, which we found to be of particular interest: EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA, SUNDAY, AUGUST 07, 2011 @ 23:00 HRS. (PACIFIC) - Fifteen people witness three red objects in a triangular pattern pass overhead.  One of the lights appeared to eject a small object. Full Report SEASIDE, OREGON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2011 @ 21:30 HRS. (PACIFIC) — Several witnesses observe a group of red objects, apparently above the haze, hovering motionless.  Two witnesses are left with the impression that one of the objects rose straight up, and disappeared from their sight.  Full Report OAKDALE, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2011 @ 21:30 HRS. (EASTERN) — Two witnesses, one a self-described pilot and amateur astronomer, witness six orange lights pass overhead. Full Report CANYON LAKE, CALIFORNIA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2011 @ 00:14 HRS. (PACIFIC) — A husband and wife, sitting outside on a clear night, witness a bizarre looking, triangular, craft fly overhead, with its wide edge pointed forward.  No sound.  Full Report See Image at right -> SANDWICH, ILLINOIS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 05, 2011 @ 20:53 HRS. (CENTRAL) — A man watches as an estimated 12-14 red orbs pass overhead, each apparently following the path that the previous orb had followed.  Objects appeared to turn to the west. Full Report KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011 @ 23:00 HRS. (CENTRAL) — A professional pilot (ATP) and his wife witness two red fireballs, as they streak across the clear, nighttime sky. Full Report Posted by Peter Davenport, Director, on Monday, August 08, 2011. JEFF RENSE RADIO PROGRAM  - AT 8:00 P.M. (PDT) ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 2^ND, 2011, Peter appeard on the Jeff Rense radio program, together with two witnesses to a dramatic sighting of two red “fireballs” in Lumberton, New Jersey, on Saturday night, July 30, 2011, at approximately 9:00 p.m..  What makes this case of particular interest is the fact that the husband shone a handheld, 15,000,000 candle-power, spot-lamp at the second fireball, which allegedly seemingly caused that second object to stop its movement across the sky, and to extinguish the red light it was radiating.  After the object stopped and dimmed its red light, the witness alleges that he and his wife, together with a third witness, could plainly see a hovering silver-gray craft, which appeared to them to be rotating.  The report from the husband is provided below, together with the photos to the right, taken by his wife with her Nikon D5000 camera. Since our last posting on July 17 of newly submitted reports, NUFORC has received several hundred new reports, some of which describe similar sightings of peculiar “fireballs,” a phenomenon which we have been addressing for several months.  We should have those new reports posted within the next day, or so. (BEGIN COPIED REPORT FROM WITNESS IN LUMBERTON, NEW JERSEY) Date: 07/30/11 Time: 21:00 Duration: 4 minutes Sighting City: Lumberton Sighting State: NJ Sighting Zip: 08048 Sighting County: Burlington Witnesses: 3 Shape: Fireball Number of Craft: 2 Lights On Object: Yes Aura: Yes Aircraft: Yes Summary: Two red-orange fireballs observed and interacted with via spotlight. Description: On Saturday July 30, 2011, I was out walking my dogs shortly before 9pm EDT.   It was a very pleasant evening with clear skies, calm winds, temperature in the low 70’s with a dew point in the lower 60’s.  Because I live in a very open area, adjacent to a large farm, it is always quite dark outside.  As such, when walking my dogs I always take a powerful spotlight with me…to light my way and also see if I am approaching any wildlife. I am an avid amateur astronomer, so whenever there are clear skies, I often take in the view while walking the dogs.  On this particular evening, I observed a very bright "fireball" looking object on the northern horizon.  The object was a brilliant red-orange color.  I would rate its apparent magnitude as -4 -- comparable to Venus at its brightest or the International Space Station.  The “fireball” had a distinct circular shape to it.  Its apparent size was 4 times the size of Venus.  This object proceeded on a southerly course and flew directly over top of me.  It took approximately 45 seconds for the object to track from the northern horizon to a position nearly overheard.  At the closest approach, I would approximate the altitude to be between 1500-2500 feet.  I was able to approximate altitude because I live a few miles from a small airport (Flying W – Medford, NJ).  Single engine craft on approach must adhere to a 600 ft flight level.  The fireball appeared to be 2-3 times higher.  This first object, after passing over me, vanished.  Within 10 seconds of the first object vanishing, I noticed a second object, exact same characteristics; once again appear on the northern horizon.  At this point I asked my wife and daughter to come out and look at the object.  My wife brought her Nikon D5000 (DSLR 14MP) camera.  Once again, the object was a circular orb with an extremely bright red-orange light.  It followed the exact same course/heading as the first craft (North to South ... straight line).  Altitude was approximately 1,500 - 2,500 feet and speed was similar to that of the first object.  This time, my wife was able to take two pictures of the object.  They are attached.  More importantly, I grabbed my spotlight (15 million candlepower) and began to shine it directly on the object at its closest approach to us (nearly overhead).  After 3 bursts of the spotlight, the bright red-orange light on the object immediately ceased.  I continued to shine the light on the object and was able to observe the following: > The object appeared solid. > The object had a round, circular shape. > The object was clearly rotating or spinning in a counter-clockwise fashion. > The object appeared to be 50-60% the size of the full moon. > The object had a gray or silver color that reflected the spotlight beam. > The object was completely devoid of any sound. > The object continued on a southerly course, with no visible light, until we could no longer see it. > The duration of the second sighting was no more than 3 minutes – First appearance on Northern horizon to disappearing from view in the Southern sky. I am an avid amateur astronomer with many years of experience.  I also am very well versed in meteorology.  I know what commercial and military aircraft look like, as we are in the flight path of commercial (Philadelphia International) and military (McGuire AFB) airports.  I also know that the atmosphere was clear and stable at the time of the sighting.  I know what most objects are in the sky-- such as planets, stars, constellations, satellites etc.  I firmly believe that the object that was witnessed by my wife, ((text deleted for privacy)), and me was not something that I have ever seen before.  It was certainly extraordinary.  I think I am most puzzled by the way the object immediately cut out its light when I focused a spotlight on it.  It certainly took my breath away to see the shape, color and rotation of the solid object as I illuminated it from below.  Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further. Posted by Peter Davenport on Tuesday afternoon, August 02^nd, 2011. RECENTLY RECEIVED REPORTS POSTED TO NUFORC HOMEPAGE ON SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2011 We have posted approximately 240 new reports, received since our last posting on July 6th. Given our haste to get the new reports posted, there is the likelihood that there are errors present in the reports, and we request that any error detected by our readers be forwarded to director@ufocenter.com. THE PECULIAR “FIREBALL” PHENOMENON IS STILL BEING REPORTED TO NUFORC At risk of belaboring a point already made, NUFORC continues to receive numerous reports of anomalous, colorful “fireballs,” a phenomenon for which, to date, we have come up with no adequate explanation. There is a possibility that some of the reports may be of pyrotechnic devices, launched from celebrations, for example, but we believe that this explanation cannot account for all of the reports we have received.  We are intrigued by the phenomenon, and once again, request that anyone who is witness to one of these events please submit a detailed report to our Center, using our Online Report Form. We would like also to recommend that if you are witness to one of these events, in addition to reporting it to NUFORC, you contact local news media, e.g. radio, television, and newspaper, in attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery. Most useful is to send a letter-to-the-editor of a local newspaper, apprising its readers of the event, and requesting that other witnesses come forward. There may be people in the area of the sighting who know what the cause of the phenomenon was. Here are links to a few of the more interesting reports that we have posted on July 17: WATKINS GLEN, NY, ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, JULY 13, 2011, @ 21:40 HRS. (EDT) - While driving in upstate New York, a very capable woman witnesses a stationary yellow ball of light. She stopped her car, in order to get a better look at the object, as it began to ascend into the nighttime sky, after which she witnessed eight similar looking objects. She called family members who lived nearby, all of whom witnessed the event.  Full Report CONOVER, NC, ON SATURDAY NIGHT, JULY 16, 2011 @ 22:35 HRS. (EDT) - A husband, wife, and their daughter witness a very bright red light course to the southwestern sky. Full Report CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI, ON SATURDAY NIGHT, JULY 16, 2011 @ 22:15 HRS. (EDT) - A woman and her son witness a total of 7 “brilliant orange-amber lights” pass overhead. Video captured of some of the objects.  Full Report NUFORC has received several photographs of these “fireballs,” but most of them have been taken at night with cell phone cameras. Given that a cell phone usually does not have a high-resolution camera, most of these photos are not very satisfying. We encourage anyone who is witness to one of these events to secure high-quality photographs, if possible. If you take photographs at night, we recommend that you either use a tripod, or attempt to immobilize the camera, to the greatest degree possible. Movement of a camera or camcorder during nighttime photography will cause the image to blur, to a considerable degree, making the photos less useful. POSTED SUNDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 17, 2011, BY PETER DAVENPORT, DIRECTOR LATEST REPORTS POSTED ON JULY 6^TH, 2011 Because of the large number of interesting reports that have been submitted to NUFORC on, and following July 4^th, we have decided to post those reports, just two days after our last posting.  Our Center has been inundated with very peculiar reports of orange fireball, which were observed all across the U. S. on the evening of July 4^th.  It is tempting to surmise that the reports are related to fireworks from that night, but closer analysis of the information strongly suggests to us that the majority of reports are descriptions of something besides aerial fireworks displays.  In many cases, the objects of interest were traveling against the prevailing winds, ruling out flares, so-called “Chinese lanterns,” and other pedestrian pyrotechnic devices.  However, we cannot certify that the reports we have posted are devoid of that type of event.  Hence, we would ask our readers to be on the alert for cases, for which this type of event might be the explanation of one, or more, of those reports we have posted. If you know of a case in which illuminated, pyrotechnic devices, intended to float in the atmosphere, have been released, we would welcome reports to that effect, submitted via our Online Report Form.  We would be most grateful if you would please indicate in your report when and where the devices were released, and include contact information for anyone who was involved in the launch. Statement posted on the evening of Wednesday, July 06^th, by Peter Davenport, Director. NEW SIGHTING REPORTS POSTED ON INDEPENDENCE DAY, JULY 04^TH, 2011 We have posted approximately 156 new sighting reports, which have been received since our last posting on June 26^th.  As you read the reports, please be on the outlook for errors and oversights, on our part, and please let us know, if you encounter anything that we have overlooked, in the course of proofreading new reports. “FIREBALL” REPORTS We feel duty-bound to once again call to the attention of visitors to our website the volume of reports of peculiar “fireballs” NUFORC has been receiving, of late.  The influx of these reports continues, seemingly unabated, and we have no adequate explanation for what the objects are.  In our view, they cannot be ascribed to any type of terrestrial event that we are aware of.  Once again, we invite people to peruse the reports we have posted since June 2010, in order to develop a feeling for the volume of these reports that has been submitted to NUFORC, since summer of last year.  Of particular interest is this late breaking report and illustration from Cleveland: Date: 07/04/11 Time: 01:50 Duration: 2 minutes Witnesses: 3 Shape: Fireball  I am an EMS helicopter pilot in the Cleveland Ohio area with a two nurse crew this morning. We had just dropped off a patient on the rooftop helipad of a hospital three miles east of downtown Cleveland and were preparing to depart for base when all three of us witnessed a "fireball like" object. At approximately 1:50 AM July 4th 2011 I was preparing for engine start when I observed this fireball like circular object flying from east to west just north of our position. It appeared closest when I first saw it. This is an area of intense air traffic so it took a second look to determine it did not look like an airplane. At this particular time of morning there were no other aircraft seen. I immediately jumped out of the cockpit and went back to the crew loading our equipment and told them check this out. All three of us watched the object fly over the shoreline at approximately 3000 to 4000 ft. Maybe a speed of 150kts at least. We tried to determine if it was an airliner as this is the same area they fly on their approach to Cleveland Hopkins airport. However there were no position lights and no strobes. We could not see any structure except for the roundness and color. It was a yellow golden sphere with red on the sides (See drawing). The bright red seemed to have the characteristic of fire or vertical flames but was not flames. It was not underneath only on the sides with a little on the top. It was like red electrical fire. It did not look like jet propulsion. I am not an artist but I did attempt to draw what I saw and that is included here. I would estimate a fairly good sized object, at least 10-20 feet across. It flew east to west over the shoreline. As it approached downtown proper it turned northwest and departed out over the lake at a constant altitude and airspeed. We link below to a few of the other more interesting “fireball” reports that we have received, since our last posting: BEAVERTON, OREGON, MONDAY, JULY 04, 2011 @ 00:48 HRS. (PACIFIC) - A woman witnesses a “fireball,” the color of “flame,” slowly move across the sky, appear to stop, and then slowly move to the horizon. Full Report WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD 2011, @ 23:55 HRS. (CENTRAL) - A man witnesses an “orange-amber” fireball move above the clouds. Full Report NAMPA, IDAHO, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD, 2011 @ 22:50 HRS. (MOUNTAIN) - Four witnesses observe two red “fireballs” pass across the night sky, the two events separated by approximately ten minutes. Full Report WAVERLY, NEBRASKA, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD 2011 @ 22:30 HRS. (CENTRAL) -Seven adult witnesses observe approximately six red lights pass overhead, at apparently quite high altitude.  Full Report WILLIAMSTON, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD, 2011 @ 22:15 HRS. (EASTERN) - A woman, while walking her dog, witnesses two “large” orange-red “fireballs” pass slowly overhead, and continue on to over the horizon. Full Report MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD, 2011 @ 22:00 HRS. (PACIFIC) - Two adults witness a distinctly red “fireball” maneuver back and forth, pass overhead slowly, then disappear.  See photo at right. Full Report LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON, SUNDAY JULY 03^RD, 2011 @ 22:00 HRS. (PACIFIC) -A mother and son watch three bright red objects pass overhead. Full Report BARRINGTON, ILLINOIS, SUNDAY, JULY 03^RD, 2011 @ 21:30 HRS. (CENTRAL) - Approximately 20 witnesses observe eight orange, triangular-shaped, objects drift across the sky, then fade out.  See photo below Full Report We cannot be certain that all of the above reports, and those in our database, are reports of unusual events.  Some may be reports of pyrotechnic devices, such as so-called “Chinese” lanterns.  However, given the fact that the events have occurred all across the country, and at about the same time, we would be surprised if all of them are of terrestrial origin.  WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE WITNESSED ONE OF THESE EVENTS, OR ARE WITNESS TO SUCH AN EVENT, IN THE FUTURE If any of the visitors to our site have witnessed any of the events described above, or if they witness a similar event in the future, we would be most grateful if you would please submit a report, using the ONLINE REPORT FORM.  If you submit a report, we would be most grateful if you would please include at least the following information:    Where you were located, at the time of your sighting; The time and date of your sighting; What direction you were looking…north, south, east, or west; What the angle of elevation to the object, or objects, was; How big the 1) individual lights, and 2) the formation of lights appeared to be, relative to the sizes of bright stars, or a full Moon, in the night sky; What the lights were seen to do; How they disappeared from your sight, e.g. did they just fade out, fall to the ground, streak off, or what?  What direction the prevailing winds were moving, at the time of the sighting.  ((Please contact the local offices of the National Weather Service, or an FAA Flight Service Station, for this information.)) Please include any other pertinent information, and please have other witnesses to the same event submit independently-prepared reports, as well.  Thank you, to all, and we at NUFORC wish you a Happy Independence Day!! Posted by Peter Davenport, NUFORC Director, on Monday afternoon, July 4^th, 2011.  WE HAVE MOVED! After 32 years in the Seattle area, the National UFO Reporting Center is moving to a new locale in eastern Washington, a decommissioned U. S. Air Force ICBM missile base, located between the towns of Davenport and Harrington, WA, in Lincoln County. This photo of our new "digs" shows the property as it looked in the early 1960's.  Click here for highres. Once the facility is cleaned and renovated, which may take up to a year, our headquarters will operate out of this facility, which was the first underground missile complex commissioned by the U. S. government. Our telephone service should operate smoothly, since all incoming calls to our Hotline will be automatically forwarded to our telephone. In addition, we anticipate that our internet services will be uninterrupted, although it may require several days for us to activate our new high-speed internet connection. Hence, please be patient while we get these services set up, and operating smoothly. For a list of past featured reports and highlights click here.