NUFORC Sighting 19350

Occurred: 1996-03-12 17:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2001-08-31 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 1min
No of observers: 1

Location: Clacton-On-Sea (UK/England), , United Kingdom

Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

Black triangle 1996 Essex England

I saw this UFO in 1996 when I lived in Clacton-On-Sea, there was a Chinese spy satellite due to come down so the light in the sky drew my attention. I did some quick research on the web and found the Satellite came down on March 12 1996 at 11:05pm EST. As I recall, I saw the UFO at about 5.30pm UK time and I think the satellite had come down around midday but I didn't know this at the time of the sighting. I was walking home from the bus stop after college, it was dark but the street lights were still an orange colour as they were still warming up. I glanced up at the moon and a light to the right of it caught my eye, it was the same colour orange as the street lights but was bigger and at about twice their height. I stopped and stared at it, trying to figure out if it was a light on a crane or something but as well as being illuminated it also seemed to have a spherical metallic surface and I started to think maybe it was a helium balloon. Then it started to move, it floated up with a slight arc (not straight up) and seemed to be swallowed up by darkness. I lost sight of it and continued walking, still looking up in case I could see it again. I then noticed some small misty white lights above me, as I looked at them I suddenly realised that they were arranged around the sides of a huge black shape which was blocking out the stars. I'm about 95% sure that it was triangular, it definitely had straight edges and there were 5 lights as I remember. The object pretty much filled my whole field of vision which combined with the fact that it was a black object against a black sky made it hard to be 100% sure about the number of sides. There was also a rectangle of light in the center but it was like light reflecting off a flat raised section rather than a light source, the long edges of the rectangle were sharp and the short ones were more diffuse. The object passed directly over me from right to left, rotating very slowly. It was completely silent, and I'd estimate it was flying or rather floating at roughly treetop level. Altitude and size are pretty hard to judge from below but I would estimate it was about the size of a house and the orange sphere was about the size of a beach ball or maybe a bit bigger. The triangle(?) slowly gained altitude and I lost sight of it as it passed over the houses to my left. I kept looking for it as I continued home but all I saw were the lights from normal air traffic which wer! e at a m uch higher altitude than the object I had seen. I kept an eye on the local press for a few weeks afterwards but I am not aware that anyone else saw this object.



NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. PD


Posted 2001-10-12

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