NUFORC Sighting 56283

Occurred: 2007-04-17 22:00 Local
Reported: 2007-04-18 14:30 Pacific
Duration: 5
No of observers: 1

Location: Irvine, CA, USA

Shape: Circle


Circle of blue lights

On the evening of April 17, 2007 I went out onto my front yard for a smoke before bed. It was about 9.55 p.m. PST. My house faces NNE. The planes approaching Orange County Airport approach my house from the NNE and go past North to my left to the NW to land at OC approximately 8-9 miles away. Normally I can see the planes unaided and hear them as they descend. This night was overcast so I could hear some but not see them as they broke cloud cover once they had passed my house. As I was standing on my driveway, I saw some blue light aloft to the North moving back and forth, almost flittering like a moth. I initally thought it was a police helicopter. This is a well populated suburb community and it's not unusual to see one of those things circling around. What I thought was unusual was that it was moving more in a quick back and forth movement instead of what is usually seen as a slow circle. Also, I could not see a strong search light or hear an engine sound. It appeared that the object was 1-2 miles away. I thought this was odd so I retrieved a pair of quality 20x binoculars that I keep hanging on a coat rack inside the front door.

What I saw raised the hair on the back of my neck. These lights seemed to consist of a row of individual blue lights that first were traveling to the left. As the object reversed direction, the object appeared to be first an ellipse and then a full circle that had maybe 24-30 individual blue lights around the perimeter. It then traveled to the right and reversed the process again forming a circle at the end of its travel when reversing direction. Its travel in each direction was maybe 3-5 seconds. There were definitely no red/green port/starboard lights, only the blue perimeter lights and no strobe lights.

I watched this object for 2-3 minutes and I believe it was out there longer than that since I noticed it there soon after I initially stepped outside. It finally disappeared into the cloud cover. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back but it was gone. I don't have a working video camera and probably would not have had time to get it if I had.

I don't really want my name associated with this. I'm a 55 year old engineer and I've never really believed that something like this could not be identified, but I have never seen anything like this. I used to fly small aircraft so I have some experience with the shapes and types of various small planes. BTW, the only thing I drank that night was a cup of tea and a glass of Metamucil so I was completely aware of what was happening.

If you would like to contact me, please respond to my e-mail address. If you would like to speak to me, let me know and I'll call you, or respond to you with a phone number to reach me.

What I would find crazy about this is if no one else saw it. As said, although the community is quiet and most people are in bed or in home at that hour, there are enough people around here that someone else should have seen this to collaborate.

If you would to contact be, do so at the e-mail listed in witness information.




NUFORC Note:

We would welcome reports from others who may have been witness to this object. PD


Posted 2007-04-27

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