NUFORC Sighting 56459

Occurred: 2004-04-27 20:10 Local
Reported: 2007-04-30 09:13 Pacific
Duration: 15 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Picture Rocks, AZ, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

5 Yellow(ish) lights SW over Silverbell Mountains (moving/hovering)

'Taking the trash out (past the gate) about 2015. It's DARK here. 'Somethin' catches my eye that's 'not there' normally. I'm facing due West and I see 5 'yellowish lights' in a line over the Silverbell Mountains about 340 degrees relative @ 30 deg azimuth.

* * * * * Kind'a like this, but in more of an arc. .

They all just 'appeared' and hovered. They weren't aircraft markers 'cause they blink even viewed dead on... I'm used to seein' those. They weren't flares either... My long distance eyesight is really good (after the operation) While I'm lookin' at this... a meteor makes a trail left to right 'n vaporized like a flare. 'Seen that before too. So... all of these lights decend in unison beyond the mountain and in the same formation.

I keep lookin'. All of a sudden... now I have 3 lights of the same intensity about 350 degrees relative... 20 deg azimuth.

* * * Not quite as high (altitude) as the 1st set, but these disappear in about 3 seconds. They were moving south very slowly. (Wind here is from the south... so they were against the wind.) There's a 3/4 moon w/no clouds. Today I stood exactly where I'd been last night 'n gauged where I saw 'em relative to this rather tall leaning saguero in the distance. 'Can always see the shadow of that. The Silverbells are about 30 miles away... maybe a bit more. All of the 'lights' disappeared beyond the Silverbells judging from the mountain contour. They weren' pop flares or parachute flares. Luminosity was steady, altho not 'starlike'. There's nothing' on the west side of the Silverbells for a good long distance. Gauging from the leaning cactus as a vertical marker... they were above and beyond the Silverbells. I see the helo's from D-M AFB on nite-ops frequently... so it's not them. These lights weren't as bright as anti-collision lights 'n did not move other than up 'n down... altho I never saw them go up. That was prob'ly due to the mountain contour.

My wife was outside (same time) but putterin' with the garden hose waterin' the trees. She swears she's not hard of hearing... but she is... 'Cause I'm yellin' "LOOK, LOOK WEST..." 'n she's oblivious.

Somethin' else happened while I was starin' west. An airliner flew directly overhead. They never do that. Altitude about 2K'. 'Flew directly between 'me' 'n the moon so I could determine it was a 737 type by the shape 'n engine locations. 'Wonder if the crew didn't vector the aircraft for a look at what I was lookin' at as well? He was comin' from Tucson airport flyin' West by NW. 'Lowest I've seen 'em fly 'cause usually I never hear 'em. 'Heard this one tho. Picked up his outline when he crossed the moon clearly. They usually transit way south of here in that direction.

I know that when ya look at a light in the dark long enuff... it'll appear to move... which is why I took that bent cactus as a reference point. In relation to the bent cactus... they moved. I'm lookin' West by Southwest. Phoenix is 180+ miles N/NW. All the roads here are laid out true N/S/E/W so it's easy to orient direction. I'm lookin' at these lights at approx 25-30 deg azimuth to the horizon. Dunno how tall the mountains over there are, but at least 800'-1,000' above this plateau. Yuma's too far NW 'n in this direction. It'd be south of Ajo 'n even that would be NW of where I was lookin'. Only thing inna straight line would be the Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l monument north of Soronito Mex. I'm facing Mexico 'cause of the angle the Pima county border runs. Whatever they were... they would be too high to be flares I think... 'n not bright enuff. Those mag flares burn rather 'blue'. 'Saw no other activity in that direction... 'No aircraft lights or anything. These were yellow(ish) 'n not as bright as the stars (which were visible) but ruffly the same diameter as a small star. 'Bout the size ya see in Orions belt. I considered all that when I eyeballed these things. There ain't s'posed to be NUTHIN' in that direction. There's no habitation in that direction 'cept for a few Rez shacks scattered about. No real 'roads' either other than Rt. 85.

Rough measurements using Microsoft Streets and Trips, straight line distance, statute miles: Roughly this location to rough location of Luke AFB: 110 miles.

Roughly this location to areas south of Gila Bend: 80 miles. I think there are targets there.

Roughly this location to middle of restricted area east of Yuma: 150 miles Direction of the lights would be over the Papago Rez toward Organ Pipe Nat'l Monument. That's south of Yuma. I'm on the western edge (and middle of) the Saguaro National Park West. 'Bout 1/8 mile east from the AWP canal... (due west) 'n the Rez is on the other side of that. 'Canal runs N/S and angles to the S/E 'bout a half mile or so south of my pos.

Gila Bend is NW from my pos. As I mentioned... from my LOS... these things were south of Ajo, in-line with the Organ Pipe NM. There's nuthin' else out there 'cept RT. 85 between the mountains. No clouds... This wasn't a reflection... these lights were distinct.

Other witness: My sister-in-law spotted 'em when she was leaving last nite before I did. 'Sez she sat in her car (in the road) 'n watched 3 of 'em for several minutes.. One thing... she said she saw one of 'em rise and cross over the top of another , then settle in formation alongside. Then they all disappeared together.

Military ranges: All that kind'a ran thru my head while I'm lookin' at these lights. Too far south... unknown distance bu my sis-in-law said they appeared larger and were a bit further north (about due west) than when I spotted 'em... which indicates they moved SW. Only other lights are the Silverbell mine road... 'n they're orange 'n sort'a 'wink' in the distance 'cause of the atmosphere. These didn't and were steady. They didn't behave like flares or helos. Way too fast for either when they did move. Neither did they describe an arc. They were rather up-down or straight lines. Weird!

I'm not given to makin' stuff like this up... 'n bein' a sailor I've seen lots'a stuff at sea 'n while airborne at a great distance... aircraft, birds, clouds... reflections, explosions, flares, weather balloons, sea critters 'n even waterspouts. 'Livin' where I do... I'm always concious of 'what's out there'... especially at night. Anything 'new' will catch my attention. I know there's normally nuthin' in that direction, so this got my attention 'n I eyeballed it for as long as the 'lights' were visible... Taking bearings and approximate azimuth in my head... which most 'lubbers' dunno how to do. Flares don't behave like that... 'n neither do helo's. I see enuff H-60's 'n UH-1's out here... as well as the stuff Border Patrol flies at night to know what they look like at a distance. These 'lights' fit none of those parameters. The lights never wavered in formation and were distinct. None of that 'winking' or fuzzy effect. I mite add... nobody'd been drinkin' anything prior.

Well... that's IT.... I'm convinced I've finally seen UFO's... 'cause there's no other way to explain it. There is NOTHING... in that direction but desert all the wa to the border.

Posted 2007-06-12

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