NUFORC Sighting 82715

Occurred: 2011-07-24 20:45 Local
Reported: 2011-07-24 21:29 Pacific
Duration: aprox 1 minute
No of observers: 2

Location: Oak Lawn, IL, USA

Shape: Circle

Round red/orange ball 1/3 size of full Moon with yellow V-shaped flame inside.

On July 24, 2011, my cousin was sitting in our backyard facing east at aprox. 9:45 CDT when he sighted a red/orange ball moving in the sky in the SE between the tree branches and near a radio tower at aprox. 20 degrees elevation. The ball of light was aprox. the size of Jupiter when first sighted but grew to about 1/3 the diameter of a full moon when nearly over head and then shrank in size as it moved to the NW.

The ball of light moved steadily towards the NW and gained maximum elevation of aprox. 80 degrees before vanishing in the NW at aprox. 40 degrees elevation. During the portion of the flight path from aprox. 45 degrees elevation in the SE to aprox. 60 degrees elevation in the NW the ball of light had what appeared to be a yellow V-shaped area inside the orange ball that extended half way across the ball and moved as if it were a flame " like a pilot flame on a water heater". The wide end of the yellow V-shaped area faced down and the point was up.

When the ball went behind some trees my cousin rushed into the house to alert me. I immediately went outside the front of our house and viewed the orange ball in the NW at aprox. 40 degrees elevation between some trees. The orange ball at this point was the size of Jupiter and appeared to shimmer slightly as if we were viewing it through the atmosphere at a great distance. There were no attached blinking lights as seen on aircraft just the orange ball. The ball was too small to see the yellow V at this point. We both watched the ball of light for about 15-20 seconds before is slowly dimmed and could not be seen. During this time the ball moved slightly lower in elevation.

Posted 2011-08-07