NUFORC Sighting 149733

Occurred: 2019-10-10 20:30 Local
Reported: 2019-10-10 20:05 Pacific
Duration: 30 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Waltham, MA, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object

At 20:30 we (me and my wife) went for the "smoke break" (we're not smoking in house 'cause of kids). Right after lighting up

At 20:30 we (me and my wife) went for the "smoke break" (we're not smoking in house 'cause of kids). Right after lighting up my cigarette, I found a light in the night sky, over Prospect Hill, and not very high. Light was strange 'cause it doesn't looks like plane or helicopter. I called out my wife, and we started watching that light. After few minutes, I grabbed binocular (x30) and tried to watch object via optics, but it wasn't helpful, object still looks like a bright light. After few minutes we noticed a second light, and little bit later the third. These lights are slowly floated/moved in the sky.

Fortunately, I do have a telescope, cheap one (truly :), this model

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32968885736.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.f2f34c4dRnKHpZ

However this telescope has good aperture (76 mm). After few tries I captured one of slowly moving objects by eyepiece (it wasn't easy 'cause of cheap telescope design, and because objects was relatively low). But it's really hard or even impossible to estimate a real distance to objects, and real altitude.

By the way, in the telescope I was able to see object a little bit close. It looks like it has bright white-yellow light in front (like a lamp or cockpit window or I don't know...), and two small flashing lights on the sides. These lights was mounted on airship-like dark body (but I'm unsure about shape and size). I thought it's some kind of drone or quadcopter, but more it looks like mini-airship with mounted lights.

All of these objects drifted slowly (but very slowly) or hung in the night sky; after 10 or 15 minutes one object started moving little bit faster and disappeared from sight soon (unfortunately, trees on our backyard are blocking view). Another object appeared after 2 or 3 minutes, and it came not from the ground (like a quadcopter, for example) but afar from the south.

Finally, all these objects were darkened and disappeared at about 21:00-21:10. But another similar object was appeared just before I called you, at 21:50 (I went smoke, saw the object - but it was dimmer than before, and decided to call). Periodically I checked sky in that direction but haven't seen anything else.

I do not know what it was: military or private company night tests of drones/airships (flashing lights on the side looks like human made - spaceships/probes don't need small flashing lights at all), but something wasn't right. Who will allow that kind of tests in the highly populated area? Kids are playing or flash-mobbing? According to flight time and luminous intensity, it's not a regular retail quadcopters with LED flashlight attached.

I don't know.

Posted 2019-12-01