NUFORC Sighting 28280

Occurred: 2000-05-15 21:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2003-03-31 19:58 Pacific
Duration: 10 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Ladson, SC, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

A formation of hundreds of pulsating white lights, moving slowly parallel to the road

My fiancee and I (now my wife) had left my mother's house after visiting with her on that Mother's Day weekend. It was about 9:30 p.m. We stopped shortly for gas before continuing home. As we pulled out of the gas station to turn, I immediately noticed a large bright object that was nearly directly in front of us in the sky, just across the road from our position. At first I did not notice any particular hard shape to the object -- it appeared to be a formation of hundreds and hundreds of white lights, pulsing, and moving slowly parallel to the road that lay in front of us (approx 45 -55 mph). It was roughly the shape of a cut diamond-- a flat top, angling out to two points, then down to a point at the bottom center. The lights were continuously pulsing -- not being extinguished, but alternately growing bright and then dim. They did not pulse in pattern, but seemed to be random, but quickly and continuously. Other than the white lights, I did notice at least two red lights - one in the center mass of the object, and one, perhaps two, at the bottom edge. This object was quite close; we were within just a couple hundred yards. It was flying over treetop level, so I would estimate it was several hundred feet in the air. The object by my estimate was 50 to 100 feet in length. There was no sound whatsoever. The night was dark but clear. Exasperated by the sight, we quickly turned right to follow the object. As we followed the angles of the road, the object was in front as we trailed to follow. I did not notice a "change" in shape, but perhaps from a different viewpoint, the object then appeared to be somewhat oval in shape, and I picked up a distinct pattern to the lights - the object seemed to be divided into four equal quadrants of white lights, and was "hollow" in its center. That is to say that the quadrants seemed to meet together around a small hole in the middle that had no lights. We continued to follow the object, but its pace began to pick up. At one point, it seemed to stop and hover over the road in front of us for several seconds. It then continued to cross the road to our right, and we turned off to follow. We followed its trail for several minutes, intermittently losing it in the trees and then sighting it again. The last sighting of the object we had, it was moving away at a very high rate of speed; in a few moments, its spectacular lights were indistinguishable from the nights' stars. Traffic on the roads that night was not particularly heavy, but there had to be a dozen or more witnesses. I called local television stations and the Air Force Base just to ask if anyone had reported "something weird" in the sky without relating my own story. No one had. I did hear, from the base's public affairs, that a commercial blimp had flown in the area earlier on the same day. But with the flight characteristics, it's shape, the hundreds and hundreds of pulsing lights, I just don't see that I could mistake a flying balloon for what in my own estimation was an unkown object. I'm an Army veteran and have flown in all sorts of aircraft and helicopters, but I can't say that I've ever seen an object like this, and I haven't seen one since. But ever since that day, I do spend quite a lot of my time with my eyes toward the sky, hoping that I get to see one again.



NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. PD


Posted 2003-04-22

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