NUFORC Sighting 65352

Occurred: 2008-08-22 23:00 Local
Reported: 2008-08-22 23:46 Pacific
Duration: 1 hour
No of observers: 1

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Shape: Orb


Multiple blinking orange orbs over downtown and north side of Chicago

I live in a downtown Chicago high-rise (in the River North neighborhood, immediately north of the Loop) above the 45th floor with a view to the west and northwest. At 11pm on Friday, August 22, 2008 I went out on my balcony to get some air and saw in the distance approximately five blinking orange orbs in close formation hovering about 500 feet above the western side of the River North neighborhood (possibly a bt further west, above River West).

Very quickly the objects individually blinked on and off in a seemingly random manner, almost like a strobe light atop an emergency vehicle. I thought at first they were the lights of an emergency helicopter (sometimes I see medical flights to rooftop helipads at hospitals on the north side), but the lights just hovered and blinked, moved slightly to the south, and faded out/stopped blinking. While "on", the light they gave off was an intense orange, the kind you might see at the working end of a blow torch. Really pure, really bright and intense.

I stood there for several minutes wondering what I had seen. Twice in the past year, I have seen individual unexplained objects above downtown Chicago and the western suburbs (one of which I reported to NUFORC), and I expected what I had just seen was also out of the ordinary.

After waiting for the lights to return to no avail, I returned to my apartment. About half an hour later, through my window I noticed an individual blinking orange orb in a different location but near to where I had seen the original formation. This orb was low to the ground, about at rooftop level. It strobed for a few seconds and then disappeared.

I went out on the balcony again and waited. About a minute later, the light reappeared for 10 seconds or so and then faded out. It occurred to me if the grouping of lights I had originally seen had broken up, I might see other individual orbs above the city.

I stayed out on the balcony for about half an hour (by now it was around midnight or maybe a little bit later). During that time, I witnessed another very intense blinking orange orb above the Lincoln Park neighborhood. This was not the signal light atop Children's Memorial Hospital on Lincoln (which was also clearly visible) but was east of it, closer to the park itself. This light moved slightly east and west while I watched it, and blinked in a rapid, staccato manner in three volleys of about 15 seconds each, with gaps of perhaps 15 or 20 seconds between each volley. The light was as intense as the others I had seen, and seemed weirdly bright given the distance from which I was viewing it. I had the feeling something was being surveyed by the light at specific intervals. After a couple of minutes, this light disappeared and did not return.

I also saw what may have been blinking orbs in two other locations, both much further to the northwest and closer to the horizon. However, due to the distance, although those lights were blinking in the same odd manner, I can't be sure. However, the formation of lights and the two individual orbs that I saw were identical in behavior.

The funny part of the entire event, each time I saw the lights I thought, "you're kidding, these can't be what I think they are," and then a few minutes later they would reappear doing the same things I doubted I had just seen them do.

I've lived in this high-rise for years and have seen hundreds of planes and helicopters come and go. I have never, ever seen anything like what I saw tonight. I looked through the NUFORC reports and found a similar report of orbs over Lake Michigan exhibiting similar behavior on AUgust 8th. I get the feeling I just saw those same orbs, only this time over the city. I can't be the only one to have seen these things tonight.




NUFORC Note:

Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD


Posted 2008-10-31

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