NUFORC Sighting 83125

Occurred: 2011-08-06 21:50 Local
Reported: 2011-08-13 10:35 Pacific
Duration: 3 min
No of observers: 1

Location: Bloomington, MN, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

I shortly viewed a short lived cluster of 8 lights at approximately 1500 feet over a swamp area in a river valley by an airport..

At 9:50pm last Saturday night, I was driving down a 4 lane in traffic on Highway 494 through Eagan/Bloomington MN. I was driving downhill into the Minnesota river valley. This area is extremely close to the MSP Airport and the planes that are landing travel right over the highway from left to right.

The weather that evening was about 75-80 degrees and there were thunder storms with lightning in the area. The winds were virtually non-existant.

I noticed a cluster of about 8 tiny white/yellowish lights over the swamp area/river valley ahead and to the left at about 1500 feet up. These lights were moving around in small circles and occasionally some of the lights would dissapear and then reappear. I pulled my car over to the shoulder to watch these lights to try to figure out what they were and rolled down my window to try to listen. The passing cars were too loud so I just watched the lights move around in small circles and slowly within 2 minutes all of the lights one by one fizzled out and disappeared.

These lights were about 1/8 of a mile away from the airplane landing flight path so I knew that they were in an odd location. There were airplanes actively landing at the time and it is highly possible that these strange lights could have been seen by either the passengers or pilots of these commercial jets.

My background is such that I am 42 years of age, male, in the transportation industry, and have driven that stretch of highway for the past 25 years. I have never seen any lights or activity in that area before.

Posted 2011-08-21