NUFORC Sighting 136142

Occurred: 2017-09-12 19:05 Local
Reported: 2017-09-13 01:34 Pacific
Duration: 23 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Shape: Circle
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

Black sphereical/acorn object hovering over Kalamazoo, MI

Two or three times a week, I visit East Hall on the campus of Western Michigan University (the old east campus, if you're familiar), an alumni center on a large hill (Prospect Hill) with an outdoor balcony area (facing East) that overlooks the city of Kalamazoo, MI. On a clear day, you're able to see signage on Sprinkle Road 7 miles away, so I'd say visibility is at least 7-8 miles from the balcony. It's a great place to watch sunrise, watch the clouds pass, or watch the air traffic over Kalamazoo: either the helicopters landing at one of the two hospitals or the planes coming into Kalamazoo International Airport, etc. In other words, East Hall has a great view of the entire city of Kalamazoo and its airspace. For more info and a photograph of the balcony area of East Hall go to:

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Campus_(Western_Michigan_University 7:05 p.m.-7:09p.m.

As soon as I walked up to the wall/railing at the edge of the balcony area and looked out (see photographs), I immediately noticed an unusual, featureless, solid black, roughly acorn-shaped/spherical object on the horizon, completely stationary, approx. 1 thumb's width above the tree line, due East of the balcony area. I'm 5' 8'' tall and from where I was standing, the object appeared to be at eye level with me. I immediately began taking pictures. The black object appeared to be hovering, completely stationary, in between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek (26 miles due east of Kalamazoo). I was not able to gauge the exact distance, but the black object looked to be well outside the city limits of Kalamazoo, possibly as far east as Battle Creek. (Perhaps it's worth mentioning there's a military base with an airstrip in between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek: Fort Custer) The stationary, black object clearly and instantly stood out as unusual against the grayish clouds behind it. I've watched all sorts of air traffic from East Hall for years: helicopters landing at either hospital, air traffic coming in to Kalamazoo International Airport, hot air balloons, drones more recently, etc. This didn't look like any air traffic I've ever seen before.

7:09p.m.-7:16p.m. est The black object remained stationary for ~ 4 minutes, before I called a friend in Galesburg, MI, (in between Kalamazoo, MI and Battle Creek, MI, 7 miles due east) and asked her to go outside and scan the horizon. She didn't notice anything unusual in the sky. During this time, I began pacing the length of the balcony area to get different vantage points of the object and during this time it very gradually ascended a very short distance (less than a thumb's width) and traveled a very short distance in a northerly direction (moving less than a thumb's width to the left). Its motion was so subtle that I really wasn't able to see it with my naked eye, rather, repeatedly returning to the spot where I initially spotted the object to judge its progress. When the black object had finished moving (more or less coinciding with the duration of the call) the object was less than a thumb's width away from where I spotted it initially, having moved very slightly to the north (to the left)! and ascended very slightly. The object's size did not change during the duration of the sighting.

7:16p.m.-7:23p.m.

I ended the call with my friend in Galesburg and began looking for a phone number for the Battle Creek Police Department, eventually finding a number for Calhoun County Sheriff's Department. The object remained stationary during this time.

7:23p.m.-7:28p.m.

I called the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department to see if they were aware of any hot air balloons, large drones, etc. in the air over Battle Creek or the surrounding area. They were not aware of any. Almost immediately as I was put on hold to transfer dispatchers, at approx. 7:27p.m. the object began making a very gradual descent dropping straight down, until it dipped below the tree line and completely disappeared from view by 7:29p.m.

"It's descending! It's descending," I said to no one. By the time the next dispatcher came on the line, the object had dipped below the trees on the horizon.

7:28p.m.-8:14p.m.

I remained at the location of the sighting for almost an hour and the object did not reappear. During this time, I spoke with you, NUFORC, and made various calls to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Airport Unit and the Kalamazoo International Airport, in an attempt to check for any balloons, drones, statotinary objects, etc. tracked on radar in the area. The airport did not immediately return my call and the County Sheriff's Airport Deputy was unaware of any balloons, drones etc. in the area.




NUFORC Note:

We spoke with the witness via telephone, and found him to be quite eloquent in his description of the sighting, and serious minded. We have looked at the photos he has made available to NUFORC, and we see nothing at all in the photos that is discernible as a foreign object. If an unusual object is visible in any of the photos, it is little more than a small, and extremely vague, smudge. PD


Posted 2017-09-14

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