NUFORC Sighting 17995

Occurred: 2001-05-30 21:20 Local
Reported: 2001-06-11 00:00 Pacific
Duration: a moment
No of observers: 0

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object

Curving streak of light zooming astonishly fast seen last night over Chicago, and I got it on tape!

On Wednesday, May 30th, 2001, I was watching tv. When it was 9:00pm, I turned to the nightly WGN Chicago news program (courtesy of a cable channel; I'm in TN). I had decided to watch it because I wanted to see if they were going to follow up on a report they'd had the night before. Some minutes into the news cast, they began to do the weather. Before I go any further, there's something I need to explain so you can understand what I'm talking about. I have a lot of time on my hands, I guess you could say, and for about the last year or so I've been taping (with a VCR) those shots I suppose most news casts have where during the weather the screen switches to some live view of the city. I've been doing this all this time in hopes of catching something strange on tape. And Wednesday night, after a year or so of waiting, it finally paid off! So, when that sort of shot came on, I was taping it. And within seconds, I was shocked to see what I'd been waiting for all this time: a bright streak of light shot across the upper middle part of the screen and went BEHIND some buildings in the background, going INCREDIBLY fast. MUCH MUCH MUCH faster than ANY jet could go! So fast that I was only able to get a good look at it when moments later I went downstairs and used the other VCR to slow the tape down to a minimum. When it wasn't on slow motion, this is what it looked like: almost identical in appearance to a common shooting star, kind of streak-ish, but it was very different in that ITS DIRECTION MADE A HUGE CURVE!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. It (or another one) would also appear again a few seconds later, this time shooting up from the lower right hand corner of the screen and zooming just as quickly to the upper left! (AGAIN, THIS/THESE WAS NOT A SHOOTING STAR!!!) Upon playing it like I said in slow motion, it was also noticed that a third streak could easily be seen (you couldn't miss it!) coming into the picture just as the camera finally went back to the newscasters. Needless to say, I HAVE THE TAPE and I'll always keep it. I don't remember the exact time, but it was around 9:20pm CST. The streaks were a bright yellowish-white in color. As for my background, I'm 18, and I'll be going to college in August.

Posted 2001-08-05