NUFORC Sighting 82490

Occurred: 2011-07-15 21:15 Local
Reported: 2011-07-15 20:45 Pacific
Duration: 2 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Stevens Point, WI, USA

Shape: Fireball

Orange fireball travels west then north.

9:15 pm, after dusk. Sky completely overcast (low) ahead of a storm cell moving in from the west/northwest. Calm, no winds (dead air). Orange fireball, with white and yellow bright spots, traveled from the east to the west (opposite direction of approaching storm) to a point over the center of the city (almost overhead), then made a wide turn and traveled north.

It disappeared above the northern part of the city by flickering out, then in, then out, then in, then out. It was a bright fireball (almost as intense as a road flare), at the altitude of most of the small planes I see above my neighborhood (they use the municipal airport northeast of the city) and about half the size of a small plane. Its speed was the same or a little faster than the speed of a small plane. No landing or navigation lights were visible.

A neighbor, his daughter, and I saw two of these orange fireballs the night of July 3rd, traveling one behind the other, north to south, in the eastern sky. We believed they were Chinese lanterns. I have no explanation for what I saw tonight.

Posted 2011-07-17