NUFORC Sighting 142786

Occurred: 2018-07-21 20:45 Local
Reported: 2018-08-18 11:57 Pacific
Duration: 2-3 minutes
No of observers: 3

Location: Haines Falls, NY, USA

Shape: Orb
Characteristics: Lights on object

Two orange orbs witnessed at North-South Lake Campground

A friend and I were sitting by our campfire when I noticed a red-orange ball of light moving from right to left (east to west) above the tree line. I immediately mentioned it to my friend who was sitting next to me, and my sister who was just stepping out of the tent. The three of us quickly ran in the direction the object was heading, which happened to be the campsite driveway onto the loop road, where we could get a better view through a clearing in the trees.

The object appeared to be about the size of a basketball (if you were extend your arms and hold one out in front of you), however, would have to be much larger since I would estimate its altitude to have been about 300-350 feet above ground and its horizontal distance from us to be about 150-200 feet.

It was a perfectly spherical red-orange ball of light that would have to have been extremely bright to be visible against the early twilight sky. It moved silently and steadily at a moderately slow pace across the sky. My sister and friend noticed the object had dropped in altitude and at a sharp right angle to its right slightly before continuing on and disappearing beyond the tree line to the west.

We were all baffled and discussing what the object could have been when another one appeared from the east, following the same trajectory (although at an even lower altitude and closer distance than the first). The second object was identical to the first and moved at the same pace, silently across the sky until disappearing over the westerly tree line.

I am a consumer drone enthusiast and pilot which is how I was able to estimate the altitude and distance. Also, a popular consumer drone at that altitude and distance would be audibly noticeable. I can easily hear the buzzing of the motors and propellers of my small drone at a 300 foot altitude in a noisy urban environment. These objects were completely silent against the relatively quiet backdrop of the campground. The object in question would have to have been 10 times the size of a small consumer drone and also contain an large amount of extremely bright LED lamps to achieve the same luminosity.

Posted 2018-08-22