They're heeeeere...

[Greatwhite]

Let me preface this post with a general note;  I'm not a nutball.  There, that's out the way.

I'm really just curious how many people out there have seen "things" in the sky that simply could not be explained.  Lights, objects, whatever.

Why am I asking?  Well...  I've basically spent most of my 35 years looking at the sky, wondering if there was something out there.  About 10 years ago, while walking my dog one evening, I saw something unexplainable, but didn't really pursue it.  There was a bright light on the horizon, stationary.  It was west of me, probably over Kanata - possibly further out.  And, suddenly it went straight up and disappeared.  I really didn't think about it because it may very well have just been a meteorite coming down, and bouncing off the atmosphere.

However... Last Monday evening, while flying do DC for the week, I looked out the window toward the west and saw a very bright red light in the distance.  It was not moving, but there was a "flicker" to it that caught my attention.  I couldn't see any stars because of the interior lights in the plane.  This thing was so bright that I had no problem seeing it, and that struck me as odd.  While I was watching it, it faded out to almost gone, and then back -- as if a cloud came between me and it.  But it was a very clear night, not a cloud in the sky.  And even if there WERE clouds, I was at 20,000 feet or so over Virginia.

Later, while driving to Annapolis, I noticed other lights that I noted were "odd" and pointed them out to my buddy who was driving.  He just agreed that they were weird...  But that damn red/orange light was still bugging me.

So I Googled UFO sightings in the area on Dec 12 and came across this guy's video on Youtube.
http://youtu.be/q2AhqMxCRLw

He's in Cleveland Heights, Ohio -- looking at the ACTUAL light that caught my eye from East of it.  I saw it at around 7:15PM, and he recorded it at 7:30 for over an hour.

He has a video of the same light at 8:51, except that now there are multiple lights there..
http://youtu.be/q7rpBNnlcC4

I could accept if someone told me it was a plane, and could explain how a plain heading toward a person for well over an hour never got closer.  I only really watched it for about 10 minutes before my plane landed, but if it was a plane heading toward me, it really SHOULD have gotten closer in that time.

These lights have been seen in Ohio, particularly over Lake Eerie for years.  I've made the flight to DC about 30 times over the last 3 years and haven't ever seen anything like this - and I'm ALWAYS watching out the window.

They made it into the news in 2010 a few times.

The same lights have also been seen in Texas, Arizona, Russia, Australia, etc ,etc, etc.  There's a website that has video of loads of sightings.  They seem to be increasing in frequency these days - probably because everyone has a camera phone that can record video (but very few people have a tripod, it seems).

I chatted briefly with the dude from Ohio who recorded the video, and he lost me a bit when he said that they were "fallen angels" and had some goofy name for them.  I still just see them as unexplained lights - which is why I am not a nutball.

One problem I have is that if there's unexplained lights somewhere, and they are there regularly - why is no one investigating it better?  Fly a plane out that way to take a peek!  Get someone with a fancy camera and tripod out there to get better footage.. SOMETHING!

Personally, I'm excited to know that I saw "something" unexplained in the sky, and that it has been substantiated with some video.

Has anyone else seen anything like this?  Or even MORE exciting??

[JD]

Glad to here you are not a "nutball"! Not so sure about your "fallen angels" dude.
I enjoy the evening sky as well. As a youngster I had a telescope and used to make sketch's of planets etc.

Night time sightings are tough to take seriously. There a way to many ways someone can make something appear like an extra terrestrial event. If you have spent any time on you tube you will find a lot of idiots take pleasure in misleading people just for a hits counter.

Something that moves erratically or with "nonhuman" capabilities...cool, I'm in! Are we alone?  Nah, there's got be something out there more interesting than us!

[Greatwhite]

As a kid in BC, I used to lay out on the back deck with my dad staring at the sky in the summer...  The most we ever saw were satellites.  When I saw this particular light in the sky, I just really wanted to know what it was -- and the power of the internet just added to the mystery because there are people all over seeing things like this with no explanation.

So what can that light be?  A plane on a long approach?  Well, it's going too slow for that... Helicopter? Perhaps, but it's not very often that a helicopter will hover for an hour in one spot then leave...  Hot air balloon caught out in the sky after sunset?  That's the most likely possibility to me.  Of course they're going to have a bright light to help them be seen, and there was NO wind that night.

Perhaps that octopus who walked out onto shore to give a crab to the onlookers had more tricks up his sleeves?

I know that what I saw, by definition is a UFO - because it has not been identified, and it was flying -- and an object of some sort.

Oh, and the Fallen Angel dude... says that these things can "mimic anything in the sky" and has also posted video of planes flying by claiming that they're UFOs too.  Cuckoo!

[brotherluv]

It could be military drones...some sort of secret new technology the  government doesnt want us to know about to keep it a secret...maybe it's aliens.  Trying to rationalize things like this can be difficult.  Yes fallen Angel guy seems eccentric. 

[HappyGuppy]

Hey Greatwhite

Several years ago I too had an interesting experience.  I tell people about it from time to time, but just about everyone just gives me that same kinda half-smile with a look in their eye that I'd guess to mean "uhhhh... yeah... ok...".

Well here is my story.

About 5/6 years ago I had a home in Calgary.  One night, around 10:30 to 11pm I went outside for a smoke on my front porch... and in light of the context of this story, since many people have jokingly wondered "what have you been smoking", let me point out that it was just a cigarette.  Clear skies, you could see the stars, calm night.  

So there I stood, relaxingly puffing away, when all of a sudden something caught my eye above me (slightly to the left).  It took a moment for my eyes to focus and my brain to realize what the heck it was as it was dark.

What I saw was this huge triangle slowly flying by.  It had no lights on it whatsoever, but how I saw it was the reflection of the city lights from the object.  Then my mind started to realize that this was absolutely unlike any aircraft that I know of for a few reasons.  First of all, it had no lights - aircraft are supposed to have lights.  But here is the more bizarre parts: First I heard nothing.  No sound from the aircraft whatsoever.  Second it was going either way too slow, or if high enough for the apparent speed then the size must have been incredible.  It appeared to be fairly close, my guesstimate that it was around 500 meters or so away.  So I heard nothing for a craft that close, and it was moving way way way too slow for any aircraft to remain airborn.  I could easily rant, as I've done telling others, but it is easier to speak than to type, so I'll just say this:  Everything about this "aircraft" was wrong.  Certainly unlike any kind of aircraft that I'm aware of.

I continued watching it until it flew past the houses across the street and I could no longer see it because the roofs obstructed my view.  I then called the airport and even the weather network (after waking up my wife excitedly telling her what I just saw).  I called those places, particularly the airport, to find out if there was some kind of unusual plane flying by that area at that time.  Perhaps some kind of military plane?  Anyhow, the calls were completely fruitless.

From time to time I ponder what I've seen that night.  A couple years ago I googled and found websites where other people from
Calgary reported seeing the exact same triangular object.  So the cool thing is that there are others who have seen what I've seen, thus I know that I'm not crazy.  Google "triangle ufo Calgary" and you'll probably find those pages.  Did some more googling and apparently many people see triangular UFOs around the world.  Many people seem to think that their alien crafts.  I don't know, so I'm not going to say that it was extraterestrial or anything... but will simply assert that everything about what I saw breaks the rules of aeronautics and conventional aircraft, from my humble understanding of these things.

For what it is worth, I somewhat regarded people who have claimed to have seen UFOs in the past, um... "skeptically" (to put it politely).  Having seen what I've seen, being a regular person, not a nut, I now believe the countless stories of what people say about those objects, particularly the triangle ones.  I won't conclude that they're aliens, as well, I simply don't know, but in my mind I do entertain that it is possible.  I simply saw what I saw, don't believe that it is man made (unless the military is concealing some really cool planes), and am now far more open to hear stories of other peoples' experiences with far less skepticism.  However the people who claim abductions... well... I admit I'd still be a bit more judgmental about them.

[Greatwhite]

Yup - lots of reports of triangle shaped "aircraft" match up with what you wrote here.  I read about a guy in Ohio who has them fly over his house so often than it doesn't shock him anymore.  He just laughs "oh, there's another".  He doesn't report them on the "national ufo registry" because the report takes so long to enter - but he DID take the time to report his story when the normal 100 or so foot wide "ship" was replaced by a 300+ wide one with what appeared to be a cargo bay in the back.

But again, I have to wonder - if these things fly over his house nightly, why does he not get a camera?  A picture tells a thousand words, and greatly reduces skepticism.

I'd love to see something like that for myself - or just to KNOW what the lights I saw were.

[RickGervs]

First of all, sorry for my bad english haha it's a complex subjet

It's funny how everyone (not talking about you) thinks that UFO are round or triangle and have weird lights. Yes we, on earth, need light to see but it doesn't mean that "they" do. They're billions of planets in the universe and some of them are like 10000000 times bigger than the earth. Why would their ship be the exact same size as our plane? I'm not saying what you said doesn't make sense, not at all, actually it is very interesting but I was thinking that maybe it was an other plane parallel to your plane which explains why you saw it for a while and then when it turned it went away. The red light on the "fallen angel" guy is clearly a plane, especially the 2nd one.

The HappyGuppy story is is pretty weird tho haha I wish I was there. The only thing I could think of is that it's like a "snowbird" plane like Canada day exept those are loud  haha.

Anyways I'm not trying to find explanation for every story I truly believe that we are not alone. Although, I don't think "their" technology and proportion would look pretty much like us.

This is pretty amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq4izhwg3Mo

[Greatwhite]

With some of the technological advances we have in the world, lots of UFO sightings may very well just be witnessing some new type of aircraft being tested by the military.  There's chatter on the 'net about a new super sonic plane called an Aurora that uses a different type of engine that emits bursts of propulsion that would cause weird looking vapor trails.  Weird sounds, just - all 'round weirdness.

A common argument from UFO followers is that these "orbs" can mimic planes and whatnot to appear "normal" to us.  But these "fake planes" make no noise, and if you watch them closely, they just don't act like planes.  All  you really need are a few lights strategically placed and your mind fills in the fact that it's a plane.

No, a real space ship might not NEED lights on the outside, blinking, etc.   But, just for arguments sake - IF there is something out there hovering over Lake Eerie or over Area 51, surely the military would have attempted to make contact with it or at least look at what it is.  Hypothetically - the military/government/whatever, may have said "ok, fine - you can sit out there - but put on some lights so that we don't crash into you."  Whatever propulsion system there is might put out light...  No idea.

When you witness something, your first inclination is to try to explain what you saw with what you know.  If nothing you know about fits in with what you saw, that's where the internet is handy because SOMEONE in the world surely has an explanation.  Failing that - well, it's a UFO.

I can only imagine what was going through HappyGuppy's head after seeing an unexplainable big shiny triangle fly by...  I saw a light.  Lots of things can make a light in a distance.  Big shiny triangles... well...the only thing that makes a big shiny triangle is a big shiny triangle.

In history, there were stories of "the gods" flying around the sky in fiery golden chariots.  They didn't have planes back then, so they equated what they saw with what they know about.  People rode in chariots and fire was the only source of light at night...  So that's what people said they saw.

[HappyGuppy]

Well I'll just say this...

I don't expect anyone to believe my story.  Honestly I don't care if they do or don't.  I know what I saw and in my mind I am certain that it was a definitely unusual event.  In the true meaning of the word it was a UFO - an Unidentified Flying Object.  Not saying that it was alien.  Might have been military.  I really don't know.  Now with my own experience I believe when people say they saw something in the sky, especially if they say that it was a triangle.  BTW, there are many many many sightings that have apparently happened over populated areas that others have seen too (I think I recall that years ago thousands of people some something in Arizona or some other US city that was never explained).

Personally I don't make a big deal out of the event.  I share the story from time to time, but I forget about it for extensive periods.  I'm not one of those X-Files fans or UFOlogists (if that's even a word).

So the point of all this is to say to OP that no, you're not crazy.  Many people have seen unusual things in the skies.  I too wish to know more information about what it is that we saw... but that obviously isn't going to happen.  Share your cool story with friends from time to time, and keep wondering about it.  You're lucky to have seen something cool, and now when others share their experiences you can believe that they're not crazy either, and enjoy their story for what it is.

To those of you who haven't ever seen "something", well, I'm not here to prove it.  There could possibly be a logical explanation...  but in my mind, as those with many others, conventional explanations just don't fit.  If you don't believe "it" (whatever "it" is) then that's fine IMO.

[JetJumper]

I know someone whom is a Pilot and has seen unexplained things.  There was one event in the Yukon where there was clearly something unidentified in the sky next to their aircraft when flying along at night.  They radioed the tower to find out who / what was near them.  The tower replied that there is nothing on radar and that it is only their aircraft in this area.  Obviously they were very perplexed at the situation since they could clearly see something there but since it was dark, very hard to ID the object.  After landing back at the base, they questioned the guy working in the tower in person and was informed that "Yes there was something there, however we are not at liberty to discuss this matter with non-military personal." Small town so people know people and are actually able to talk to the guy in the tower of course.

I believe the person whom I know that informed me of this has they have no reason to lie about it and I believe them to be a creditable individual.

All in all that's where it left off, but there are funky things that happen!

Do I personally believe in other life forms out there?  Darn straight I do.  Its IMPOSSIBLE to have a universe the size we do and not have other intelligent life.

[Greatwhite]

At the risk of sounding like a nutbar, I'll just say that I'm very much "into" the idea of extra terrestrial life visiting Earth over the years.  When I was a kid, dad showed me a movie called Chariots of the Gods by Erich Von Danigan (or something along that line)...  The movie showed things like the crazy shapes drawn on the ground in Peru that stretch for miles and would be impossible to do without having a birds eye view.

He never said "aliens did this" and always left things open to the viewer to decide.

Well, I recently stumbled upon a series that was on the History channel (or Discovery? can't remember) called Ancient Aliens.  It follows the same premise as Chariots of the Gods, except that this series ALWAYS pointed at alien interaction to the point that it really got annoying.  "Could it have been alien interaction?  Theorists say yes!"  However, if anyone is interested in checking it out, it's on Youtube.. Just look for "Ancient Aliens".  2 full seasons are on there.

Since my "unusual sighting", I've been to http://www.nuforc.org/ daily looking at the sightings.  (National UFO Reporting Center)...  It's amazing how many reports there are around the world in a day.  There were 940 reports that these guys had to go through on Dec 12 -- the night that I saw my funky lights...  Is it a UFO? According to  theorists - yes! 

[HappyGuppy]

Hey GreatWhite, I don't think you're a nutbar for what you said.  A fruitcake... perhaps  (LOL, I'm absolutely kidding).

Thanks for that link to the reporting site.  I'm curious to see what else was reported in Calgary there.  I'm gonna check it out.

JJ - I completely agree with you.  Considering that scientists have already detected something like 600 planets around other stars, the vastness of the universe, and how many gazillions of planets must exist, it *MUST* be that other planets have evolved life too.  In my mind that is beyond question, as I've even heard credible scientists say that.  Whether "they" are visiting us here... well, I don't know, but personally I am leaning towards believing that it is possible.  I'm not claiming that my sighting was alien, as I just don't know... but believe me that the possibility of it is certainly in my mind.

Anyhow, I hope to find something Calgary related on that website.  Thanks for the link.

[HappyGuppy]

Wow, there are lots of reports!  LOL, I guess smokers top the charts of getting to see them as many seem to start like mine (so I went out for a smoke and...).

I read a bunch of them and there are quite a few that are similar to what I saw.  I read the ones flagged as "triangle".
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/ndxlAB.html

Here is one in particular reported that was basically like my experience. 
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/038/S38644.html

I just googled "calgary triangle ufo" and WOW many people have seen the same thing!!!!  I read a number of web pages (some were junk) but a lot of them describe pretty much my experience.

Darn you GreatWhite... you've got me thinkin' about this "thing" again.  I'd like to just forget about it... but you've just added fuel to my inquisitive fire.

[Iceman]

I think they found your UFO. 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45744133/ns/technology_and_science-science/

[Greatwhite]

Ya, I saw that.  Interestingly, it was towed from Kansas to Maryland...  They say it's an X-47B without the wings on it for transport, and wrapped in a tarp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_3ebtb9Hc

Not sure, but the thing on the truck sure seems rounder than the X-47...  They figured that towing it on the semi was the "easiest" way to get *a plane* from Kansas to Maryland...