2003: Lighted ‘panel of lights’ gliding silently across sky

THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTING REPORT

Date: September 17, 2003

Sighting Time: 8 pm

Day/Night: Night

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Urban or Rural: Urban

Hynek Classification: CE-I (Close Encounter I) Observation of an object in close proximity to the witness (i.e. within 500’)

Duration: 3-6 seconds

No. of Object(s): 

Size of Object(s):

Distance to Object(s):

Shape of Object(s): Oval

Color of Object(s):

Number of Witnesses: Multiple

Source: NUFORC (National UFO Reporting Center) Original Source

Summary: “Witness reports that on September 17, 2003, he and his wife were out jogging near their home, approximately 12-14 miles north of downtown Atlanta, GA, when their attention was suddenly drawn by a bizarrely lighted “panel of lights” in the evening sky. They witnessed the object for only an estimated 3-6 seconds as it silently glided across the night sky. The husband, who prepared the graphic, has 20/10 vision, having undergone laser eye surgery to improve his distant vision.”

Full Report

My wife and I were jogging last night around 8pm. As it’s been getting dark earlier, we decided to jog through our own neighborhood. At about 8:30pm we were heading west down Old College Way. I glanced up and saw a panel of lights almost directly overhead. It was moving slowly and silently from west to east. It seemed to be approximately 1000-2000 feet off the ground. There was no erratic movement at all. After a few seconds the lights dimmed out, almost as if they had sensed me watching. The sky was very clear and once the lights went out, I could not make out any dark silhouette. My wife had not looked up in time to witness anything, but suggested maybe I saw a shooting star. As we looked at the sky, a small private jet went overhead, heading almost due north. It was quite audible and its black silhouette was easily identifiable. It did not appear to be chasing or even aware of the lights. My wife repeated that it must have been a shooting star. However, the lights were very clearly defined. They were three horizontal rows of six lights each. The lights were perfectly round and almost looked light a panel of stadium lights floating in the sky. They were very 3-D looking. They appeared to be angled over the ground at about a 30 to 45 degree angle. There was a definite dark shadow behind the lights like a short, stubby cigar, though the lights themselves seemed to be flat on the same plane. My most immediate thought was that I was looking at the Goodyear Blimp, but the moment the lights dimmed out, the black shape vanished as well. From my experience at football games, I have been able to hear the blimp even over the crowd noise. Whatever this was, was dead silent.