Witnesses in Fairfax, VA, are not certain what the object in the sky was that they watched two nights in a row and videotaped, according to June 10, 2011, testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.
"It was visible from starting at approximately 6:30 p.m. and abruptly faded from sight at 8:43 exactly," the reporting witness stated. "It was seen for two evenings in a row. I constantly sky-gaze in this direction, watching flight and weather patterns, and I did not notice anything like this in the days or evenings beforehand."
The witness described the object.
"The object also had a slightly erratic flight path, unlike that of a planet or star. It is also oval shaped and bears a shadow on its bottom. If it WAS Saturn, or any planet, it's shadow would not be located there, considering the sun was hanging low in the sky, although not yet at horizon level."
Watch the original, unedited version of the video here. We deleted the earlier uploaded video at the request of the witness and replaced it with this link.
Fairfax is in Fairfax County, VA, population 24.702. The object was reported to MUFON on June 10, 2011. The incident occurred on May 29, 2011.
Virginia is a current UFO ALERT 5 rating, with a low number of UFO sightings nationally. Virginia had 5 reports in May 2011, while California had 55 UFO reports - the highest reporting state in the nation.
You can read more details about other recently reported cases at the UFO Examiner home page. The most up-to-date UFO information can be heard at web radio show UFO Traffic Report every Wednesday, 9 - 10:30 p.m. EST, which includes a UFO Witness Testimony Program segment, and an update of the UFO ALERT national rating system. Past shows are available at the Archive page.
The following is the unedited and as yet uninvestigated report filed with MUFON. Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade. If Virginia MUFON State Director Susan Swiatek investigates and reports back on this case, I will release an update. Please report UFO activity to MUFON.com.
VA, May 29, 2011 - Unknown Object Over Fairfax, Virginia - May 29, 2011. MUFON Case # 29482.
This object was filmed over Fairfax, VA from ~ 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, 2011. It was visible from starting at approximately 6:30 p.m. and abruptly faded from sight at 8:43 exactly. It was seen for two evenings in a row. I constantly sky-gaze in this direction, watching flight and weather patterns, and I did not notice anything like this in the days or evenings beforehand.
It was seen in the Eastern / South Eastern sky.
It is not Venus, as Venus, though visible during daylight this month, appears early morning. It is also not the ISS or Endeavor, as they were docked together, and were only visible that day over Asia.
It is also not Saturn. Although Saturn was visible during sunset this month, the light pollution and air pollution of this area at the time would have made it impossible to see at that time. It also appeared much earlier than Saturn, and faded from view much earlier than Saturn, which should have been visible until near sunset. The direction it was first spotted, which was North East, does not fit the orbital location of Saturn at the time, which would put Saturn in the South Eastern sky.
The object also had a slightly erratic flight path, unlike that of a planet or star. It is also oval shaped and bears a shadow on its bottom. If it WAS Saturn, or any planet, it's shadow would not be located there, considering the sun was hanging low in the sky, although not yet at horizon level.
My sources are Stellarium, Astronomy.com's StarDome and Google Earth which I used for exact directions, altitudes, and orbital information.
According to Stellarium with an ocean landscape to simulate sea level (Fairfax is 312 above Sea level) and being set to Perspective mode, Arcturus would have only been directly North East at 4 p.m. Not only would I not be able to see it with this much daylight, it would be below our roof, right under the horizon, effectively out of sight completely. Even at 6 p.m. Arcturus would be directly East. At 6 p.m. the Object was North East.
This video is not edited. I didn't know how to use the camera at first, so I didn't know I was recording in the beginning plus I felt that editing it would decrease credibility, so I left it unedited. And please excuse my language. My brother was being very annoying.
What I find very strange is that usually when a planet or bright star is observable during the daytime, they are usually mistaken for a UFO, and the reports pour in on MUFON and elsewhere. I have seen nothing on here or elsewhere similar to this on these dates,
Unless the 3rd party on the form is an Audio / Video Expert, I do not consent to this being distributed.
Also, I accidentally forgot to fill in some details on the form, so I am very sorry if I have made a duplicate post on the site.
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