File photo by Kathleen Marsh.
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The UFO report is not particularly unusual - the Mutual UFO Network receives similar reports of hovering lights in the sky frequently.
Witnesses often take you through a range of what they believe the object "is not," ruling out the obvious, before making a point about how unusual a sighting is.
In this instance - MUFON Case # 20,023 - the group of reporting witnesses is an astronomy club - five individuals who have a passion with explaining exactly what they are observing within a natural landscape.
But on this October evening - they've collectively declared their object a UFO. Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade. If Oklahoma MUFON investigates and reports back on this case, I will update this page. The following report is unedited and uninvestigated.
OK, October 17, 2009 - The same object was seen by many at the RMCC Observatory - Mounds, OK as reported from Mt. Pleasant, TX. MUFON Case # 20,023.
On the evening of 10-17-09 myself and four other club members were at our astronomy clubs’ observatory (35.8308 96.14518) for a clear night of observing. With many years of experience in observing under our belts we were needless to say quite qualified to identify most anything that we would see. Between approximately 6:40 – 7:00 P.M. one of the members noticed something off in the west and queried as to what it may happen to be.
First and foremost it was bright, more or less as bright as Jupiter, yet setting about ten to twelve degrees above the horizon, due west. At our first sighting most of us thought that it was nothing more than an airliner reflecting sunlight from the setting sun but that determination was tossed aside shortly there after. If it had been what we first thought it was it would’ve lost it’s size and brightness fairly quick as it shifted positions in relation to the sun while in flight.
But, it continued to maintain its position, did not move in any direction - vertically, horizontally. If by some chance it were a celestial body it would follow a gradual celestial track that all of us would have noticed in a few minutes. Again, it didn’t move, remained in one position, which eliminated the possibility of it being a celestial body that none of us were unlikely familiar with. That alone became puzzling since the obvious – Venus, Mercury – are now tracking in the morning eastern sky, not the evening western sky.
With that we continued to watch it as one of the guys used his 10x50 binoculars to get a better view. What was seen initially brought to mind that it may perhaps be a high altitude research balloon but the more we watched it and as it maintained its position that thought was tossed quickly also. From the beginning it remained in one position, never moved. Balloons, of any type, will not remain in one specific position be they weather balloons, high altitude research balloons or otherwise.
But as we watched it more closely it was very surprising as to the manner in which it morphed into various shapes and sizes. Its brightness would vary some but that was easily seen as being caused by the low-lying clouds on the horizon. As we commonly call it – it was “sitting in the soup”. When they would move in front of it the objects brightness would dim some. Otherwise it would maintain its brightness. That was easily seen via binocular observations.
The longer we watched it the more curious we all became and with that growing curiosity we quickly set two telescopes onto it. Two different sized telescopes were used, one, Celestron 11” Schimdt-Cassegrain telescope and a smaller Orion 4.5” dobsonian telescope. Between the two we could pull it in for a much closer look in a very inquisitive effort to determine just what it actually was. Charts and web sites were checked also to make sure we weren’t simply forgetting perhaps one event that may explain what we were now seeing. Nothing could be found.
The Celestron was using a 40mm eyepiece for a much wider field of view whereas the smaller Orion had a 15mm eyepiece to pull it in much closer. Through the Orion one could easily see what appeared right off as a bell shape. The same was viewed in the other also.
But as mentioned before it morphed into what was clearly seen and could be interpreted as the same basic outline of the Shuttle that anyone would see as it flies over. Again, the same basic shape as to what you would see looking up at the bottom of it. That distinctive shape was easily recognized. At the rear of it you could see what looked like bluish green waves that would both come and go from the main rear line of the object. Nowhere else was this color and wave seen, just at the rear.
The objects color was a combination of the just mentioned bluish green at the rear to a lighter orange yellow up through the main body and then into red orange, much more intense, than any of the other colors at the top or perhaps, from appearance at that time, leading edge. None of us had ever seen a color distribution of this sort before. Especially on either the Shuttle or any other normal day-to-day satellites. From our position/location it appeared to be hovering over either Bristow, Ok or possibly even Oklahoma City.
There was no attempt by any of us then to determine its specific distance or altitude from us. The same applies to its actual size. Visually, it appeared very similar to the size of Jupiter. Other than that comparison we honestly don’t know either its distance or specific altitude. It remained in the same position for approximately 40 minutes and never moved. Close to 8 P.M. we started to notice what appeared to be a ring of lights that was rotating around the bottom portion. The lights were seen in the same location that the bluish green colored waves were at. Several of us noticed this while looking at it through the telescopes.
Needless to say this was surprising to us all. This carried on for one to two minutes and then suddenly the object started to move. The movement was slow at the beginning but increased very rapidly. I had my eye glued to the 40mm eyepiece when this began and once it started I could not move. Within two seconds it had totally disappeared from open visual sight but I still had a lock on it in the eyepiece. Fast, very fast it moved from dead center in the eyepiece field of view upwards and at the same time was getting smaller and smaller as it flew away. Two or three seconds later it was totally gone from view in either of the telescopes.
The speed that it moved was without question way beyond anything that we have knowledge of or is publicly known to be in our military. At the rate it flew away would make a SR-71 Blackbird look very old and slow. Could it have possibly been a new experimental aircraft? Possibly yes but if so what was something such as that doing in Oklahoma? Most generally new experimental, top-secret aircraft of that type are being tested at either Edwards AFB or Area 51, not Oklahoma. In a nutshell, we will never know.
It was unidentifiable, it was in the air and flew away and it most certainly was an object of some unknown kind/type. From this alone it could be justifiably categorized as a UFO.
Comments
This is good one. By being experienced at Astronomy, they were able to easily rule out planets or any other celestial object. As an amateur astronomer, I know that it's important to know your sky. And if these guys say it's something else, I'm sure they're right. Good one guys and thanks for reporting it to the MUFON CMS.
I saw what I believe to be the same object on Oct 14th in Omaha NE. I observed it for about 2 minutes and it disapeared almost instantly. Clear blue sky, at 11:20ish.
i noticed a very similar object yesterday in atlanta.
I thought it was jupiter, but it had a slightly different color.
I never saw it disappear, but it sounds remarkably similar
hey everyone good late morning very informative new article about ufos in oklahoma. but if ufos can be seen skys over oklahoma sasquatches can be seen in oklahoma forests im not saying the pheanomenas are connected in anyway. thanks bill green connecticut sasquatch researcher. :)
Oh really?
The first thing any Astronomer worth their salt would have done would have been to carry out as many technical observations of the object as possible. The statement "There was no attempt by any of us then to determine its specific distance or altitude from us. The same applies to its actual size" is a dead giveaway, ESPECIALLY since the event lasted longer than 40 minutes. The second issue is that a good astronomer would have called SOMEONE at a second location for collaboration! I’m not a hard core skeptic, in fact I have had three sightings over my life that I can’t readily explain, but this particular case sets off my BS meter.
I agree that any and all observations of so called UFO's should be treated skeptically so I think AL has a point. But amateur astronomers using "regular" telescopes can only see so much. One can only note the elevation above horizon and it's size and brightness relative to a known object (i.e. Jupiter, which I've been watching this summer). Comment on size otherwise would be guesswork. Triangulation by using another observer at another location would have satisfied some of this criteria and rightfully should have been employed, even if it's nothing more than calling a brother-in-law and saying "hey go outside...". Still if this report is subject to scrutiny by one of the MUFON field investigators it may pan out to be an interesting report. As it stands, and assuming it can be found to valid (i.e. not anonymous and witness credibility isn't in question) it's a good report.
Thanks for the great report on that case. I just sent it over to Bad Astronomy. Philly boy constantly proclaims Astronomers don't see UFOs. When I first heard of that I left a comment that maybe he should read case histories reports on "MUFON" or "National UFO Reporting Center" Astronomers report sightings of UFOs more than people think. Now you post this great case and again we see people who look up in the sky seeing things.
We all know the tactics debunkers use, hoaxes, stars, plasma balloons. Do they ever realize these are people? These people are all different levels of expertise. Some of these UFOs witnesses are scientist who are better qualified to know what they did or did not see then the debunkers on the side lines with their proclamations.
Are debunkers using superficial explanations. Those of you who don't believe that I ask you to look deeper, after all, is that not the scientific way.
Joe
UFO Media Matters
Last week I observed a balloon for several hours in the western sky which did not move at all. It was "near" closer objects which allowed me to compare its position accurately. I carry a spy-glass with me and it was only by looking through this that I was able to be sure it was a clear, shiny balloon. When the sun was very low and reflecting brightly off the balloon I could see a tiny speck hanging beneath the balloon which was not visible earlier. I think it was very large, very high, and very far away. The day was pretty calm for this area but there was an occasional, gentle breeze. If the balloon was not tethered or powered, it should have moved some.
Thank you. Yet another observation by people who can show a reasonable doubt. Still, their observations could have been a more carefully cataloged observation. 45 min. is plenty of time to come to terms with what they were seeing to the point they could estimate distance and altitude better. I'm an amateur with thousands of hours, and have seen my own UFOs several times, and with others, so understand their predicament, but after 30 min. of adjustment to the objects anomalous activity they should have more data.
In their defense however, in such an event you first go through all the thoughts of secret military projects and such that will buffer your realization that "you are not in Kansas anymore" and start measurements. A 15mm eyepiece on an 11" Cass would make for a good view if extinction (haze) was not otherwise an issue. I’m a MUFON F.I. and an amateur, so would have loved such a case. Also, I know many astronomers see such and better. Just no reports to discredit their PhD’
Kent M.
If the balloon was moving towards you or away from you at altitude it would not seem to have moved. This team accounted for their observation that discounted such.
This is not a creditable report. It is a hoak. As a board member of the Astronomy Club, we have found no one who was present at RMCC observatory on this date and time, Oct 17, 6:40PM, who knows of this observation. Plenty of members were present, but no one saw the reported observations. Sunset was occurring, and the observations are not consistant with a bright sky gradually dimming.
It has come to my attention that credible observers from our astronomy club did indeed see what was reported in the above article. I retract my previous comment and apologize to the writer.
Upon further reflection I think it was a plasma balloon. Denny? Have you spoken with these people? This is an excellent case to examine due to the fact there were multiple witnesses and (hopefully) careful observation. I'm curious to hear your feelings. The several incidents I was fortunate enough to bear witness to lasted no longer than 10 seconds.
This is very interesting. I live in Tulsa and observed something very similar to this. In July just after sunset I was standing in my front yard talking with a nieghbor when a very bright light came up over the treeline. It was moving to the southwest at the speed of an airliner. After watching it for about a minute my wife (ufo skeptic) notice a small pulsating light that was coming up behind the bright light at what seemed like a very rapid speed. I observed the small light for for a few seconds and ran into my house to get my binocular. Just my luck I wasnt able to find them. At this point I had to go to my backyard to view the object. As the object flew out of sight it never chaged speed and began to flaten out as it disappeared. Hopefully this is helpfully info.
Astronomers do take pictures of UFOs. My father was an amateur astronomer with an observatory in the back yard. He took a picture of something he couldn't explain. Then NASA came calling and wanted the picture. They didn't get it, I did and gave it to MUFON. Roger has the full story I have asked him to keep it to himself, maybe sometime he will post it and the story to go with it. Roger, what do you think, is it time to show the world?
In Oct. I saw a strange light, it looked like a star. There was one other star in the sky that seemed close to the same size, but no other stars in the sky yet. Suddenly there was a flash that looked very angular and then it seemed like it went straight up and disappeared.
Then a few days later on Oct.17 I saw the same sort of light South of my house. I ran and called my daughter and she and her husband were looking at it with binoculors. She said it was triangular in shape. I took my digital camera back outside and photographed it. At first I didn't see anything on the frame but later did. Today I cropped in and enlarged it and found that it was triangular shaped.
Also today while googling I found a web site which states several people saw the same thing but were hundreds of miles away from me, Lubbock, Amarillo and Clovis New Mexico. I live S. of Lubbock about sixty miles.
Claudia, I know the case you are talking about. I did some logistics on that case. It was a scientific balloon, the investigator was able to find the facility which launched it and was able to track it till it went down. The track matches the time and route of the UFO sightings. If you want more specific information let me know.
See "Stunning UFO..."www.silentcircle.co.uk/ufos news reports;the triangular UFO is that one seen over Chongqing-China to confirm my UFOS EXPEDITIONS 2008-2011-THE COSMIC DISASTER AND THE EVACUATION PLAN-PREPARATIONS TO BOARD THE FLYING SAUCERS:
* EXPEDITION TO GOBI-ALTAY-BEKHULA MOUNTAIN FROM GUIYANG-GUIZHOU VIA CHONGQING-CHENGDU-URUMQI IN CHINA-XINJIANG PROVINCE:
I PLAN TO GO TO KANASI LAKE THIS SUMMER AND WAIT FOR THE FLYING SAUCERS TO DIRECT ME TO CONNECT WITH BEKHULA MOUNTAIN WHERE 32 EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL ENVOYEES HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 10.000 YEARS TO INTRODUCE HUMANKIND TO GOD'S GOVERNMENT AND THE UNIVERSAL WHITE BROTHERHOOD AND MAKE ON EARTH THE 33rd. CIVILIZATION TO PRACTICE WHITE MAGIC WITH GOD´S GOVERNMENT IN THE LOCAL UNIVERSE;BEKHULA MOUNTAIN IS THE HIGHEST PEAK IN GOBI-ALTAY SHAN ACROSS THE BORDER FROM CHINA INTO RUSSIA-SYBERIA-MONGOLIA;IF YOU're interested leave message at eta-guijaaj-2011@hotmail.co.uk; www.ashtargalacticcommanders.ning.com/profile/JIEOURAAMABERAMENTHOOM
I'M COO-COO FOR COCOA PUFFS!!
AL; Once again you have proved our point about you always having to spout-off your opinions in a vain attempt to be a know-it all. But I'm afraid its time someone told you, so here goes...
Your not as clever as you think you are, you don't know half as much as you say you do. So, in short, stop attacking the claims of pothers. You weren't there, you have no idea what they were thinking at the time and no-one's interested in your ridiculous "bs" claimes. (perhaps your BS meter went off because its so used to hearing yours...just a thought)
Please don't keep giving your so called "professional oppinions" because your not a professional astronomer, just another wannabe.
Leave it to the big boys, mate.
peace.
Al; By the way...no doubt you'll be coming back at me with something piddly but i'm afraid i won't be reading it...I'll be too busy looking good.
Peace ;)
This is addressed to everyone but Len.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
These people saw a light in the sky and instead of trying to nail down what it was by making some scientific observations they apparently chose to stare at it for 40 minutes(!). Also I am at a loss why someone said that there was indeed a high altitude tethered balloon in play that night and yet some choose to ignore how that fits into this? Guess the whole thing goes all to hell the second someone applies a bit of skepticism and reason to some of these claims, huh?
No, no much more fun to believe that out of focus pictures of aiplanes in PA or stories of "astronomers" IGNORING an unidentifiable celestial body are much more fun if you believe they're something rather than the mundane, especially when there's $$$$ involved!!
Respect!
To me, this is one of the greatest UFO sightings. It fits VERY well with my theory that UFO events are actually symbols from the collective unconscious. In this case the symbol is the Omphalos and the number 153.
***The Hard Truth***
***Once you truly see a UFO, then you know the truth.
Until everyone sees a UFO.....then the rest of the folks either believe with hopes or are non-believer's.
UFO's are not that hard to spot. How much do you really want to see a UFO? If one will just take the time to observe the skies daily using common sense and a pair of binoculars.
***Everyone wants someone else to bring them the proof, but yet they will only truly believe when they personally see a UFO for themselves.
So those of us that have seen UFO's, mostly your just beating your head against a wall trying to get others to believe. Only seeing is believing. Even seeing one personally can leave you pinching yourself every so often as a reality check! So how are others going to really believe?
If one truly wants to see a UFO, they won't be so lazy as not to observe the skies as often as they can. I have never heard of one flying around in the house and getting in the way of th
Idk if this is anything like your have been seeing but sept 27th around 5 that morning my husband was headed home when he saw something that he thought was a helicopter. He didn't really look that close he just saw the reddish and bluish lights. He noticed though it wasnt moving. He got home and was showing it to me. It stayed in the same area just east of our home. Like he said you could see reddish and bluishish lights and there was no sound. We looked throught a gun scope and you could see white lights around it but we couldnt tell the shape or anything. We just decided to leave it at it was a planet he dont believe in ufos. I week or so later I saw it again when me and him were driving down the road.. it looked farther away but around same area. I saw it sevral time after and it was was about the same everytime. my mom leaves down the road so one night i had her go look and told here which direction of the moon and to look. She was like all I see is a red looking light. and it is
to the left of the moon and i was like no what its to the right. So I looked to the left to see what she was seeing and there was a reddish light and straight across was another. They were even with each other. But the just stayed a red looking color. The thing I had been seeing was right a lil ways from the 2 red objects. She finally saw what I was trying to show her. The 2 red things could have been planets or something I don't know they never really changed colors or anything. You could see a blue color now and then. On november 13 2009 I was driving home and saw it again but it was even brighter. Where I was at the were trees in the way so I couldnt look that good so I got to an opening to look and its colors faded away. It did that evertime I got to an opening to see it. It would be bright so I would get to where I could see it and i would fade away. I got home and took my kids inside for bed. I went out 10 min later and it was home. On the next night m eand my brother saw it agai
His gf thought he was crazy. He kept saying there was a helicopter with no sound and everytime he went to show her it would fade away so she couldnt see it.I had never mentiond to my brother about what I had saw. When he described what he saw I told him sounded like what I had saw and it was then we saw it together and his gf to. but it wasnt in the same area i usualy saw it in. It was more toward the west of us. When we would try to look at it it would fade away. I was driving home an hour or so later and he just lives dowm the road to I was it again and again brighter then usual when i pulled in my drive way i rolled my winto dowm to look at it and again it faded away. I pulled on up to the house and got out it .It cam back but not as bright. Later that night my other brother and his wife were over and we were standing in the yard and i happend to see it So i showed it to them. And it faded away again. The rest of the night it would gradually get a brighter color then gradlually
get dim again. I havent got to see it since causes its been cloudy and rainy. I don't know what it is but it sure has me freaked out. I have 2 pics if it on my phone from when we saw it that first night but i havent taken anymore.
An astronomy club that takes no pictures. They have all the equipment and expertise. Kind of disappointing.
There is much reason to believe that the great UFO cover-up is ending now. Google "Benjamin Creme + Space Brothers" to see what's going on. Beware of the fact that you've probably heard some lies over a million times and that you probably are now thinking that they're true.
"We've been ordered to work up a national debunking campaign, planting articles in magazines and arranging broadcasts to make UFO reports sound like Poppycock." (CIA report January 1953)
Things like world peace, the end of poverty, job security and health care for everyone are massive threats to the status quo. The most powerful people don't want to change the world, they like it just as it is. They don't want to lose their monopolies. Communicating with beings from advanced civilizations who have solved the same problems that face us now - thousands of years ago, will turn the status quo upside down. The military industrial complex will be shut down and a peace will come to earth, unlike any known before.
Lots of people are getting pictures of UFOS these days. Why is the news media ignoring it?
do a youtube search on keyword "UFO" and/or "star sign" to see somethings similar to what these astronomy club members saw.
Remember it's not poppycock, that's just what they want you to believe. The blind lead the blind.
There is much reason to believe that the great UFO cover-up is ending now. Google "Benjamin Creme + Space Brothers" to see what's going on. Beware of the fact that you've probably heard some lies over a million times and that you probably are now thinking that they're true.
"We've been ordered to work up a national debunking campaign, planting articles in magazines and arranging broadcasts to make UFO reports sound like Poppycock." (CIA report January 1953)
Things like world peace, the end of poverty, job security and health care for everyone are massive threats to the status quo. The most powerful people don't want to change the world, they like it just as it is. They don't want to lose their monopolies. Communicating with beings from advanced civilizations who have solved the same problems that face us now - thousands of years ago, will turn the status quo upside down. The military industrial complex will be shut down and a peace will come to earth, unlike any known before.
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