2001-06-20 - Charleston, SC - Circle

large sphere stationary for an hour

Let me first say that I have always been a sceptic, though I have tried to keep an open mind about all things.

Well, it was pretty weird and I feel even weirder talking about it. I wish I could remember the exact day and month, but I think is was in the middle or late part of June in 2001. My father brought it to my attention in our front yard. Facing north-north east and looking approximately 65 degrees up we were staring at a fairly large sphere that was orange/red in color. At first I thought it was a star in the early evening, but quickly brushed that aside when I saw other stars near it. They were basically dwarfed in size. I am familiar with the sky in that area as having lived there for many years and watched the stars and meteor showers with my father over the years. soon my mother joined us. I ran to get my fathers binoculars and when I came back, our neighbors had pulled up and jokingly asked if we were trying to find aliens. When we pointed to the sky, the neigbor ran inside to get HIS binoculars and him, his wife, and my family all wached it for almost an hour. It did not move, nor did it change color, yet at the end of the hour, it quickly faded away (while looking through the binoculars, it was an intense bright, hot orange/red and as it faded it shimmered a shade of sliver....maybe the sun relecting off a craft???). It was not a reflection of the sunset off a star, as I have often watched the sky over the years and previously noted that the stars in the rest of the sky were quite small in size in comparison (I have always been intrigued by astronomy and took several classes in college).

I have no clue what this was, but there were 5 adults watching this "phenomenon".... one ex military, one working in media, one school teacher and 2 nurses. Any suggestions what it could have been??

((NUFORC Note: Date is approximate. PD))