2002-04-22 - Primm Springs, TN - Light

Myself and two witnesses observed a light, not a meteor, moving at low altitude across the sky; its duration was no more than three sec

My wife, a friend and myself were looking in the western sky trying to observe the planetary alignment. Having missed going outside shortly after sunset we were pontificating which of the bright stars could possibly be planets. There came a bright light coming from the south and moving at a very, very fast pace towards the southwest. We only observed the light for about two to three long seconds. It could very well have been a meteorite but we all agree that there was enough evidence to discredit it being a meteorite. If it were a meteorite there would be so many coincidences, making this one of the most abstract, obscure, and simply rare metorites ever documented. In fact the only evidence that could sunstantiate it being a meteorite are the facts that it had a very short duration, and moved at a rapid speed.

The light came from behind us. It seemed to come from nowhere the way that is common with meteorites. I should add here that to the south,not even seconds before we observed the light, we were commenting on the number of aircraft were in the area. There were anywhere between five and ten aircarft flying around directly south of us, again the same direction the light came from. At least three of these aircraft seemed to be flying in almost a triangular formation as if looking for something. It was only seconds after we made the comment about the aircraft that we observed the light.

We are all in agreeance to the following characteristics that we feel differentiate this light from a typical meteorite. Again, this could all be a rare string of coincidences. I feel at some point you have too many coinidences and have to look in other areas: 1. The light had no visible tail as is indicative to most meteors. It seemed to be a simple ball of light.

2. The light never faded or quivered in its brightness and intensity. The light remained the same constant brightness.

3. The light just disspeared. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. This is important because most meteors seem dissapate. They seem to start bright and slowly fizzle out to nothingness, or at least grow dimmer. This one just plain vanished, there was no dissapation, it gave no indication to going out, it just vanished.

4. The light seemed to remain parallel to the horizon, it gave no indication to have downward momentum...it was moving horizontally.

5. The light seemed to be lower than the aircraft. It was at least in the troposhere or the stratusphere. To think that this light was in the ionosphere would have to make it incredibly large. Also at the rapid speed that it was moving would have made it close to, if not breaking the sound barrier.

6. Again, the local aircraft seemed to be flying in formation as if looking for something. This is the same direction that the light was travelling from.

7. Again noting the size of the light. Although meteors come in all sizes, this one seemed incredibly large. If you could imagine a ligt about the size of the tip of your thumb moving across the sky, that would be about the size. Again, this could be another indication as to how low the light was. The light was larger than the lights of the aircraft, and to be 30 miles high would make this a massive object.

....The general consensus of our group was that this was not a meteorite. Was it a craft? Maybe. But there are just too many characteristics that could not lead us to believe that it was a meteor. Whatever this object was, seemed to be trying to get away from something.