black sphere seen flying rapidly in a straight-line course under clouds
At approximately 1:20pm I was lying in a lounge chair on my patio looking up at the sky when I observed what appeared to be a black sphere fly into my view.
It came out of the southwest and moved in a northeast direction. It appeared to maintain level flight and constant speed throughout the sighting which lasted approximately 8-10 seconds. It appeared to be the size of a BB at arm's length.
It was first viewed at 90 degrees elevation (overhead) then moved across the sky to the northeast to approximately 15-20 degrees elevation before disappearing behind a treeline. As I observed this sphere, I noticed it was below the clouds which were at 25,000 feet altitude (checked with The Weather Channel immediately after sighting).
I estimate it was not far below the clouds, but can't be certain. There was no noise and no vapor trail.
The object was comparable in apparent speed and flight as that of a satellite when seen at night. The speed seemed very fast, though. At first, I thought it might be a bird or aircraft. However, the unwavering direction of flight and rate of speed ruled out these possibilities.
In addition, after the sighting, I was able to observe birds at high elevation and planes below and above the clouds. All of these were clearly distinguishable for what they were.
I also suspected a balloon, since I determined the wind was SSW at 12 mph (also from the Weather Channel). However, the speed was simply too fast for a balloon.
If I wasn't looking at that specific portion of the sky at that exact time, I wouldn't have even noticed it.
((NUFORC Note: We express our gratitude to Mr. Dave Marler, State Director of Illinois/MUFON, for sharing his sighting report with NUFORC. Mr. Marler is well known to NUFORC, and to the UFO community, and we regard him to be an exceptionally qualified, and reliable, observer.
Any other witnesses to this event are encouraged to contact Mr. Marler directly at
At approximately 1:20pm I was lying in a lounge chair on my patio looking up at the sky when I observed what appeared to be a black sphere fly into my view.
It came out of the southwest and moved in a northeast direction. It appeared to maintain level flight and constant speed throughout the sighting which lasted approximately 8-10 seconds. It appeared to be the size of a BB at arm's length.
It was first viewed at 90 degrees elevation (overhead) then moved across the sky to the northeast to approximately 15-20 degrees elevation before disappearing behind a treeline. As I observed this sphere, I noticed it was below the clouds which were at 25,000 feet altitude (checked with The Weather Channel immediately after sighting).
I estimate it was not far below the clouds, but can't be certain. There was no noise and no vapor trail.
The object was comparable in apparent speed and flight as that of a satellite when seen at night. The speed seemed very fast, though. At first, I thought it might be a bird or aircraft. However, the unwavering direction of flight and rate of speed ruled out these possibilities.
In addition, after the sighting, I was able to observe birds at high elevation and planes below and above the clouds. All of these were clearly distinguishable for what they were.
I also suspected a balloon, since I determined the wind was SSW at 12 mph (also from the Weather Channel). However, the speed was simply too fast for a balloon.
If I wasn't looking at that specific portion of the sky at that exact time, I wouldn't have even noticed it.
((NUFORC Note: We express our gratitude to Mr. Dave Marler, State Director of Illinois/MUFON, for sharing his sighting report with NUFORC. Mr. Marler is well known to NUFORC, and to the UFO community, and we regard him to be an exceptionally qualified, and reliable, observer.
Any other witnesses to this event are encouraged to contact Mr. Marler directly at
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Edwardsville
USA
8-10 seconds
8-10 seconds
38.81
-89.96
sphere
IL
Occurred : 5/18/2005 13:20 (Entered as : 05/18/2005 13:20) Reported: 5/18/2005 3:54:20 PM 15:54 Posted: 5/24/2005 Location: Edwardsville, IL Shape: Sphere Duration: 8-10 seconds Characteristics: There were aircraft in the vicinity or aircraft chasing the object
ILLINOIS/MUFON REPORT: Black sphere seen flying rapidly in a straight-line course under clouds.