2005-06-27 - Kill Devil Hills, NC - Sphere

Dark Orb Moves Erratically over the Beach -- Outer Banks, NC

I went outside (alone) on my screened-in front porch to sneak a cigarette (I’ve been trying to drop the habit). I was facing south looking towards the side of the K-Mart store a few houses down at the end of my street wishing to myself that there were not so many lights on that street when, off in the distance, I (barely) noticed this orb-like object. My first idea was that it was a planet, though that did not make rational sense because it appeared much closer than a planet would to the naked eye. Suddenly, this object moved sideways to the right, then the left, then upwards a bit and again erratically sideways, sometimes hovering for a second or two but then always resuming its path in moving up. By this point, my heart began racing because I realized that what I was seeing did not make any sense. I stood there and watched the object as it continued this erratic pattern across the sky until my view was obscured by the roof over my porch. I ran outside to the other side of the house so that I was facing east and again found the object continuing its path. Some people on the beach (I live 2 blocks from the beach) set off some fireworks (the low-grade kind that can be bought at any store around here). The fireworks shot into the sky a distance roughly equal to 4 or 5 two-story houses. The orb, by this point, had moved north/northeast past the fireworks and--even with the extra light in the sky, the object did not appear to reflect the light. For a moment after the fireworks, the object seemed to move a little fast and within seconds of that it disappeared into the clouds. I stood there in awe for a few seconds waiting for any possible reappearance, but nothing. Immediately afterwards, I called my family to share what I had just seen.

I am still unable to make rational sense of this. The object made no sound and moved steadily as if on a path, but erratically. Additionally, the object did not seem to give off any colors as an airplane or helicopter would. The object was perfectly round, which is why I describe it as an orb. Because it was night, it was hard to tell if the object itself was colored, the only way I can describe it is that it seemed to blend in with the night sky. The only reason I noticed the shape is because it had a faint, but distinct outline which seemed to give off a soft glow. By glow, I do not mean that the object itself was glowing. I mean the only glow was in the outline. Beyond that, the only other description I can offer is that the object appeared to have been a dark or matte metallic.