2008-02-20 - Burr Ridge, IL - Light

White Light Streaked Across Sky, Greyish Shape Appeared With It Just Above Tree Level

This event took place around 20:53pm central standard time. I was outdoors watching the lunar eclipse come to its climax. After the moon was completely eclipsed, I took a few minutes to myself to think how beautiful a thing it really was. I was taking pictures but failing in my attempts. My digital camera kept stalling on me, shutting down and then restarting again. It was a mere 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside and I had been outdoors for about 20 minutes. I began to wonder if the cold was making the camera malfunction or if something more scientific as the eclipse was causing this mishap. I began to think to myself how I should start heading indoors (since the eclipse had occurred) but something compelled me to stay a bit longer and linger.

There I stood in my backyard suddenly looking about the sky and watching all the planes take flight. It was a busy travel night I gathered since I had seen at least 7 aircrafts flying about the sky (I live roughly15 miles from a major airport). I watched how graceful they appeared and then noticed the stars out (which is rare being so close to city lights, pollution etc.) Soon there was nothing moving about for me to look at. All was quiet in the night sky. I took one more glance to the eclipsed moon and looked down to the ground, being careful to not step on ice and fall. Something caught my attention to look up one last time-straight up-. It’s hard to describe what made me look and what even I really saw for it occurred very fast and was nothing I had ever seen before.

I saw this silhouette or shadow type blob appear out of the thin sky, grey in color, almost invisible. Around it was the brightest light I’ve ever seen. If it wasn’t for this bright white light, I would not ever of made out the silhouette in the first place. The light streaked across the sky, so quick and so straight I just froze and stared up trying to follow with my eyes where it could have gone. The streak was thick (diameter but not length) and left no remnants….it simply vanished as quickly as it appeared.

I frantically searched the sky and started to walk around searching for where this light could have possibly gone. I could not explain it, I was dumbfounded. There was no cloud in the sky for this light or object to disappear in to and the speed of this light was unreal!! I was stunned as to what just happened. My first reasoning was a falling star. Witnessing many falling stars over the years I compared and contrasted the facts and visuals and knew in my heart there was no way that was a falling star. The flight pattern of the light, the diameter of the light, the sheer brightness and speed was unexplainable. Plus, the grayish image I saw split seconds to the light illuminating around and or hovering near it was also unexplainable. My second line of reasoning was a plane (since I had seen so many out). I laughed at myself when my brain tried to suggest that one. Planes do not hover, come out of nowhere and jet to nowhere. I have yet to see a plane travel at the speed I saw this light move. Plus, the fact how this all occurred in less then 4 seconds. I’ve re enacted this event in my minds eye and when I do I get this sense of awe and estrangement. My brain just can’t wrap around it.