2011-09-03 - Bentonville, AR - Fireball

Orange glowing ball hovering over Bentonville/Centerton AR area disappeared into the night

I left a pool party to head home around 8:50pm on Saturday Sept 3rd. I distinctly remember my daughter asking where the stars where that night and I explained to her that is was cloudy and there were no stars in sight. We drove the few miles home and turned into our neighborhood. I had the windows down as it was a pretty night. I noticed a large group of people (approx 10 or so) standing outside pointing at something and saying things like "Do you see that?, What is it?, Look at that thing!" I began looking out my window to make sure I wasn't about to hit something. I could only see the houses on either side of myself. As I turned right to go around the corner I had an unobstructed view out of my passenger window and I saw what was a bright orange glowing ball in the sky. It appeared to be quite a ways away, but was very large and brightly illuminated. It looked as if it was over the area of Hiwasse AR. My first though was an airplane as XNA airpor! t is not that far away, but as I watched it I realized it was not moving. Hovering in the air glowing bright orange, with no flashing lights that are the norm of an airplane. It was like nothing I have ever seen. I see airplanes often, I have watched satellites move across the sky. None of these things are even close to what I saw. It was round glowing fire ball. A bright orange that would change to more of a burnt orange and back. It then suddenly disappeared. It didn't dart away, just disappeared. I was so shocked that it didn't cross my mind to pull out my phone and take a picture or video. I was caught up in watching it and trying not to lose visual. I pulled into my driveway and ran out into the road trying to find it again and it no where in sight. I then noticed my neighbor out in her yard watching it as well. She had stepped out to let her dog out and noticed it. She said she had been watching it for several minutes. It was a glowing orange ball and she! said at one point it would dart away and then shoot back and ! hover.

It did this twice. At one point the orange glow went away and a blue beam of light came from it. It then flipped back to the orange fire ball color. She watched it until it disappeared. I have searched the internet and the newspapers trying to find reports of this and have found none. I know what I saw and it was nothing that I have ever seen. Not a plane, not a satellite, not a hot air balloon, and not a sky lantern. I am hoping by posting here that someone else will confirm what I and at least one other person that I spoke to saw. What I saw does match some descriptions of others from July 4th of an orange glowing ball that were in nearby cities from where I saw this one. Strange enough, lately there have been a lot of military aircraft flying over the area since. My cousin used to be in the military and has noticed that we suddenly seem to have lots flying over, where we never have noticed them before. I don't thing we are close to any forts and never noticed th! em before now.