Orange fireballs over the New River Valley, Southwest Virginia
On the evening of January 19, 2012 I was going to work on nightshift. I drove the mile from my home to the main highway Rt. 114. I stopped at the T intersection facing South. As I looked to the West checking for traffic before pulling out (toward Radford, Va and the Radford Army Arsenal Plant) , I saw two orange flickering lights heading East. I first took these for fighters on afterburner as my area is frequently overflown by F-15s from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C. I then saw that no navigation lights were visible, and that the lights were traveling much to slowly for the normal F-15s I usually see. The lights passed in front of me at about 2000 ft. elevation relative and what I estimate to be ¾ mile distance. No structure was visible and the lights were separated by about ten diameters, with the front light above the rear light about 2-3 diameters . The impression was of a slowly flickering orange fire with a tinge of yellow ! around the edges. I turned on to Rt. 114 and travelled East toward my work and following the lights. The lights seemed to speed up and they faded into the distance toward Poor Mt. above Roanoke, VA.
At the intersection of Rt. 114 and Rt. 460 I turned to the North toward my workplace in Blacksburg, VA. I traveled about 1 mile and to the Northwest I again saw two orange flickering lights traveling Southeast approach me and begin a slow turn heading East. I pulled my truck over at a car rental lot and got out and stood beside my vehicle as the lights passed in front of me at a distance this time of ¼ mile and about 1000 feet elevation relative. The objects made no detectable sound. My impression of the appearance of the lights was the same. They continued their turn and proceeded to the Northeast fading into the distance over the Ellett valley.
On the evening of January 19, 2012 I was going to work on nightshift. I drove the mile from my home to the main highway Rt. 114. I stopped at the T intersection facing South. As I looked to the West checking for traffic before pulling out (toward Radford, Va and the Radford Army Arsenal Plant) , I saw two orange flickering lights heading East. I first took these for fighters on afterburner as my area is frequently overflown by F-15s from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C. I then saw that no navigation lights were visible, and that the lights were traveling much to slowly for the normal F-15s I usually see. The lights passed in front of me at about 2000 ft. elevation relative and what I estimate to be ¾ mile distance. No structure was visible and the lights were separated by about ten diameters, with the front light above the rear light about 2-3 diameters . The impression was of a slowly flickering orange fire with a tinge of yellow ! around the edges. I turned on to Rt. 114 and travelled East toward my work and following the lights. The lights seemed to speed up and they faded into the distance toward Poor Mt. above Roanoke, VA.
At the intersection of Rt. 114 and Rt. 460 I turned to the North toward my workplace in Blacksburg, VA. I traveled about 1 mile and to the Northwest I again saw two orange flickering lights traveling Southeast approach me and begin a slow turn heading East. I pulled my truck over at a car rental lot and got out and stood beside my vehicle as the lights passed in front of me at a distance this time of ¼ mile and about 1000 feet elevation relative. The objects made no detectable sound. My impression of the appearance of the lights was the same. They continued their turn and proceeded to the Northeast fading into the distance over the Ellett valley.
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Christiansburg
USA
5 minutes
5 minutes
37.14
-80.41
fireball
VA
Occurred : 1/19/2012 19:35 (Entered as : 01/19/2012 19:35) Reported: 3/8/2012 7:55:18 AM 07:55 Posted: 3/13/2012 Location: Christiansburg, VA Shape: Fireball Duration: 5 minutes
Orange fireballs over the New River Valley, Southwest Virginia