2012-03-10 - Smithfield, NC - Fireball

Five fireballs moving across sky in Johnston County NC

On the night of March 10, 2012, at approximately 6:45, just as the sky started to get dark and stars were becoming visible, a friend and I were outside on his pool patio talking when I noticed a “fireball” moving across the sky. It was traveling from East to West. I commented to him that it was the “oddest light” I’d ever seen! It wasn’t flashing, it was a constant light and it wasn’t falling like a “falling star.” As my friend turned and looked we saw another come into view directly behind but some distance away. Then 2 more came into view and then the last one. If I could describe the pattern, the second appeared to be in line with the first, the next 2 were spread further apart but aligned with one another and the last one was in direct alignment straight behind the first and second. If you could draw lines between them, they would look like below:

First Light Second light Third Light Fourth Light Fifth Light

I have NEVER seen anything like this before and neither has my friend who at one time had his pilot’s license! We were in such amazement we stared for some time before I started filming. I can’t see much if anything on my video so I took still photos of what was left. The objects started to ascend into the atmosphere in the same order they appeared. My only camera was my cell phone. You have to move the screen around and enlarge it to see the photos I got. In one shot as you enlarge it the object appears to be linear in shape but with the naked eye my best description is fireballs. I have been reluctant to report for fear of being ridiculed if my name was revealed but I’m so intrigued I had to share. We watched the news that night and the next day, and read the paper, and as best we can tell, no one else reported. I kept looking on line for any reports in the following days but have found nothing about this incident there either.