2014-08-28 - Glen Burnie, MD - Unknown

Strange, illuminated cloud in an exceptionally cloudless sky..

Approx. 5 am, I am leaving for work. Exceptionally clear sky and brilliant stars all week. Amazed to see a small single round cloud less than 1000' above my house, except it wasn't really a cloud, just cloud-like.

I quickly scanned the entire visible sky and confirmed not another cloud marked the sky from horizon to horizon.

As I stared at this "cloud", it dissipated before my eyes in about 5 seconds. I turned to retrieve something from my car and then returned my attention to the previous spot I'd been watching and was amazed to see another cloud in EXACTLY the same place except this time it was glowing orange. The glowing was coming from INSIDE the cloud!

I live near BWI airport, directly in an approach route and have seen all types of aircraft come and go, jets and props, and have also seen the occasional spot lights scan the sky on cloudy or foggy nights. This was an anomaly and was not lighted from the ground nor was it any aircraft. Beyond that, I have absolutely no idea what I was looking at.

Just to repeat, THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER SINGLE CLOUD in the sky, and it was, again, exceptionally clear.

I then ran back inside my house, woke my girlfriend, and we both were back outside within 60 seconds but there was no sign, nor clouds, anywhere to be seen.