2017-06-09 - Ann Arbor, MI - Triangle

Observed 3 bright white lights in a equilateral triangular shape, pass directly and silently overhead, at a high rate of speed.

On the night of June 9th, 2017 at around 11:30 PM, I observed 3 bright white lights in a equilateral triangular shape, pass directly and silently overhead, and travel in straight line toward the South East at a very high rate of speed until out of sight.

I was home and in bed when one of the dogs decided he needed to go outside, so I got up and took him out to the back yard. The sky was clear and so I paused to gaze at the stars. I usually hope to see a meteor or a satellite drift by. But that night, I looked straight up and immediately saw a very bright light moving what seemed to be just above a 60' tree behind me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but as I watched, 3 lights in the shape of an equilateral triangle slowly came into full view directly above me.

The lights were bright, white, and steady (not strobes), however, they seemed to have a shimmering, star-like quality to them. My first thought was that someone was flying a drone over our house, but it seemed odd, since I’ve never seen any drones flying in our neighborhood, and it was a bit late at night.

The second thing I noticed was the absence of any sound — it was totally silent. I remember thinking that it all seemed very odd, and if a drone was flying possibly only 100 feet above me, I would have easily heard the buzzing sound of the motors/rotors.

Watching it, I felt a sense of awe; although it was also slightly disorienting since it was hard to tell exactly how large the formation was, or what the true elevation was. They seemed to be moving very fast, maintaining a uniform triangular formation, and moved at a consistent speed in a straight South-Easterly direction over the house and yard. It took less than 15 seconds until they were out of sight — which would be several miles away.

I live outside the city lights in a dark suburban area, on top of a hill so I can see well above the tree line to the South. I had a clear view of the lights during the entire observation, they didn’t disappear behind trees or clouds and I watched them as far as the eye can see. I’ve observed balloons, meteors, satellites, jets, helicopters and small airplanes, but this triangle of lights was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Finally, about 4 days after my observation, I mentioned this to a friend who also lives in the neighborhood. He remarked that around that time, he and his wife were out for a walk when a bright light went overhead (his first thought was that it was drone) followed by other lights that seemed to come from the side and “join up” with the lead lights. They said they looked like bright stars, but they moved very quickly through the sky as a group.

About one month later, I asked him if he could remember exactly when and what he saw. His response shocked me. He said he would “check his phone” to look at the “date on the photos”. Turns out he has about 7 photos and a very short (3 second) video. I’ve reviewed the photos, and they show at least 2 groups of triangular lights, and perhaps a 3rd or 4th group further in the distance. My friend prefers to remain anonymous, so unfortunately, I can’t attach the photos/video.

I’ve never witnessed anything like this, and felt the need to report it. Any help in understanding what was seen here would be greatly appreciated. By the way, my friend and I are both employed as software developers.