2017-06-28 - Richmond, VA - Cone

Daytime Sighting of Black Cone-Shaped Object Hovering in Sky

On June 28, 2017, I was helping family members move into a new house. At 2:37 pm, I was driving back to their old house to pick up the next load, when I noticed a stationary black object in the sky above the tree line in front of my car. The jet black object caught my eye because it stuck out conspicuously against the crisp blue sky. I immediately realized it was something out of the ordinary. Excited and perplexed, I stopped the car and fumbled to get my phone out to capture it on video.

The object hovered silently and motionless in the sky. It appeared to ascend slightly and very slowly at one point. Otherwise, it did not move at all. (A close review of the video suggests it also may have rotated along its vertical axis, like a spinning top, but I did not see any rotation while watching it with my own eyes). It made no sound. It was shaped like an upside-down cone or pyramid. It had a distinct, sharp outline against the sky. It looked dense, heavy and sturdy, and not made of flimsy or lightweight materials. It definitely was not a natural object (e.g., a cloud or bird). It looked mechanical, like some sort of machine. But it did not have any discernable features of an aircraft (e.g., wings, propellers or a tail) or anything else that can fly. It had no visible propulsion system or other means of flight. It appeared shiny and shimmered somewhat, which I believe was sunlight reflecting off its surface. Otherwise, it did not emit any light.

I asked a family member driving behind me if he saw the object (he did) and knew what it was (he did not). He was not as interested in the object as I was and drove away. After filming for about a minute, I also drove away because we were on a tight schedule. I continued to watch the object as I drove and realized it was much higher up and farther away—and therefore much bigger—than I initially thought.

I recorded three videos. The first one at 2:37 p.m. is through my windshield and, unfortunately, does not keep the object in the frame very well. I captured the second video through my open window at 2:38 p.m., a few hundred yards down the road. I stopped again about a quarter mile farther down the road to record the third video at 2:39 p.m. After that, I continued to look at the object while driving but lost sight of it around 2:42 p.m., when trees along the road obscured my view of the sky. The last time I saw the object, it was still hovering in the same spot where I first noticed it.

I have speculated that the object could have been a balloon, a kite or a drone. I ruled out the first two options mainly because it did not behave—e.g., sway, pitch or pivot—like something that was tethered to the ground while flying. Although a drone is the most plausible explanation, I do not think this was a drone. The object was too high (~300-1000 ft.) and too large (~5-20 ft. tall) to be a drone, at least one available to the public. It was also too motionless, for too long. It did not drift or tilt in the wind; it simply did not move. Even an experienced drone pilot probably cannot keep one completely still for several minutes in outdoor conditions.

I do not contend that the object I saw was (or was not) extraterrestrial. I honestly do not know what it was or where it came from. But I definitely saw something—a tangible object—in the sky that I cannot identify or explain.