By Sue Gerberding
 
Memorial Day Weekend had a new kind of “fireworks” this year. The weekend was filled with sighting reports by Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witnesses who submitted more than 40 reports from around the world.

​Beginning on May 24, 2019, there was a spike in reports coming into the CMS database. It continued through the night into the early morning hours of the 25th, with a nearly record-breaking number of reports for that time period. Reports continued to come in on the 26th and the 27th.
 
Astute witnesses all reported a straight line of “dots,” as many as 20 – 100 white lights, moving across the local skies. Reports were received from Romania, the United Kingdom and Canada. Sightings across the U.S. included the States of Tennessee, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, California and Washington.  Many of the sightings occurred around midnight in each local time zone.
 
What was this mysterious line of white dots circling the globe? Turns out that Space X had previously launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space with a huge payload. The payload was 60 small “Starlink” satellites, launched from the rocket into low Earth orbit. These satellites are part of a new global Internet system. They were low enough, and bright enough, to be seen when launched into orbit around the Earth in any location in which the skies were clear. As the satellites circled the Earth, they began to spread apart, increasing the distance between each. This is why the initial reports stated 20-60 dots in a white line, and the later reports spotted but a few dots.
 
Photos and videos were submitted with a few of the sighting reports. A case from Romania had a video which was nearly identical to that from a Netherlands observer who submitted a video to SpaceWeather.com (to see the video follow the link, or go to SpaceWeather.com and put May 25, 2019 in the “Archives” date box: http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=25&month=05&year=2019 ).
 
For more on the new Space X (Elon Musk) initiative, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_(satellite_constellation).
 
Many thanks to all who submitted reports.

A Texas witness at Houston reports watching and videotaping a “tall structure moving northwest” that emitted no light, according to testimony in Case 91666 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The event occurred at 10:20 p.m. on April 28, 2018.

“Never thought I'd have something to add,” the witness stated. “Just observed this in Houston, near Memorial Drive and Shepard. Object was moving north-northwest. Was keeping the same elevation and didn't move like balloons. Much larger, vertical structure like a floating tower with a pointed tip at the top. Don't know what the hell that was. Freaking out a bit.”

Texas MUFON State Director Steven Bates closed this case as an Unknown Aerial Vehicle.

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A Texas witness at Webster reported watching a “round, silvery object “moving into a cloud and then reversing direction, according to testimony in Case 91628 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was driving south of Houston eastbound toward Clear Lake on FM528 from Friendswood and approaching the I-45 south underpass at 2:30 p.m. on April 25, 2018.

“While stopped at a red light just before the I-45 intersection and looking upward at the light, a bright flash of light caught my eye,” the witness stated. “Looking upward I saw a round, highly reflective object streak southbound through the air and into a cloud. I had only a second or two to view the object and noted that it was round but slightly flattened on top and bottom, much like a very fat football. It had a center line from the nose to the rear along its horizontal axis. I could not tell if it was a marking or a part of the structure of the craft. It was fast, much faster than any conventional low altitude aircraft would be flying under this circumstance, and over a populated area. From my vantage point, in size the craft could be roughly compared to a dime, or slightly smaller, held out to my windshield in front of me. I estimate my position of observation to be approximately one mile from the cloud into which it disappeared.”

The witness could hear no sound.

“After only another second or two, the craft (or another just like it) came out of the cloud just above where the first had entered but headed back the opposite direction (northward) towards another cloud. It seemed to be going even faster than the first, and quickly just dissolved into a streak of reflective light about halfway to the second cloud. The second cloud (to the left-north) was separated from the first cloud by a space roughly the size of the first cloud. The left cloud was about 25 percent larger than the right. I checked with the Galveston Scholes Flight Service Station, and scattered cloud ceiling altitude was around 2,500 feet, with scattered cloud height varying from 4,000-6,000 feet.”

The witness reported the weather was predominately clear, with a temperature of about 83 degrees.

“No other aircraft was seen, but my travel dictated that I leave the scene for an appointment. I did get a short, but accurate view of the craft. It was clearly not a conventional aircraft. I estimate the clouds and activity were maybe a mile from my street location, but these things are difficult to estimate without a known object at a known location for reference. My guess, based on the FSS report of the 2,500-foot ceiling of the clouds, is that the UFOs were approximately the size of a normal small aircraft at maybe 25-40 feet in length. I am 73 years old and have significant experience as an aircrewman in the Navy during the Vietnam war. I also obtained my private pilot’s license after the Navy tour and owned my own aircraft. I am not presently an active flyer, but am not easily fooled by what I observe in the skies. This is the only UFO sighting I have had in my lifetime. NASA and Ellington AFB are located within a couple miles of this location. The Ellington facility is frequently open to the public and does not seem like it would be a special place of interest for the UFO. However, I have heard stories of occasional UFO sightings in the corridor from Galveston to the top of Galveston Bay. Also, there are rumors of black choppers seen at the base.”

Texas MUFON Field Investigator James Donald Gilchrist closed this case as an Unknown Aerial Vehicle.

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A Canadian witness at Edmonton reported seeing “a large, black triangle with four underside lights,” according to testimony in Case 91570 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness and friends were smoking cigars on a 10th floor balcony on April 22, 2018.

“It was a nice clear night and we could see a few stars in the distance,” the witness stated. “Our conversation was interrupted by a pulsing sound and we all looked up to see a large, black triangle flying overhead at a pretty fast rate. It had four large, silvery lights on the bottom of the triangle, with one light in the center and the other three at the corners. There was also a strange, dark green aura around the front of the craft, which outlined the front two edges and seemed to glow. It took about five or six seconds for the craft to fly overhead and out of sight from our balcony. It seemed to be fairly close to us, or just very large. All three of us heard and saw the craft.”

Canada MUFON Field Investigator Ryan Stacey closed this case as Information Only. 

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A New York witness at Brooklyn reported watching a silver disc with golden lights, according to testimony in Case 91572 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was smoking a cigarette in a friend’s backyard and watching planes fly by at 5:20 p.m. on April 22, 2018.

“I saw what I thought was a very reflective helicopter and began watching it out of curiosity,” the witness stated. “It made no noise and had a somewhat wobbly flight path at a fairly (but not completely) constant slow to medium speed, moving unlike what a helicopter is capable of. I saw it at a low angle coming from behind the house blocking the sky (perspective), looking north towards Gowanus and Park Slope from my location in Kensington. It began in the north sky and moved west, then northwest, away from me. I clearly observed a large metallic, reflective silver disc with moving/pulsating golden lights. The most prominent light was circling the disc as it was moving from the top to the bottom and back again like a helix, making me think the object may be spherical, even though the structure was clearly a disc. This main light appeared to move from above the structure to below the structure, with an observable air gap between said light and structure when it reached its apex. Other lights observed on the object seemed as if reflections of sunlight upon a moving sphere, moving flashes, which were golden yellow in color. By the time I was certain this was not a helicopter, plane, or other known aircraft, and overcame my sense of absolute wonder, I called out to the person nearest to me, but it was flying lower in the sky, and was blocked by a fence on the north side of the backyard, which said person was leaning up against and they did not observe it. The sighting lasted approximately 15-30 seconds and I did not have time to take a photo or video with my phone. Approximate flight path was heading north-northwest over west Brooklyn, passing over Prospect Park, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Red Hook.”

New York MUFON Field Investigator Keith Conroy closed this case as an Unknown Aerial Vehicle.

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A Pennsylvania witness at Manheim who works in law enforcement reported watching an object that looked like the “lunar lander” hovering over a major highway, according to testimony in Case 91575 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was traveling southbound along Interstate 81 toward Harrisburg near Lavelle Mountain at 5:14 p.m. on April 22, 2018.

“Just all of a sudden this object appeared over the interstate and appeared to hover stationary for like 20 seconds and quickly went into the trees on my right at a high rate of speed,” the witness stated. “Object appeared quite large. At first, I thought it was some type of drone, but it moved too fast to be one. Kind of looked like a lunar lander in my opinion. I was shocked by what I saw and got emotional. When I had passed the spot where I thought the object would be, found nothing.”

Pennsylvania MUFON Field Investigator Larry Shaak closed this case as an Unknown-Other.

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A New York witness at Irondequoit reported watching a chevron-shaped object that may have been as large as “two or three football fields,” according to testimony in Case 91559.

The event occurred at 10:20 p.m. on April 21, 2018.

“I'm a 65-year-old retired Navy vet and have viewed a lot in the night skies over many years, both out at sea and living on a high tundra ranch in Colorado, west of NORAD,” the witness stated. “Have never seen so much activity as last night and early this morning. Making ready to see the Lyrid meteor shower peak before dawn, I was out around 10 p.m. on the back deck and front porch before bed thinking there may be some stray meteors around then already. But looking west, noticed to my right the moving V-formation of six to eight, dimmish-green tinted lights (like sodium street lamps) against a faint dark, chevron silhouette moving silently in a straight course due west a bit north of us, maybe along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Couldn't really judge altitude at the angle because not a good reference to size. Could have been as large across as two or three football fields, slow enough for me to keep in sight maybe 20 seconds before it faded into the western rooftops in the distance. Focusing on every detail I could and grasping the fact I'm not seeing something normal, not meteors, landing pattern aircraft, or even a reflective chevron flock of geese crossed my mind since it seemed ghostly and distant. But very distinct and unwavering. My feelings were like when I've witnessed similar things in the past, awe, excitement, but even more so that I'm not in an isolated area alone. I immediately told my longtime mate, who'd already retired to bed reading and knew I didn't have time to call her out to see it, but is equally excited—we're both sky watchers.
“The secondary event to this:  I went to bed excited, then we got up at 4 a.m. today to watch perhaps the meteors peak on the back deck, and at 4:20 a.m. saw three bright, white lights in chevron formation streak downward low, it seemed out of the southwest, over the top of the house, banking in a curve to the northeast and disappearing behind the tall trees. It was quick, in sight about two to three seconds, recognizable enough to realize it wasn't meteors, and I told my mate something like, ‘That was them again, this is really happening!’ She hadn't seen that. So, we moved around watching every part of the sky we could cover. In a bit she said, 'That was it. I saw it go along there.’ It was 4:40 a.m. She described three lights travelling so low to the horizon, so fast, it was only a couple seconds before they were lost behind the front of the house, facing south, so travelling a straight line west to east. The last I saw after she went back in was at 5 a.m., when the same or a similar V-formation of three lights moved silently and straight northwest to southeast (towards NYC).  They seemed to be moving slower than before because I could track them from over the lake to the southeast horizon for all of six to seven seconds. I stayed around till 5:30 a.m. when the sky was getting bright.”

New York MUFON Field Investigator Chuck Streb closed this case as an Unknown Aerial Vehicle.

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A Maine witness at Orrington reported watching a silent, black triangular UFO with lights at each of the three corners, according to testimony in Case 91553.

The event occurred at 9:55 p.m. on April 21, 2018.

“Viewed through 10x50 binoculars for duration,” the witness stated. “First viewed exactly west from my position; travelling from southwest to northeast, losing sight just past north due to building and tree obstruction, taking just under 10 minutes from first being observed to last. Moved very slowly, absolutely no sound, never going above 20 degrees above horizon.”

The witness described the object.

“Had three brilliant-white static lights in each of the three corners with one strobing red light centered on the underside hull. There was also a less-bright fourth light seemingly on the aft part of the fuselage, centered between (but higher than) the two rear lights. With binoculars, the fuselage against the background sky was clearly visible: a literal triangle, slightly longer than wide (i.e., not equilateral), and relative to commercial aircraft, very dark. I've seen quite a few of these now, all following the same relative paths; southwest to northeast or northeast to southwest, in exactly the same two paths, i.e.: directly east or west, which is so common I keep an eye out on either path.”

The witness described the object’s lighting.

“Interestingly, the light-strobe pattern and colors were somewhat different with this: The red-strobe flashed more frequently than others in the past, and was exactly opposite a strobing white light, seemingly from the aft-starboard white light. They never went out of sync, compared to commercial aircraft. Also compared to previous sightings, when at its most southern position (front hull most visible), there were no red/green, port/starboard winglet lights, which until now have always been visible from the front (not from the rear ever 100 percent). Anyways, nothing special, but I figured I'd report it for posterity. I would draw it, but other than flashers and attitude indicator lights, it's the same basic vehicle people see daily. Lastly, I must emphasize ‘no-sound.’ There were commercial aircraft much higher and farther away that were distinctly audible, whereas this/these craft was/were not.”

Maine MUFON Field Investigator Fred Richards closed this case as an Unknown-Other.

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A United Kingdom witness at Stonehouse reported watching a large black triangle “with six dim lights,” according to testimony in Case 91752 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was on a roof stargazing on a clear night at 10:30 p.m. on April 19, 2018.

“I'd been up there maybe 20 minutes when suddenly I noticed a black triangle moving slowly across the sky, southwest, in a straight line,” the witness stated. “It was travelling at a steady pace, no faster or slower than you'd expect from a commercial aircraft. I stargaze frequently in the summer, and I am familiar with planes, satellites, blimps, etc. This was unlike anything I have ever seen in the sky.”

The witness described the object.

“The craft was clearly a solid and a complete triangle, or at least very close to being complete as it blocked out the stars. It had six white lights around the edge, evenly spaced. The lights were very dim and stayed solid the whole time. There were no flashing lights, only the six solid, white lights. Other than this, I couldn't see any other detail on the craft.”

The witness tried to get a closer look with binoculars but had trouble focusing.

“Or the lenses were misted up - either way, the event only lasted approximately 30 seconds, so I didn't have time to figure out the problem. I can't say for sure if it was making noise or not. I live near a relatively busy road so there was car noise, which made it harder to determine. Also, I was so excited by what I was seeing that I was just trying to focus my binoculars to get a closer look and wasn't concentrating on sound. I'm a keen stargazer, but it's hard for me to say exactly what the altitude was - if I had to guess I would say somewhere between 8,000-15,000 feet. But as the event was so quick and because I couldn't make out details on the craft to give me a sense of scale, it was difficult to gauge.”

The craft kept moving at the same pace until it went beyond the witness’s view.

“My initial thought was that it must be a B-2 from RAF Fairford. The next day I contacted a friend who is one of the founders of RAF Fairford Air Day - a very popular aircraft show held at RAF Fairford. RAF Fairford is the closest military base that has a variety of aircraft, and I believe the only one that might have aircraft that could offer a possible explanation. I explained what I saw to my friend and he couldn't tell me what it was. He said that RAF Fairford was at that time closed and didn't think any aircraft would be flying in or out of there. Also, it seemed unusual as the lights were unlike ones I've seen on a B-2 (however, I am not an aviation expert or even an aviation enthusiast so there may well be other light configurations that I am not aware of). He couldn't give me an explanation, so I am trying to seek out others who might have seen it that night.”

United Kingdom MUFON Field Investigator Lee George Strydom closed this case as Information Only.

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An Indiana witness at Osceola spotted a large, cylinder-shaped object at treetop level and multiple orbs flying nearby, according to testimony in Case 91485 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was outside with dogs at 10:45 p.m. on April 17, 2018.

“Noticed a gold-colored, huge object flying just above the trees just a block away, flying up and down the road like it was looking for something,” the witness stated. “As I was watching it, the object started to come closer. Whatever it was they must have spotted me because all of a sudden it stopped and zipped south about a mile towards Lincoln Way. At that second, I heard what I thought was a jet, but it was flying low and wasn't moving very fast. As I was watching the object, I observed three orbs fly into it. As the object flew south, I saw what looked like three jet engines blowing fire out the rear of the object. All of a sudden, the object changed its appearance to a triangle and flew straight up right after a jet flew by. There were orbs everywhere just above the trees like it was looking for something. Then the big object zipped up as it was going south at a high rate of speed.”

Indiana MUFON State Director Jeremy Efroymson closed this case as Unknown Aerial Vehicle.

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