Did I witness a UFO, or is this typical satellite behavior?

I've been hesitant to share this because it's so insignificant compared to the items posted here, I feel silly even thinking about it. Sadly it seems this is the only way to put the question in my head to rest, so here goes.

This happened in late 1992, or very early '93 on a Caribbean island. I was 20 at the time, and incredible as it seems now, I had never seen a "shooting star". (I always say the spectacular 2001 Leonids were the universe's way of making it up to me. ) I was up on the roof deck alone, scanning the sky. My 10 year old godbrother had joined me but after I started teasing him that UFOs were coming to get him, he, understandably, got mad and left. I'd recently read about UFO activity over Puerto Rico and I was intrigued, but still on the fence.

While staring overhead I noticed a flash out of the corner of my eye and turned my head, thinking I must've just missed another "shooting star". To my surprise I noticed what first seemed like a relatively bright star begin a journey across the sky. It moved in a straight line and continued to the southern horizon until it was lost in the hazy brightness. Confused and perhaps just a wee bit excited, I left the roof deck and ran downstairs. I'm not sure why, now, and I can't recall if I went outdoors or not. I'm guessing I was down for 5 - 10 minutes before I returned to the roof and continued to scan the sky. The object was far gone, I knew, but I was curious still. To my enormous surprise, as I was looking straight ahead at the far horizon, I noticed what I assumed to be the same "star", now approaching from ahead. The object moved steadily towards what I quickly realized was the first place I'd witnessed it. Then it stopped, or appeared to stop. And it got very, very, very bright. And then it disappeared.

Rethinking this later, I remembered the bright flash that had first caught my attention and wondered if it had appeared in just this manner. Later my mom came home and I excitedly relayed the story. For weeks we watched the sky for movement but nothing came of it. I'd see either weather balloons or satellites, but nothing that behaved like the object that night. For years I've wondered what it was I really saw. Could it have been some kind of satellite? A space station? I'm clueless but I've never asked an authority on the subject, so I'm putting it out there. Is this typical behavior for some man-made object?

I'm more than willing to accept that it's a coincidence, but that night seemed to mark a turning point for me. My life got very, very strange for the next decade or so, with so many inexplicable, paranormal (for want of a less controversial term) encounters. Somehow I always looked back at that night as the start, even though I've told myself again and again that it's silly to connect it to anything else. Perhaps the one weird thing that makes it seem even remotely plausible is that in the ensuing years I had about a half dozen encounters with the unexplained, some of them shared with my then-fiance, where it was made clear that certain information regarding UFOs, aliens etc was not to be disseminated. But that's another story, and a totally invalid one if this turns out to be nothing more than a tale of a lonely satellite. Thanks for reading. Opinions appreciated.

satellite ...sorry

reply to post by daisyglaze


The first part sounds like a satellite. I asked the same question a few months back when I saw a solid star-like object moving in a straight path across the sky. Although, the one I saw didn't come back after it faded, and it didn't get brighter either. So hopefully someone else has an explanation. Sounds like a satellite, i've just never seen one that comes back after it fades and gets brighter.

Well satellites don't change direction of travel at any noticeable rate (if at all), and that would seem to be the first underlying difference here. Other than that, I don't know... Be lucky you've seen something unusual. I can't say the same... Yet!

Originally posted by AtruthGuy
satellite ...sorry

Don't be sorry. I just want to understand how it all works. What made the flashes? Does it turn on/off? Do they have set locations in the sky, then?

Originally posted by FPB214
reply to post by daisyglaze

 

The first part sounds like a satellite. I asked the same question a few months back when I saw a solid star-like object moving in a straight path across the sky. Although, the one I saw didn't come back after it faded, and it didn't get brighter either. So hopefully someone else has an explanation. Sounds like a satellite, i've just never seen one that comes back after it fades and gets brighter.

Thanks! I've seen "normal" satellite movement too. That's why this has always perplexed me. I wondered if it was some other kind of object, like a space station or whatever. I figure it would be cool either way, witnessing it like I did!

Originally posted by Sek82
Well satellites don't change direction of travel at any noticeable rate (if at all), and that would seem to be the first underlying difference here. Other than that, I don't know... Be lucky you've seen something unusual. I can't say the same... Yet!

I do feel lucky I saw something mysterious but still, I'd SO love to finally understand what it was exactly. Even if it really was just a lowly satellite, I'd still want to know why it did what it did.

Yep, the first sighting would be hard to distinguish from a satellite by the description.

The second sighting--not necessarily related to the first sighting--has the hallmarks of a very real experience shared by many, many people from around the world.

What they are remains to be determined, but whatever they are they are totally baffling and extremely fascinating. Just google ball of light and ufo and it should lead you to many other eyewitness accounts.

There are plenty of threads here too that you could search for, but not sure if the above mentioned combo will pull them up.