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I saw a UFO

Scorpion

Illuminator
Scorpion
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
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In 1957 I went out into the garden in Kent to watch for sputnik one. I heard it was due to pass overhead so I waited for it at night time. I was watching for a while and while I was looking at the stars I noticed one had changed position in relation to the nearby stars. I started watching it and it moved slowly along, then stopped. It stopped for a minute or two then moved off again. This happened several times before it disappeared from view. It looked like just another star and it moved systematically and stopped and moved again at regular intervals. I am absolutely certain it was not a helicopter as it was soundless, and it could not have been a weather balloon as it moved and stopped regularly. It could not have been a U2 spy plane as I don't think they could hover. I have no explanation as to what it was so I call it a UFO. An unidentified flying object.
Not long after it disappeared sputnik one flew over, and it was brighter and faster than the object I saw, and sputnik moved smoothly across the sky in a couple of minutes.
I would love to know what this object was, anyone got any ideas?
 
I saw something similar way back in August of 69. It was an unusually unhumid night so taking advantage I looked up to view three stars that formed an equilateral triangle; as I watched, them two of these stars moved apart a short distance then stopped. They did not move after that for a long as I observed them which was a few minutes. After that, I observed some other nearby stars and one of them moved then stopped. For as long as I observed that star it did not move. Ever since that time to this day it remains a mystery what I observed.
 
Scorpion said:
In 1957 I went out into the garden in Kent to watch for sputnik one. I heard it was due to pass overhead so I waited for it at night time. I was watching for a while and while I was looking at the stars I noticed one had changed position in relation to the nearby stars. I started watching it and it moved slowly along, then stopped. It stopped for a minute or two then moved off again. This happened several times before it disappeared from view. It looked like just another star and it moved systematically and stopped and moved again at regular intervals. I am absolutely certain it was not a helicopter as it was soundless, and it could not have been a weather balloon as it moved and stopped regularly. It could not have been a U2 spy plane as I don't think they could hover. I have no explanation as to what it was so I call it a UFO. An unidentified flying object.
Not long after it disappeared sputnik one flew over, and it was brighter and faster than the object I saw, and sputnik moved smoothly across the sky in a couple of minutes.
I would love to know what this object was, anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...

I'm no expert, but wouldn't a helicopter at something like 5000' AGL be pretty quiet?
 
JimOfAllTrades said:
I'm no expert, but wouldn't a helicopter at something like 5000' AGL be pretty quiet?
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Helicopters would not be high enough to reflect sunlight, and this object was a faint constant light which looked like another star. Helicopters have flashing lights on them and I am sure it was not one. It was not a searchlight it was too faint. The sputnik was obviously reflecting sunlight, and it was brighter than the UFO.
 
I remember just before the Gulf War of 1991 I saw a UFO out of my living room window while watching TV. I was living on a hill above Carswell Air Force Base. A Bright Light (actually, what appeared to be one craft with many bright lights) appeared in the west and got brighter and brighter. Then, my TV reception went to hell just before the UFO silently passed overhead. And then...Boom! Damned UFO was going faster than the speed of sound, obviously. Afterwards, my TV reception returned to normal.

Then...I went back to watching TV.

Oh well.
 
Scorpion said:
Helicopters would not be high enough to reflect sunlight, and this object was a faint constant light which looked like another star. Helicopters have flashing lights on them and I am sure it was not one. It was not a searchlight it was too faint. The sputnik was obviously reflecting sunlight, and it was brighter than the UFO.
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So the sound doesn't rule out a helicopter? And why would it need to reflect sunlight if it had it's own light? And again I'm not an expert, but are you sure helicopters (especially back in 1957) always have blinking lights?
 
A sky lantern moving with the wind is one possibility, but really it's impossible to know. There simply isn't enough information.
 
I have no idea, but maybe it was just your brain playing tricks on you.

I remember as a lad looking up at the blue sky in summer and seeing something floating around up there. I think it was probably just something floating around in my eye fluid. Floaters perhaps.

Also, 1957 was a long time ago. Memory is not as reliable we think

There's a phenomenon called illusory motion too. Things which aren't actually moving may nonetheless appear to be moving.

In short, I have no idea what you saw. But I'm inclined to believe it wasn't actually a UFO but some sort of optical illusion or the like.
 
I am going for a wild guess that the same voice that told you that you won the lottery told you to look where the UFO was.................*

















*But, please do not make the mistake of actually claiming that!!!!!!!!!
 
Pixel42 said:
A sky lantern moving with the wind is one possibility, but really it's impossible to know. There simply isn't enough information.
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Oh I think there is. From the opening post:

"... sputnik one flew over, and it [Sputnik] was brighter and faster than the object I saw ..."​

For reference Sputnik itself was barely visible at sixth magnitude....
 
It's Kent.Lots of airports,lots of aircraft, and a good chance it only appeared to hover because it was travelling towards, or away from the viewer, not across their field of view.
 
Tomtomkent said:
It's Kent.Lots of airports,lots of aircraft, and a good chance it only appeared to hover because it was travelling towards, or away from the viewer, not across their field of view.
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Remember this was something so faint that most of us wouldn't have been able to see it!
 
It was 59 years ago, so your memory cannot be trusted (which would still be true to an extent had it happened even yesterday). The former is true given the fact that you say your light was less bright than Sputnik which was barely visible itself. There is no reason to trust your estimate of its altitude given that we know human ability to do so is limited, particularly for someone 59 years younger than you are now. Add to that the fact that we have no reason to trust your expertise in determining at what altitude a helicopter could or could not be heard.

All of which is secondary to the real analysis. My conclusion follows, and is based on the assumption that you are not pulling our leg and that you did have some sort of experience even if you recall the details incorrectly:

You saw something flying but were unable to gather enough information to determine what it was.

That's it. You saw a UFO. Of course, UFO does not mean extraterrestrial.
 
Semi-thought:
A stop-start motion could be a zig-zag path where one leg is towards you. During that leg you would see it as stopped.

Whatever it was; with its light on; flying high and far; like a plane.
 
Donn said:
Semi-thought:
A stop-start motion could be a zig-zag path where one leg is towards you. During that leg you would see it as stopped.

Whatever it was; with its light on; flying high and far; like a plane.
Click to expand...
That's the key part. Aliens would undoubtedly disguise themselves to look like a plane. Proof positive.
 
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