| ID | #1673183188 |
| Added | Sun, 08/01/2023 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | |
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Hypothesis
|
Initial data
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Maxeemtoons :
My friend's grandmother wrote this report, apparently in response to her disagreement with the newspaper's cover-up of events. I do not know to whom the "sirs" is addressed, but presumably it is the editorial office of the Arizona Republic. This is published with permission. I'll ask about it in more detail if you want. The offending newspaper clippings were cut and preserved in classic Betty Jo style. Bless her.
Dear sir,
On Tuesday. On the evening of August 10 at 21:45 by "wristwatch" we saw an object in the sky. We were ok. 3 miles north of Payson, Arizona. It didn't look like any airplane or "shooting star" we've ever seen.
It appeared on the horizon to the west of us and moved to the east (the West was defined as the place of sunset in cf. August 11).
We decided it could be a UFO. He was about 75 degrees above the horizon in our cabin, and we watched him until he disappeared from sight. We had to come out from under the porch canopy to see him, and we had to walk further (to the road (about 30 feet) so as not to lose sight of him behind the trees to the east of us). When he was moving away from us, streaks of fire were coming from him.
When we first saw it, it was the color of Mars or a red star. It didn't change in color as we~~saw~~noticed it closer. Overall, the length of time we saw was at least 30 seconds. It was a clear night, except for a few clouds around the moon, which had just risen. The object was moving towards the moon and illuminated clouds, and this made it difficult to observe it, as it was moving away from us to the east. As long as we saw him, he seemed to be the same, instead of going down or rising higher.
The area where we were is just shrubby oaks and a few trees, not a pine forest. (Payson Ranch)
There was no sound from him and~~ his height height~~[it] seemed very close to us. (the newspaper reported that the Bonanza pilot saw him at 20,000 feet. It seemed much closer to us.) On closer inspection, we saw a flat front that was not "glowing" like the others. This could be seen, and we would best describe the front part as a slate, since it reflected the light (possibly of the moon). Can we see it at 20,000 feet?
[letter ends]
Further research:
In the interest of some thoroughness, I looked up the date on the Stellarium. It supports a bright almost full moon somewhere low in the south. The path from west to east at an angle of 75 degrees in these conditions would pass over the Moon. Depending on the shape of the object, can we assume that their assumption of moonlight as the cause of reflection is plausible?
Original news
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Maxeemtoons:
Context:
My girlfriend's grandmother wrote this account seemingly as a response to her disagreement with a newspaper distributed cover up of events. I don't know who "Sirs" is addressed to but presumably the editors of the Arizona Republic. This is posted with permission. I will ask more about it if you want. The offending newspaper clippings were cut out and preserved in classic Betty Jo style. Bless her.
My transcription:
Dear Sirs,
On Tues. evening Aug. 10 at "wrist-watch" time 9:45 P.M. we saw an object in the sky. We were approx. 3 miles north of Payson, Ariz. This was not like any airplane or "falling star" we had ever seen before.
It appeared on the horizon to the west of us and moved eastward (West was determined as where the sun set on Wed. Aug. 11.)
We decided this could be a UFO. It was about 75° up from horizon at our cabin and we observed it until it was out of sight. We had to get out from under the porch overhang to see it and had to proceed on (out to the road (about 30 feet) to keep from losing sight of it behind some trees to our east). As it was going away from us it appeared to have streaks of fire coming from it.
It was the color of Mars or like a red star when we first saw it. It did not change in color as we ~~saw~~ observed it nearer. In all, the length of time we saw it was at least 30 seconds. It was a clear night except for some clouds around the moon, which was just rising. The object went toward the moon and illuminated clouds and this made it harder to see it as it went eastward away from us. It appeared to be the same all the while we saw it, instead of coming down or going higher.
The area where we were is only scrub oaks and a few trees rather than a pine forest. (Payson Ranches)
There was no sound from it and ~~its height altitude~~ [it] seemed very close to us. (The Ariz. Republic reported a Bonanza pilot seeing it at 20,000 feet. It seemed much closer to us than that.) At our closest observation there was a flat sort of front which was not "aglow" like the rest. This could be seen and we would best describe the front as looking like blackboard slate as it was reflecting some light (maybe the moon.) Could we see this at 20,000 feet up?
[letter ends]
Further research:
In the interest of some thoroughness, I looked up the date on Stellarium. It supports a bright nearly full moon kinda low in the South. A West-to-East path 75 degrees up in these conditions would have passed above the moon. Depending on the shape of the object, it is conceivable their guess of moon light as a cause for reflection is plausible?
Hypotheses
Airplane / Helicopter
An aircraft heavier than air for flights in the atmosphere (and outer space (e.g. An orbital aircraft)), using the aerodynamic lift of a glider to keep itself in the air (when flying within the atmosphere) and the thrust of a power (propulsion) installation for maneuvering and compensating for the loss of total mechanical energy to drag.
A rotorcraft in which the lift and thrust required for flight are created by one or more main rotors powered by an engine or several engines. They differ in maneuverability, the ability to hover and almost vertical takeoff.
Events
Rocket launches (from space.skyrocket.de)
- Site: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops Island, Virginia (USA) Vehicle: Scout-B Payload: SECOR 5 (EGRS 5) SEV
Investigation
Resume
Similar facts
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