| ID | #1617614256 |
| Added | Mon, 05/04/2021 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | MUFON (Jan, 2003)
|
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Research
|
Initial data
At 3 a.m. on September 15, 1998, the witness was working at Westminster College (Salt Lake City). The witness reports that the night was cool, about 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius), visibility clear (no clouds).
Facing west, he pointed his laser pointer at the sky in a west-southwest direction in the general direction of Jupiter.
A minute or two later, a gray spherical object with an apparent diameter of 7 inches (2.1 m) at arm's length appeared in the sky to the west, hovering over a nearby building at a (measured) distance of 260 feet (7.8 m) from the witness and 40 feet (12 m) above the ground.
Seeing the object, the witness turned off the laser pointer. The witness stated that he was delighted with what he saw, and does not remember feeling anything or thinking much in the moments that followed. The object remained stationary for 2-3 seconds. The witness states:
"It doesn't swing or wobble. It hung as if it was locked in place. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was moving across the roof of the building in front of me. Then it turned and flew past me to the right, almost directly over my head."
The object that appeared in the west moved north, then turned northeast toward the witness at a speed estimated by the witness to be 60 mph.
This estimate was approximately correct. Based on the total distance of 310 feet traveled by the object from the time of the initial observation to the time of its last observation, the estimated speed is 70 miles per hour if the required time was 3 seconds, or 53 miles per hour if 4 seconds passed.
The witness stated that the object had no apparent acceleration period; that is, the object was stationary for an instant, and then moved at a speed of 60 miles per hour. The witness watched the object fly over him, heading northeast, then lost sight of it as it passed behind the building.
The moment before the sphere disappeared from view came when it was closest to the witness: at a distance of 60 feet at a height of 40 feet. At this point, the witness reports that the object had an apparent size of 21 inches at arm's length. In these final moments, he observed the underside of the sphere, which he described as "reddish, pinkish, with pits and pings, and very crater-like."
He added that, with the exception of the bottom, the object was smooth, gray, and featureless. The witness said he felt the subject knew about him. As the object flew over him, he followed the trees, heading east behind the building.
The witness chased the object on foot, but before he could overcome the cover of the tree, he heard a "pop", and when he came to the clearing, the object was nowhere to be seen.
"I do not know whether the sound of the' pop 'was related to the object or not," the witness said.
He stated that during the observation, no sound was heard coming from the sphere, and there was no noticeable radiation or disturbance in the immediate vicinity of the object.
A couple of days later, a witness called Peter Davenport at the National Ufo Reporting Center.
Original news
At 3 AM (MST) Sept. 15, 1998, witness was working at Westminster College, 1840 So. 1300 E., Salt Lake City On stepping outside, witness reports the night was cool, around 65 degrees F, visibility clear (no clouds). While facing west, he fired his laser pointer into the sky toward west-southwest in the general direction of Jupiter.
Within a minute or two, a gray, spherical object, with an apparent 7″ diameter at arm’s length appeared in the western sky, hovering over an adjacent building at a (measured) distance of 260 feet from the witness and 40 feet above the ground.
Upon seeing the object, witness turned off the laser pointer. Witness stated he was awed by what he was seeing and doesn’t recall feeling or thinking much in the ensuing moments. The object sat motionless for 2 to 3 seconds. The witness states, “It did not bob or weave. It sat as if it was locked in place. Then in an instant it was moving across the top of the building in front of me. Then it turned to move past me on my right, almost straight over my head.” The object, which had appeared in the west, moved north, then turned northeast toward the witness at a speed estimated by the witness to be 60 mph.
This estimate proved roughly correct. Based on a total distance of 310 feet traveled by the object from initial sighting to when last seen, the calculated speed is 70 mph if the time required was 3 seconds, or 53 mph if 4 seconds had elapsed.
The witness stated that the object had no evident period of acceleration; i.e., the object was motionless one instant and then moving at 60 mph the next. The witness watched the object pass over him, heading northeast, then lost it from view as the it passed behind a building.
The moment before the sphere moved out of view was when it was closest to the witness: 60 feet away at an ahitude of 40 feet. At this point, the witness reports the object had an apparent size of 21″ at arm’s length. During these last moments, he observed the underside of the sphere, which he described as “reddish, pinkish, with pits and pings and very much crater like.”
He added that, apart from the bottom, the object was smooth, gray, and featureless. The witness said he felt the object was aware of him. As the object passed over him, it went behind trees, heading east behind a building.
The witness pursued the object on foot, but before he could clear the tree cover he heard a “bang,” and when he came into a clearing the object was nowhere to be seen. “I don’t know if the ‘bang’ sound was related to the object or not,” the witness stated.
He stated that during the sighting no sound was heard coming from the sphere, nor was there any perceptible emission or disturbance to the immediate surroundings attributable to the object.
After a couple of days, the witness telephoned Peter Davenport at the National UFO Reporting Center.
A drawing made by a witness. (source: MUFON)
Hypotheses
Investigation
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