Unidentified Lights1850 26 Nov 2015Seen in western Henrico County, Va.Diagram is a photo of the area described below with elements added to help visualize what I witnessed. The lights depicted are the approximate size and locations I saw them. Two maps are also provided. Text keyed to diagram:1. About 1850 I opened the front door of our house for our son who was leaving after Thanksgiving dinner. There is a glass storm door between the object and me. I looked out and immediately noticed the object in the position indicated. It was quite obvious and so unusual I shouted out to my family. (I am a professional photographer with more than 40 years experience. This was not a reflection.)The object consisted of nine bright lights (the red in my drawing is about right, the blue should be as bright); three red above three blue above three red. There were no other lights. The lights were equidistant horizontally and vertically and aligned. The vertical spacing was somewhat tighter so the lights formed a horizontal rectangle of about 4:3 ratio.When spotted the lights were in motion moving horizontally from right to left. I first saw them behind the clump of trees that in the drawing they appear to be in front of. They were definitely behind them. They passed behind the pine and disappeared behind the apartment building. The yellow arrow indicates the movement as I saw it.This camera view to the corner of that apartment building is almost directly due south. Its movement was not rapid, but it was only in view for 4 or 5 seconds. I changed my vantage point to see if it appeared at the end of the building, but did not see it again. It had gone behind the building when my wife and son came out. I was the only observer.2. Because it was so unusual and obvious and the weather was pleasant, I remained outside for a while to see if it would reappear. At about 1905 I began watching an aircraft light moving as per the arrow in No. 2. It was obviously an aircraft; the red port wingtip light was readily visible. A few seconds after first seeing that aircraft, I noticed No. 3.3. This looked identical; the white light was apparently of the same size and brightness. It also moved at a similar speed to aircraft No. 2. Suddenly, however, it stopped, and then began to move vertically downward. It moved at a constant rate, about the same speed as the aircraft.4. When it stopped the red-blue-red colored lights appeared. I could not see the nine of the original, just three, but they seemed elongated. I had the sense that the object had rotated slightly on its vertical axis. I believe that had it continued the rotation, the nine would have been visible. However, it did not. It continued downward at the same rate to No. 5.5. Here it sat for 3 or 4 minutes. At no time was there ever any waver or variance in position or variance in the lights. There was absolutely no movement or change in what I observed. The lights simply stopped and stayed in one place. During this time I was able to change my viewing position in several directions attempting to get a better view and some sense of distance.6. After that time, the object continued the descent and disappeared once again behind the apartment building.My wife had come out to see it this time and saw it for about 2 minutes until it disappeared.Comments: The skies were perfectly clear. The full moon was about 10-15 degrees above the eastern horizon to my left. I am very familiar with aircraft of all types and observations under all weather conditions, day and night. I am also familiar with both military and civilian drones. The size of the light grouping at No. 1 could not have been a hobbyist's drone. To be the size I saw, the lights would have had to been on the near side of the apartment, not behind it. When I changed perspective at No. 5, there was a large change in apparent relationship between distant intervening trees. I noticed no sound other than normal vehicle traffic. I saw no one else outside.

Images

‹ ›