Glowing Orange Ball Over McDonald, Pennsylvania

Date: July 4, 2010
Time: Between 9:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Location of Sighting: McDonald, PA.
Number of witnesses: 3
Number of Objects: 1
Shape of Objects: Glowing orange ball.

Full Description of Event/Sighting: On July 4, 2010 an object appeared in the sky on a very dark, clear, and still night. It stood out because of it's bright orange glow. It appeared in the S/SW sky at approximately 30 degrees above the horizon. It was moving quickly, in a straight path from S/SW to N/NE.

Our neighborhood is located approximately 10 miles south of Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, where commercial aircraft traffic is commonly seen. However, this was not a commercial or small aircraft. This object flew directly overhead and a group of 3 people witnessed the object with naked eyes. It appeared to have no wingspan, nor did it make any noise. It had no other lights. It looked like a bright glowing orange hot air balloon, but it was moving much too quickly to be a hot air balloon.

There was not a discernable wind speed that night to have propelled a hot air balloon to that speed. The first object appeared and our group noticed it, watched it travel overhead for (what I would estimate) less than 45 seconds then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but seem to vanish and not speed off purposefully. Then within a few minutes another object (or the same object?) appeared at the exact same spot in the S/SW sky and followed the same flight path, etc.

Moving directly overhead again. We scrambled for binoculars, video cameras etc. thinking that perhaps it was the ISS traveling in an elliptical pattern and we would see it again in another few minutes. But, nothing else happened after that final second sighting the object did not return for a third pass-over. With all of my rational being, I know that this object was not a commercial or small aircraft, it was not a firework, or reflection, or hot air balloon. After doing some research about the locations of ISS sightings from NASA's website I believe that we were not it the flight path of the ISS on! that night. I just don't know what it was.

If you have seen anything like this in the same area please be kind enough to contact Brian Vike at: sighting@telus.net with the details of your sighting. All personal information is kept confidential.

Credit: Sightings.com