My UFO Experience
Whelp, it looks like Edgar Mitchell, pilot of Apollo 14 and record holder for the longest moon walk, is set to talk about his UFO experiences at this week’s X-Conference 2009.
I point this out to shamelessly segue way into my own personal “encounter” I had many years ago.
To preface this a bit, let me tell you that I am not a loon, nutter, or whackjob. I believe the vast majority of people who know me will testify to that belief. I’m a levelheaded individual that walks with a debunker’s gait, and I’m not easily swayed by the latest hype. With that being said…
Fifteen (has it been that long?!) years ago I was in my parent’s backyard with my 10″ Dobsonian telescope checking out the Orion Nebula when I saw what I was sure was a satellite slowly tracking across a backdrop of stars. I watched with interest as this solid point of light steadily arched its way through the sky when suddenly and without warning it changed direction ninety degrees and shot off in a streak of white light, disappearing behind the silhouette of a neighbor’s house.
My immediate reaction was a cool, “Well, that’s odd.”
And that’s my story. Fascinating, I know. I’m still not sure what I saw that night, but I’ve ruled out satellites, planes, meteors, space debris, hallucination, fireworks, and swamp gas from a weather balloon that was trapped in a thermal pocket which refracted light from Venus.
I’m still not sure what it could have been, but I’ve not seen it’s kind since. I often go camping at Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego and am quite used to being under an intimidating curtain of stars. I know what satellites and airplanes look like as they cleave paths through the heavens. I’ve witnessed my fair share of meteor showers. Heck, I’ve even seen a plane accident at an air show. But I’ve never, ever seen anything like what I saw that night many years ago.
