Appearance / Description of Object(s)

This round object was on fire and appeared as a red, orangey fire-like glow. The object was moving very slow at about 10 km per hour and had a firey, gaseous tail following behind it.

Size of Object(s)

I would say it was the size of a small house and it made no sound.

Description of Area / Surroundings

Cottage country with lakes and trees.

Full Description & Details

My father, sister and I used to love to lie on our cottage rock lookout and star gaze in the summer nights. My guess is this would have been July or August of 1981 as we were on summer holidays and it would have been a Saturday night. The sky was perfectly clear at 10 pm and we had already spotted about 4 shooting stars and 4 distant satellites. All of a sudden I spotted a large bright, firey object about 200-300 metres to the north of us, just coming over the trees at about 50 metres over the treeline. We couldn't believe our eyes as it proceeded across our lake (Muldrew Lake) in Muskoka at its slow speed.

This round object was on fire and appeared as a red, orangey fire-like glow. The object was moving very slow at about 10 km per hour and had a firey, gaseous tail following behind it. I would say it was the size of a small house and it made no sound.

We called my mom to come up to see it too, but by the time we got her to get up to us the object was gone out passed the other side of the lake. We were mesmerized for what I seem to recall as being about 2 minutes.

It was heading eastward out toward the town of Gravenhurst and was gone from site after it crossed the lake and disappeared from view in the trees on the other side. I called it a fireball as that is what it looked like, but of course it travelled slowly and just over the trees. I asked my parents to please listen to the radio for any sightings and info. In the morning they did hear a report that it may have been a Russian rocket.

A few days later friend's of ours told us they saw it too. They owned a cottage on the next lake over to the east (Loon Lake). They were at an outdoor night-time show at a park in Gravenhurst and everyone there saw it too.

What amazed me most was that the thing was on fire and did not crash, and that it kept on going as if it was under flight control. If it crashed I can guarantee it would have started a forest fire. If it stayed on its same trajectory over the trees eventually it would have run into a high hill and crashed. I just wish I could have confirmation on what it really was. This thing was certainly under control.

TV/Radio: It was speculated on local radio that it may have been a Russian rocket.

Can sighting be explained as any conventional man-made or natural object?

I believe it was human-made.

Views on UFOs, before and after sighting

This was a UFO. Was it extra- terrestrial? I assume not.

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