Distance to Object(s) & Altitude

800 to 1000 ft

Shape of Object(s)

Sphere

Color of Object(s):

yellowish white from being lighted inside

Full Description & Details

My wife and I had just stepped outside for some fresh air at approximately 10 pm or so when the wind seemed to kick up all at once. We both looked up at the night sky as we began to discuss whether we were supposed to get some bad weather or not that night. We were talking and both facing the same direction (West)when we both saw a brightly lit spherical object sailing from North to South in a straight line. At the same moment we heard a commercail airliner as it traveled toward the Bay County Airport to land coming from our left. The plane was traveling from an Easterly direction toward the airport West of us. They were both at what looked like the same altitude and on a collision course!!! They didn't collide but I'll bet that pilot had to change pants when he landed. The object seemed to glide quickly through the sky and went straight out to sea and out of sight. It appeared to be perfectly spherical and lit from the inside. It had what appeared to be some type of framework as it looked like it was sectioned on the inside. I remember thinking as soon as I saw it that it looked very much like a huge soccer ball. That is what the sections were exactly like! My wife and I both got a very good and clear look at it as I just know the Airline pilot did. He, no doubt,had much more of a closeup.

The next day we read in the newspaper that hundreds of calls came in to police and the Tyndall Air Force Base about the object. The Air Force quickly came up with the unbelievable explaination that a 'weather balloon' had deflated and was seen by hundreds as it flew out over the Gulf. They even had a photo in the newspaper of what type of balloon it was supposed to be. The photo was of a long,teardrop shaped silver balloon. I guess that was good enough for some people but I know what I saw was not a balloon. The object I saw was illuminated from the inside and was not teardrop shaped and it wasn't silver. What I saw was the size of a small house and I was probably no more than 1000 feet from it.

Witness Background

I work for a small newspaper and graduated from high school. I am a level-headed,sober person and lead a quiet life in a small town.

Other Comments

My wife kept the newspaper clipping from all those years ago. Each time we have looked at it, we still agree that we did not see a weather balloon. I could send you a drawing but you could do it yourself just by drawing a plain,ordinary soccer ball with the hexagonal shapes in it and coloring the whole thing yellowish white as if it was illuminated from the inside.

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