[Archived] Lights In The Sky Over Blackburn

[den]

Lights in the sky over Leyland.

Sound anything like the things you saw Cletus?

[snatchymcsnatch]

This stuff really interests me and I think I might be able to shed a bit of light on this one (no pun intended) - I do believe there are genuine UFO's out and about but the majority can be explained and I can take a good shot at this one...

A few years ago I saw something very similar (albeit only one light). There was no noise, just a bright light moving steadily accross the sky - I watched it for about 20 minutes and it had a yellowish glow, like fire but not flickering. Again the sky was overcast and it was flying below the cloud cover not making any noise. I knew it wasn't a plane, or a helipcopter (judging by the absence of noise and no flashing navigation lights).

Sad though this is - having nothing better to do having just finished work on a dark night my curiosity got the better of me as I was completely baffled as to what it was so instead of going home I started driving towards it in the hope I could get a closer look - it wasn't really changing direction so off I set.

I kept looking towards it as I was driving and it was just moving steadily across the sky and although I felt like I was closer a slightly better vantage point I STILL couldn't figure it, no flashing lights,no noise, just a yellow glowing light much larger than any plane light.

Well I'd probably driven about 20 miles (although about 10 as the crow flies) - I got to a point where I could see the light was now bigger so I pulled over - straining my eyes I then saw it....

Hot Air Balloon.

Seriously, these things look weird (and exactly how you describe them) when they are taking off at night, especially from a distance - you can't differentiate the balloon and the basket, all you see is a yellow glow.

Bright light bigger than a plane - tick

Flying below the cloud cover - tick (they wouldn't fly into clouds)

No Noise - tick (because they are a good few miles away)

Yellowish glow - tick

moving steadily - tick

all coming from the same point in the sky - tick

and I think what swung it for me:

It looks like the time of your sighting coincided thereabouts with the Burnley Balloon festival - roughly 10 miles away.

I think you saw 14 dingle hot air balloons taking off in the distance. It's easy to think the lights are closer as it's near impossible to percieve the distance of something in the air at night. Either that or they were coming to have a look at what a real football ground looks like.

It's either that or Aliens, althought quite what an alien would be doing flying a balloon around Burnley is anybody's guess, perhaps they were dropping off some abductees in Burnley -

"Nope - Not a brain cell between this lot Zarg, these "humans" weren't all they cracked up to be after all..."

[thenodrog]

If some aliens have navigated gazillions of miles to get here through the darkness of outer space then why do they need to put headlights on here just cos it's night time?

[adopted scouser]

Apparently on Beta 9 in sector 12 the locals have heard we've signed Salgado

[cletus]

Lights in the sky over Leyland.

Sound anything like the things you saw Cletus?

The article is a bit vague, but i think i have seen the video on the internet.

Many many similar sightings to what we saw have been reported all over the uk in recent weeks.

I`m still not saying they were anything from out of this world, but they didn`t have conventional aircraft lights/flashing beacons, they weren`t helicopters or chinese lanterns.

snatchymcsnatch.....

"Hot Air Balloon.

Seriously, these things look weird (and exactly how you describe them) when they are taking off at night, especially from a distance - you can't differentiate the balloon and the basket, all you see is a yellow glow.

Bright light bigger than a plane - tick

Flying below the cloud cover - tick (they wouldn't fly into clouds)

No Noise - tick (because they are a good few miles away)

Yellowish glow - tick

moving steadily - tick

all coming from the same point in the sky - tick

and I think what swung it for me:

It looks like the time of your sighting coincided thereabouts with the Burnley Balloon festival - roughly 10 miles away."

Believe it or not, i`ve seen hot air balloons before. I`ve even seen one crashing up Audley Range.

The 14 objects we saw were not hot air balloons, they were some sort of powered controlled craft.

Hot air balloons don`t cross from horizon to horizon in a minute & half........tick

Hot air balloons do actually make noise (when they burn the gas)....they can be quite noisey......tick

Hot air balloons glow brighter & dimmer as they use their burners........tick

.....& they didn`t come from the Burnley area........tick

[den]

So you don't think they were hot air balloons then Cletus?

[Paul]

If some aliens have navigated gazillions of miles to get here through the darkness of outer space then why do they need to put headlights on here just cos it's night time?

very good

[Billy Castell]

If some aliens have navigated gazillions of miles to get here through the darkness of outer space then why do they need to put headlights on here just cos it's night time?

So they don't get stopped by the police and get a fine and/or points on their licence. Imagine how frustrating it would be after such a long journey.

[LeChuck]

Saw plenty of these Chinese lanterns at Green Man festival this weekend and I can see how people could think they were aircraft.

I kept forgetting what they were and shouting "Wow, look at that!" before being reminded (again) what they actually were. I'd had a few, mind; they might not be as deceptive sober.

[philipl]

Saw circles and squiggles in the sky when having my fish and chips at Seniors at Normoss.

[Beta Ray Bill]

These aliens are obviously on UK tour.

Geordie UFOs

[Tom]

Have you considered they could have been chinese lanterns Cletus

[cletus]

Have you considered they could have been chinese lanterns Cletus

Hmmmm? Now you say it.......

[cletus]

My sister & partner saw a 'large orange ball' speed across the sky lastnight (christmas night)

They said it was moving at a rate of knots. She mentioned what they`d seen at work today & somebody else said they`s seen the same thing.

[Beta Ray Bill]

My sister & partner saw a 'large orange ball' speed across the sky lastnight (christmas night)

They said it was moving at a rate of knots. She mentioned what they`d seen at work today & somebody else said they`s seen the same thing.

"my sister & partner" - you from Burnley?

Seriously, there was a spate of satsuma throwing in East Lancs this week.

[Tom]

My sister & partner saw a 'large orange ball' speed across the sky lastnight (christmas night)

They said it was moving at a rate of knots. She mentioned what they`d seen at work today & somebody else said they`s seen the same thing.

Chinese lantern most likely, for real this time, lots of people were setting them off on Christmas Day