Date: 18th Dec. Time : between 06:34 and 06:45 +/-
Location : On Kilnshaw Lane, HX76JJ, between Mitton Farm and Kershaw Farm. Hebden Bridge. I was walking my dogs for their earlier morning toilet. I live on high on the Pennines in a fairly remote moorland position with very low light pollution.
Weather : Well below freezing. No wind. It was dark with most stars clearly visible, although there were a few small hazy patches in the sky which indicated thin high cloud. These conditions continued into day light.
Preceding events . I set out from the house to walk the dogs for their early morning toilet, about 06: 20. I walked south along our unlit track. I was admiring the starry sky. I watched a large jet at high altitude come out of the west. It just had its navigation lights on, no strobes. Given the early time I speculated where it was coming from and destination. I speculated at least the southern US and Copenhagen or Berlin, track not right for Amsterdam. I ambled for about 10 minutes. Spotted 2 meteorites. Then started to walk back north to home. I watched a satellite. (Given what happened next, latter that day I checked on my computer app Stellarium and I am pretty sure the satellite was Comos 1975, which would but the time at 06:34 to 06:35.) The satellite had passed and I was stood still dealing with the dogs.
Description of Event. I was not looking at the sky but I thought there had been a prolonged flash of light. It actually lit the ground round me and I saw this rather than a flash in the sky. I was not sure it had happen but it happened again about 30 seconds later. This time I pretty sure the prolonged flash was from a particular area of the sky.
I stood and watched. I was pretty sure that I could see a small light moving in a wobbling type manner away from the region I suspected the flash was from. It had a luminosity slightly less than the satellite I had been watching. I got the impression that it was much higher than the satellite. Soon this small light faded away, but there was a impression of a residual small thin red line. This red line could be followed for a couple of seconds before it went away, not a fade.
I watched the region and after about 30 to 60 seconds there was an absolutely clear round brilliant white light. It lasted maybe 2 or 3 times longer than a camera flash going off. It was close to or maybe just more than a single second. It was easily big enough to determine that it was a round shape rather than just a point of light. It was quite clearly intense white. Its size was similar to a large aircraft landing light. (I am completely familiar with aircraft landing lights as I see them almost every day as we are under Manchester airport’s holding patten.)
After 30/60 seconds there was another flash. The cessation of the flash was a quite clear sharp end, rather than a fade. This time there was quite clearly a small white light, as above, remaining when the main light went out. It again sort of wobbled about a bit but the drift was between 5 and 8 o clock relative to the main round light. This smaller light faded out before the next flash.
I watched this sequence repeat about 6 more times. The timing between flashes seemed to increase to 45/60 secs. Sometimes before the next flash, the smaller light would have faded out, but sometimes was still visible when it was joined by a new small light. For a brief time there seemed a thin red line, consisting of 3 or 4 very small red dots which appeared as the small whitish light faded. The smaller lights after a few seconds wobbling all seemed to depart the area heading roughly East, before quickly being lost to view.
I am not sure if the event had finished completely before I moved off. One of the dogs was starting to object to just sitting on the ice and was starting to bark. I got back into the kitchen at 06:54. I know this as my son and his partner were supposed to get the 06:59 train but were still getting ready to go as I checked the time.
Impression of event: It would be false and disingenuous of me to pretended that I had not watched Si-Fi movies and alien programs in the past. Even after reporting what I saw last November, I was sceptical about an extra-terrestrial element. Above I have tried to provide a factual description. I now will try and provide more of an interpretative account.
The 1st aspect is I became aware of the flashes, not because I was looking in their direction, I was not even looking up at the time as I was scooping some dog poo The flash was bright enough to see on the ground!
What I saw was 8 or 9 large round flashes of white light, between 30 and 60 seconds apart. After every flash, it seemed that a small object had actually been ejected out of this light. The smaller light/object was not as bright or white as the main flash. It seemed the small light/objects came out of the hole or even a door (?) that was the brilliant white flash. They then wobbled about a bit before becoming momentarily static. It seemed they were trying to gain control. It was almost like a missile being fired out of its launch canister before the main engine fires and the missile then accelerates away, but in this case the object was initially decelerating. They then seemed to ascend a little before all seeming to heading off in an Easterly direction. The small objects were NOT reflecting light from the main flash because they mostly emitted light long after a flash had gone. As the small whitish light faded out a line of 3 or 4 very small red dots could sometimes be seen. Spotting this red line seemed to depend on the angle that it was being observed at.
As I have said I later checked on Stellarium not just for the satellite but also to place the flashes. From the end star of the Plough’s handle, which is Alkaid, draw a line to SE to Arcturus. The flashes were located between Arcturus and Izar/Boo. I think. I am not sure if I could see Jupiter and Mars, which are close to this region as there is a hill.
Deciding Factor: As I said, when I returned to my kitchen, my son and his partner were still there. As I was taking my coat off I jokingly said to them I had been watching some UFO’s. I now want to be clear here. Lucy, my son’s partner, who is a school teacher, then said, “ What, those lights?” I astonished. I said did you see them. She said “Yes, about half a dozen flashes”. I said you could actually see them? She said “Yes, at first I thought it was you shinning your touch at the house”. ( I carried a million watt lamp with me when out with the dogs.) I again asked “Could you really see them.“ Again she said “ Yes absolutely clearly”. Now here is the thing, Lucy had seen the light flashes while she was in the back bathroom. The window is all frosted glass. She saw the flashes though the frosted glass! She was absolutely clear on what see had seen and she volunteered her observation before I had mentioned ANY detail.
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So, I am reporting that I observed the events described above and they were also observed independently by my son’s partner. This is not just one flashing light.
I would be really interested if any body else saw this event.
