2020 July 23, British Columbia, MA1 323
This case was given to me first hand by a good friend and co-worker that I’ve known since college.
“Last night at approximately midnight, at Piper's Lagoon beach, in Nanaimo BC, sitting on a log, facing east, over the water. Had been stargazing, eyes were well-adjusted to the darkness. In the previous 10 or so minutes, had seen:
-2 shooting stars
-1 helicopter passing by over the water
-1 seaplane flying directly overhead, north-south
-1 satellite pass by in the sky
No street lamps, house lights or any other light pollution. Only manmade lights were the two lighthouse beacons on the islands out to sea, one green, one white. Very regular pattern, had become totally accustomed to their movements/appearance.
Suddenly, seeming to pop into existence out of the blackness out over the water, I saw a pure white light appear, looking like a compass rose (two Xs tilted 45 degrees off-axis, to make an 8 pointed star, the 4 cardinal points brighter than the 4 off-axis ones). It came closer towards the beach/bay area, to the point where I thought it was going to crash into the water in front of me. At this point I said, out loud, "UHHHHHHHHHH" as I looked around for Annelise / anyone else, but there was no one else around, and Annelise was off on the other side of the lagoon, facing west, still trying to take pictures of the comet in that part of the sky.
I debated getting my phone out, but felt like there was no point, as it was way too dark out, and also felt like I'd miss what was happening in front of me by trying to get the phone out, open the camera, etc. It felt more important to just watch what was happening. The star object came closer and closer, to where my heart was racing and expecting some kind of impact was imminent, but it was also completely silent. There had been no noise when it popped into sight, nor was there any now. The only sound was the gentle crashing of the waves on the beach. After drawing steadily nearer, the star object started to change color, turning red, then a rusty orange, and at this point started to move east, away from the beach and out over the sea. I saw it moving in such a way that no plane/chopper ever could, nor could a falling object like a meteorite, satellite, fuselage, etc. It sort of surfed around the sky, like it was riding the wind or an invisible current. I watched it "surf" out east, over the water, until it became too faint to see.
I have no idea what this was, but it was definitely not a chopper, a plane, a shooting star, a passing satellite, the planet Venus or a lighthouse. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and for these reasons I feel it merits the description "Unidentified Flying (or Floating, or Falling) Object". I have no particular investment in it being any one thing or another, all I know is what it wasn't.”
“Last night at approximately midnight, at Piper's Lagoon beach, in Nanaimo BC, sitting on a log, facing east, over the water. Had been stargazing, eyes were well-adjusted to the darkness. In the previous 10 or so minutes, had seen:
-2 shooting stars
-1 helicopter passing by over the water
-1 seaplane flying directly overhead, north-south
-1 satellite pass by in the sky
No street lamps, house lights or any other light pollution. Only manmade lights were the two lighthouse beacons on the islands out to sea, one green, one white. Very regular pattern, had become totally accustomed to their movements/appearance.
Suddenly, seeming to pop into existence out of the blackness out over the water, I saw a pure white light appear, looking like a compass rose (two Xs tilted 45 degrees off-axis, to make an 8 pointed star, the 4 cardinal points brighter than the 4 off-axis ones). It came closer towards the beach/bay area, to the point where I thought it was going to crash into the water in front of me. At this point I said, out loud, "UHHHHHHHHHH" as I looked around for Annelise / anyone else, but there was no one else around, and Annelise was off on the other side of the lagoon, facing west, still trying to take pictures of the comet in that part of the sky.
I debated getting my phone out, but felt like there was no point, as it was way too dark out, and also felt like I'd miss what was happening in front of me by trying to get the phone out, open the camera, etc. It felt more important to just watch what was happening. The star object came closer and closer, to where my heart was racing and expecting some kind of impact was imminent, but it was also completely silent. There had been no noise when it popped into sight, nor was there any now. The only sound was the gentle crashing of the waves on the beach. After drawing steadily nearer, the star object started to change color, turning red, then a rusty orange, and at this point started to move east, away from the beach and out over the sea. I saw it moving in such a way that no plane/chopper ever could, nor could a falling object like a meteorite, satellite, fuselage, etc. It sort of surfed around the sky, like it was riding the wind or an invisible current. I watched it "surf" out east, over the water, until it became too faint to see.
I have no idea what this was, but it was definitely not a chopper, a plane, a shooting star, a passing satellite, the planet Venus or a lighthouse. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and for these reasons I feel it merits the description "Unidentified Flying (or Floating, or Falling) Object". I have no particular investment in it being any one thing or another, all I know is what it wasn't.”