July, August 1996 UFO Investigation Reports

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Type of Report: Maneuver of the 1st kind (MA1), Nocturnal Light (NL)
Date of Report: 01 Sep, 1996
Date of Sighting: 08 Aug, 1996
Place of Sighting: Lino Lakes, MN
Local Evaluation: Possible Unexplained, Significance: Ordinary
From: Craig R. Lang, Field Investigator

Sighting Background:
The witness is a member of MN MUFON, who I know from his interest in UFO
field investigation. He sent this report in by electronic mail to the
proprietor of the MN MUFON internet world-wide-web site. The report
contained the description of the event detailed in this report. I filled
out Form-1 from his e-mail description, then interviewed him over the
telephone to confirm and followup on the remaining details.

Sighting Account:
It was an absolutely clear August Night, at approximate time of 23:30 CDT.
The witness (age 37) was star gazing at his home in Lino Lakes, MN. He
noticed a group of moving starlike lights travelling in a right triangle
formation approximately from North-West to South-East. The objects caught
his attention due to their similarity to satellites, except that they were
travelling in formation - something not expected of satellites. The witness
estimated the brightness of each light at approximately second magnitude.

He indicated that these lights did not appear attached to a structure.
Stars were clearly visible as the formation passed over them. Thus these
were presumably three independent starlike objects.

The lights were first noticed in the constellation of Draco, in the
North-West. They passed approximately through the zenith, remaining
approximately constant in brightness and travelling in a straight path. The
path continued into Capricorn in the SE, where they faded disappearing
rapidly from view.

The witness estimated the entire time of travel to be about two minutes.

Witness Description:
The witness is a computer programmer, age 37. He has a bachelors degree in
Physics. He has interests in astronomy and other scientific subjects -
including UFOs. He is a member of Minnesota MUFON and is interested in
becoming a field investigator. He has had no other sightings.

He describes his health as good, with no hearing impairments and vision
correctable to 20/20 with eyeglasses.

Additional Witnesses: None

Natural and Manmade Phenomena Check:
The north-south nature of the objects' path suggests that they might have
been military satellites. Their appearance in formation is either quite
coincidental, or is indicative of objects other than satellites, however.

Other Possibilities:
Possible high altitude aircraft flying in formation. However, the lack of
any blinking lights would argue against this explanation. Also, there was
no noise associated with the objects - although this could have been due to
possible high altitude of the objects, coupled with upper air winds
unfavorable for conduction of sound to the location of the witness.

Sighting Evaluation:
NL/MA1 - Possible Unexplained.
A possible "IFO" explanation is given above. However, several potential
arguments against this explanation are also as described above. Thus the
sighting must be classified as "Possible Unexplained". This sighting is
considered to be of ordinary significance.

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Type of Report: Flyby of the 1st kind (FB1), Daylight Disk (DD)
Date of Report: 31 Aug, 1996
Date of Sighting: 05 July, 1996
Place of Sighting: Mounds View, MN
Local Evaluation: Possible Unexplained, Significance: Ordinary
From: Craig R. Lang, Field Investigator

Sighting Background
The witness is a member of MN MUFON, who I know from his interest in UFO
field investigation. He sent this report in by electronic mail to the
proprietor of the MN MUFON internet world-wide-web site. The report
contained the description of the event detailed in this report. I filled
out form 1 from his e-mail description, then interviewed him over the
telephone to confirm and followup on remaining details.

Sighting Account
At approximate time of 15:10 CDT. The witness (age 32) was on a break from
work. It was a nice day so she stepped outside to bird-watch for a few
minutes. While doing so, she noticed an unusual object in the
East-South-Eastern sky at an elevation of about 45 degrees. The object
appeared distant, but to her it clearly appeared spherical. She first
thought that the object was a balloon (due to the spherical shape). The
object was travelling too fast for a balloon, so she then thought that it
was probably an airplane. However as she watched, it retained its spherical
shape.

She observed the object about 45 degrees above the horizon. It traveled in
a north-westerly direction, passing to the North of her at an elevation of
about 60 degrees. It passed to the northwest and was lost to view about 50
degrees above the NW horizon . (CL Note: It is not clear whether or not the
object was travelling in a straight line path).

The witness described the object as being a silvery/metallic sphere, with
no apparent features. She estimated the size of the object at about a
nickel at arm's length. The object appeared to retain its spherical shape
and to remain the same absolute size during the entire time. The entire
time of travel was estimated to be about two minutes.

Witness Description:
The witness works on second shift as a manufacturing team member, 32. She
has a high school and a partial college education. She is a member of
Minnesota MUFON and is interested in becoming a field investigator. She has
worked with me on past sighting cases and is an excellent observer. She he
has had two other sightings, one in the recent past (a NL/MA1) and an arial
anomaly sighting at age 12. Neither of these sightings are yet reported.
She describes her health as good, with no hearing impairments and
farsighted (20/10) vision.

Additional Witnesses: None

Natural and Manmade Phenomena Check:
There is the possibility that this could have been either an airplane or a
balloon. However the witness described the object as looking unlike either
of these. The speed of travel would argue against a balloon, while the
spherical shape argues against an airplane.

Sighting Evaluation:
NL/FB1 - Possible Unexplained.
A possible "IFO" explanation is given above. However, several potential
arguments against this explanation are also as described above. Thus the
sighting must be classified as "Possible Unexplained". This sighting is
considered to be of ordinary significance.

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This html was written by Joel Henry. (c) Copyrights to above content, 1996,
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