Alternate Perceptions Magazine, January 2021
Update From the Field 12142021
by: Daniel Erickson
In this article I'll share two sightings; an unexplained object flying over Cloverdale, Alabama and the other an identified object over Faber, Virginia. My goal is to point out that most of what I observe is identified either on the spot or after a few days of research. I realize that you're primarily interested in the unidentified objects but understanding the process of investigating a sighting may give you some additional insight.
Update from the Field 12142021
Sighting at Cloverdale, Alabama
Lat 34.931560 Degrees Lon -87.746112 Degrees Standing along the edge of an open field looking South. The object moved from the North West to the South East at approximately 10 degrees off the horizon.
At approximately 7:14 pm CST on December 14, 2021 I witnessed a bright object in the sky to the right moving slowly just above the treetops. Video was recorded using a cell phone attachment and Gen 3 night vision. The video can be seen at this link: https://youtu.be/y-fccmh3iJU Unlike most of the U.S. the Tennessee valley in early December 2021 was having pleasant weather. It was between two weather systems that a high pressure area came through and we had a few days of clear sky. Several folks attended this sky-watch including Brent and Joan Raynes, Lori Warner, Greg Rowe, Wyatt Cox, Daniel Erickson and Jim Noble.
Photo (L to R) Daniel Erickson, Lori Warner, Greg Rowe, Wyatt Cox December 14, 2021
Below is the detailed account of the object we sighted early in the evening of December 14, 2021.
In this 1 minute and 33 second video linked above we are seeing a small illuminated sphere moving horizontal to the earth just above the treeline. The object moved slowly in a North West to South Easterly direction. The raw footage is about 2 and a half minutes in length. It shows the object much closer for over a minute but it is out of focus so I did not release that part of the video. To protect the privacy of the land owner the exact location of the observation will not be recorded.
Perhaps it is skepticism or just our jaded experience to down play these events as they are happening. All too often we will have an observation only to be able to explain away the sighting after just a bit of research.
In past articles I have mentioned the pervasive thoughts that occupy me during my visits to this site. There is an intense feeling to think nothing important is happening. This is boring. Forget what you see. Apparently I am subject to this phenomena of projection and this last field trip to Cloverdale is an excellent example. I had all but dismissed the sighting we had on the evening of the 14th. I had forgotten this sighting completely by the end of that evening. I then reviewed the footage a few days later and only produced the video out of a request from Wyatt. I was going to just file and ignore it. It has occurred to me though that for several in the group this was probably their first sighting. This thought process to forget happens every time after visiting that site. I typically am unaware that I'm being influenced by this state of mind until a week or so after the event when this fog seems to clear.
I'm making this a point to discuss this because it is a part of the phenomena associated with this area. In fact it is so prevalent that it could be a hypnotic suggestion so strong that most people will report never seeing or having an experience in that area. It might even be the case that I and others in the sky-watch had an encounter but have no memory ques in which to remember that it happened. The best way to overcome this type of hypnosis is to talk about it. Then through association of memories the event becomes clear. A thought such as “Oh yea I saw that and it was nothing.” “I see that all the time” “Anyone can see a UFO!” In other words the event of seeing this phenomena in the sky is so common near that location that no one pays any attention to it.
There was one additional thing to note and that is, based on the trajectory of the illuminated object in the video, the object flew very close to the position where I and the group were sitting for the sky-watch. Had we been further out in the field we may have noticed the object earlier. The fact that the object was within a few hundred feet of us flying above the forest to our right suggests the illumination was either very dim or not visible while at close range. There also was not an apparent noise associated with the object.
The object observed is unidentified at this time. It was not the International Space Station as the direction of movement was opposite to the flight path of the space station. To the best of my ability I've confirmed that what was observed was not an airplane, or a meteor. It is possible it was a satellite but the brightness of the object and the flight path just over the treetops makes that unlikely. A more conclusive observation would be if the object were seen from a closer distance and recorded from multiple angles.
Update from the Field 11172021
Sighting at Robert's Mountain
Location 37 Degrees 51'01.14” N 78 Degrees 50' 55.07” W. elevation 1147' Lat 37.850332 Degrees Lon -78.848615 Degrees Standing between Robert Monroe's Home and the Annex looking Easterly. The object moved from the South to the North at approximately 30 degrees off the horizon.
At approximately 6:34 pm EST on November 17, 2021 I witnessed a bright object in the sky to the right and below Jupiter. The object moves in a slow and steady line from the South to the North. When the object was just under Jupiter I heard Witness 2 exit the Monroe home and walk toward me. I asked Witness 2 to stand next to me and oriented them toward the object. To the left at approximately 10 degrees off the horizon a commercial jet was moving North to East. This craft was easy to identify as the white strobe was clearly visible. I then pointed to Jupiter. Just below Jupiter and of equal size and brightness was another object that was moving slowly to the left. This object was much brighter than the commercial craft. It was also much brighter, in my experience, than a satellite. The bright object moved in a straight line from the right to the left until it was nearly directly to our front as we faced East. At this point the commercial craft appeared to be in line and below the bright object. The bright object then dimmed and went out. It is possible I saw a red afterglow but this also disappeared within a second of the light going out. The length of time the object was visible was about one minute. I did not observe a variation in the brightness as would indicate a meteorite entering the atmosphere. There was no visible trail from the object. The object appeared to move a little faster than a commercial jet.
Below is an image of the night sky on the night of the observations
Below is the ISS location for the days before, during and after the observation. This time chart is for New Orleans which is in the Central Time Zone. So the period of the sighting at 6:34 is within the 6 minute window and given it was in the Eastern Time zone it was in the right place at the right time. On the 17th of November the ISS was in the area at 6:34. Also the direction it traveled South to North was the same as the bright object.
The object did move from right to left. When I came out to view it, it was as bright as Jupiter and to the left of Jupiter. It continued to move right to left. My perception was that, rather than itself dimming, it was moving out of range of our view (i.e., maybe behind a cloud or maybe just out of range of our view).
Conclusion
The object observed is identified as the International Space Station. To the best of my ability I've confirmed that what was observed was not a plane, or a meteor. It is possible it was a satellite but the brightness of the object makes that unlikely. Keep in mind we saw the object under full moon light with no fading in brightness. The highest probability is it was the International Space Station. The research tools I use include:
Google Earth,
Stellarium, https://stellarium-web.org/ Spot the space station a NASA web, https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/index.cfm The WayBack Machine for archived web pages. https://web.archive.org/