Sphere over Rock Island, IL
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
The sky was clear and the objects at times appeared to rotate slowly.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center. Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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For a dated, located U.S. sighting, FAA radar data and ATC communications are the records most likely to exist. Through Aletheca, the house instrument, anyone can commission the request — filed, chased, and published in the open, refusals included. The draft goes over already written: the records sought, and the date window they would live in.
Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2004-10-07 → 2004-10-24
From the same sky
Related entries
July 3, 2022 · 1:45 PM · CHEVRON
Rock Island, IL
While watching a little league game at location, my eyes caught glint of sun or flash from an object in sky at 1:45pm. As I watched it move in place, looked like a white or silver bar/cylinder and was near due south. There was not much movement, but the object did change its aspect to my eye (glint/flash, then I could see some movement). After it disappeared, I remained in same spot watching game. Object reappeared at 1:50pm, I called wife and others to look but they couldn't pick it out. Each sighting was 5 seconds duration, object did not reappear the rest of the day. Sky angle was approx 45 degrees midway between horizon and zenith. Reference point was ball diamond backstop, and neither it or myself moved. Estimate the object was miles away and could have been a few thousand feet up (no clouds for reference). Conditions: 85 degrees with a cloudless sky, object was far enough from sun that I did not need to shield eyes to observe. Wind approx 12-15 mph from S or SE. Someone suggested pelican or raptor riding thermals. Intensity of flash/glint was more intense than what would be possible with a pelican's white wing tips. Escaped birthday balloon? How could it have stayed in same location given wind speed. Quad Cities airport was near, but flights observed during the day used east - west approaches. No jet landed within minutes after the sighting, esp from that direction. I am 62, an amateur astronomer, trained SkyWarn spotter, and eBird regular contributor. I see small flocks of pelicans all the time around my home.
March 28, 2020 · 8:30 AM · LIGHT
Rock Island, IL
You can still see him now they're still coming if you look up at the Moon until the right it looks like Venus it's the brightest light in the sky the right underneath that these lights are manifesting one after another and they're flying to the right up into outer space and it's been going on for about an hour now. They're flying slow now but they were going faster and zigzagging I saw one stop and switch directions.
August 3, 2019 · 6:10 AM · CYLINDER
Rock Island, IL
Saw something barrel shaped and white up high (went in and out of clouds), looked like an oil drum on it's side, no visible lights, no sound, no vapor trail. Went from NE to SW. Was about the size of a pencil eraser held at arms length.
July 8, 2018 · 8:41 PM · LIGHT
Rock Island, IL
Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
April 19, 2016 · 1:30 PM · UNKNOWN
Rock Island, IL
Large black object with smaller black sphere trailing at about 25 yards passed over my house. At first thought it was a mother bird teaching a baby to fly. As it got closer I noticed no flapping movement and it was moving way to fast and not making any noise. It was shaped like the batman symbol for lack of anything to describe it to. My wife and daughter also saw it. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
July 20, 2005 · 10:00 AM · LIGHT
Rock Island, IL
The object appeared out of nowhere, flew in a straight line, got real bright, and faded away four nights in a row.