Other over Silver City, NM

The report, as filed

Sighting began with two lights flashing, similar to commercial aircraft lights in size and brightness but not in that kind of repeating pattern. One light was brighter than other as if facing opposite, then a large light came on between the other strobe type lights, dim then brighter in a matter of seconds and seemed to illuminate bottom of large ship ... wish I had another way to describe it but honestly similar to what we have seen in Star Trek stuff. Big light went off and smaller lights came on, as noted, inconsistent flashing so not same as commercial plane. Big light came on again, several times, illuminating underside of large ship or craft. This was at high elevation, guessing edge of atmosphere because many commercial planes fly thru that space of sky, guessing Phoenix to Chicago route, and this was higher than those flights, which occur dozens per night and I have watched them 100s of times over 10 years now from a clear sky area out in desert near City of Rocks State Park. The only portion of sky where these lights were seen was about the distance of sky that is relative to little finger tip to thumb tip when holding hand out at arms length towards the sky, almost vertical. I thought perhaps a hot air ballon but why did it turn lights on and then off especially when near an area of heavy commercial traffic as well as the Grant County Airport, and I say hot air balloon because of the speed being much slower than the many, many commercial airlines flights I have seen through that area of sky, so I have much to compare these lights to and they were absolutely not ordinary air traffic. I am a Mechanical Engineer, raised in a farming and logging family that was basically Amish. Witness indicates that the date of the event is approximate. PD

Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #138359). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.