Flash over Colorado Springs, CO
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
Having used my small flashlight and having identified no immediate danger I cautiously started walking towards my car when, out the corner of my eye and to the right, I picked up something that looked like bright lights or a fire towards the southwest area of town near Fort Carson and/or Cheyenne Mountain AFB. Turning my head to get a better look I saw what appeared to be a bright string of amber colored flare like lights that at times appeared connected and at times with gaps between them. At first I thought they may have been aerial flares or illumination rounds fired from the artillery ranges at Fort Carson. However, I quickly determined that they were not acting like flares and too high to be ‘Illum’ rounds. In fact, they appeared to flicker in and out by disappearing and reappearing for lack of a better explanation. As I looked harder, it appeared that these lights were above the flashing antenna lights on the very top of Cheyenne Mountain. I could not quite put together in my head what I was actually seeing and could not fully determine if the object was actually one or many items and if it was moving or spinning (from possibly right to left) or if there was an illusion of movement due to its flickering nature. Suddenly after about a minute or less of this, the object or objects suddenly disappeared and did not come back. I saw one of my coworkers getting into her car nearby and I yelled out if she just saw that to which she replied she did and made some half joking comment about a flying saucer. My whole drive home, which was 12 miles in a southerly direction down Powers Blvd, I made sure to keepe an eye out on the sky, however, I never saw them again. At around 20:55 hours, from home, I called a local new station’s news desk, KKTV I believe, and spoke with someone named Tony and asked him if anyone had called in reporting a string of amber colored lights in the sky. He immediately became excited at stated I was the first report from Colorado Springs and that he has been getting reports of such a thing for the past hour from Pueblo which is just south of Colorado Springs. He even volunteered that he was going to call NORAD and ask them if anything was going on and that someone had even sent video which he intended to put on the station’s Facebook page. As of the following morning, there were no news reports or video. I talked to my coworker and she stated that she saw the same thing I did and added that the incident seemed to cause the antenna lights on top of Cheyenne Mountain to flicker on and off, something I did not, myself, seem to pick up on. I am a veteran of the US Army and former law enforcement. I have seen numerous aircraft and aerial flares over the years and can positively state I have never seen anything quite like this. However, I am open to the possibility that this sighting could be due to military aircraft and/or flares. The lights were bright and amber colored, much larger than stars but smaller, although brighter, than the moon. There was a slight wind where I was at but I do not know what the weather was like in the area where the lights were. Postscript: I have waited over a year to post this and was on the fence, so to speak, about doing it at all for reasons personal to me. However, 3 recent Joe Rogan podcasts have changed my mind.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #149587). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2018-02-10 → 2018-02-27
From the same sky
Related entries
November 3, 2023 · 11:12 AM · SPHERE
Colorado Springs, CO
We stepped outside to look for a plane that just flew overhead to get a closer look, when my partner pointed at something else. In the distance, higher up in the sky away from this plane was what looked like a red flashing light over the military base but way up. I considered for a moment that it could be a hot air balloon spinning and catching the sun and flashing when the fire flashed, but it was moving way too fast to be a hot air balloon. It did look about the shape of a hot air balloon and even between flashes it appeared red but it had way too much altitude and was traveling too quickly. Then it changed directions, more than once over the course of several minutes, continuing to intermittently flash a bright red light. My partner says he could see almost a red trail when the red flashes ocurred. The air around the object as well appeared slightly distorted, like when you see heat waves coming off a vehicle during the summer and it distorts the look of the air near it. My partner says he saw what he thinks a sonic boom would do to the air. It grew further away until finally clouds were in the way and we could no longer see it. Now we are watching a bunch of airplanes leave trails that are becoming long clouds and covering this previously beautiful clear blue sky.
October 30, 2023 · 7:30 PM · SPHERE
Colorado Springs, CO
Myself, my husband, and a friend saw a hazy light moving through the sky at high speed. It started mid sky moving toward the horizon. The light at its core appeared to turn occasionally but the haziness around it never faded. At about 25 degrees in the sky, it released a puff smoke but in front of it, not behind it. The puff of smoke turned into a massive smoke ring which it then proceeded to move through. Near the horizon, maybe 10 degrees it completely disappeared. It didn't fade out, was just gone. It was one light, white, with a bright light at the center. The stars were perfectly clear which is why the hazy light stood out. Planes and satellites were also viewable and perfectly clear. I've attached a video and you can even see the stars and the difference. My husband unfortunately stopped recording right before it released the smoke. [NUFORC annotation: Rocket - Probable]
September 5, 2023 · 4:38 AM · CIRCLE
Colorado Springs, CO
moved very fast made zero sound was going north to south
September 1, 2023 · 8:30 AM · LIGHT
Colorado Springs, CO
There was an object south west of the sun shining just as bright, that almost looked like a star. It was reflecting the sun and I saw it transport across the sky to other locations as if it teleported rather than flew. It was at airplane height, and as two planes appeared to come down for landing (there’s an airport near by), the object seemed to disappear without ever flying away. I watched it in the sky for about 10 minutes.
August 28, 2023 · 8:31 PM · SPHERE
Colorado Springs, CO
This happened several times during my dog walk. It was cloudy and lightning out but each time I would take my phone out- would disappear [NUFORC annotation: Searchlight - Certain]
August 27, 2023 · 3:30 AM · OTHER
Colorado Springs, CO
On the weekends I tend to bike at night between, I start my ride around midnight. Between 0230 and 0400, I was startled by a very bright green fireball, at first, I assumed it was a flair from a military aircraft. But upon wider observation of the sky, no aircraft within the vicinity. Also, the intensity and duration of the light was not consistent with an aircraft flare or firework. I could not hear it. I was wearing headphones. My assumption at the time was that it was some kind of meteor burning up in the atmosphere with some kind of core when heated, produce a bright green light. Shooting star activity that night was on the higher side as well. The only reason I’m reporting this is because I read on the news that several people have said that they spot similar event. So hopefully my information helps to give some clarification. The event was spectacular.