Sphere over White Sands National Monument, NM

The report, as filed

I was at an event at White Sands National Monument with roughly 100 people. It was a clear night with few clouds and a bright half moon. At approximately 9 pm we saw a slow moving aircraft with bright lights surrounded in a hazy cloud. It was roughly at the same altitude as a helicopter, but it was not a helicopter. It was traveling SE to NW. As it passed by us, it was hard to see the shape because it was so bright and hazy but it appeared to be a sphere. No wings and no sound. We continued watching as it passed by and noticed a more dense cloud beginning to envelope it. Then the light disappeared and the cloud hung around for about 30 more seconds before dissolving. The craft was abruptly gone. I guesstimate we watched it for maybe 4- 5 minutes and figure during that time, it covered about 30-40 miles. It did not reach to horizon line when it disappeared. Several people took photos and videos but I haven’t located any yet. The photo I include is one taken in Las Cruces about 15 minutes before we saw it. There was also a FB where someone in El Paso saw it before we did. Interestingly enough, it crossed restricted airspace. It crossed White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base. There were no other flying craft in the area. A very calm and still night which is why we noticed no sound coming from the craft.

Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #177815). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.