The catalog
Sightings
Witness reports, held as-reported. Each entry keeps its source, its coordinates where the record has them, and its place in the larger pattern.
3,270 entries
July 4, 2014 · 9:45 PM · CIRCLE
Holden Beach, NC
While we were watching 4th of July fireworks we saw 3 orange circles in a triangular formation move away from the fireworks into the northern sky. The lights moved in the same formation for approximately 2 minutes, then began to break formation and were joined by 2 additional orange circles. The group of 5 moved together, slowly, for another minute or so before disappearing.
July 4, 2014 · 9:30 PM · FIREBALL
Wilmington, NC
I observed a cluster of approxmitely 5 to 6 orange fireballs flying to the east and heading northeast appearing to parallel the coast. They were far enough away that they would have been over the ocean from this direction. This occurred at approxmitely 9:30 PM. This was the 4th of July and there were fireworks in the area; however, these were extrodinarly high. It would have been higher than most airliners fly. I live very close to the northeast corridor that the airlines and military use frequently. I am very familar with sky watching and frequently use a telescope. These fireballs moved much faster than any known man-made aircraft, but slower than a metoer. They disappeared after about 20 to 30 seconds and were totally different from anything I have ever observed. These were not fireworks or meteors. These were the fireballs that everyone seems to be seeing along the east coast.
July 4, 2014 · 9:00 PM · DISK
Charlotte, NC
I witnessed the object approaching from the north heading south. At first it appeared to be some sort of orange light in the distance as it grew closer I saw it shift from side to side slightly, once I realized it wasn't an airplane I yelled to my wife to direct her attention to the light. As it passed us overhead we could make out the round disk shape and the light was moving around the outer rim of the disk, but not completely around. It would start moving one way and the reverse direction, once it passed it started to fade until it was no longer visible. There was another guy that came up to us and asked if we were looking at light in the sky and said he thought he was the only one to see it.
July 4, 2014 · 3:30 PM · CIRCLE
Banner Elk, NC
I was coming down the chair lift at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4th. (The ski resort had opened its lifts to take visitors and mountain bikers to the top of the mountain and back down). The lift operators were spacing passengers out so my wife and daughter were several chairs in front and there wasn’t anyone behind me. I yelled to attract attention but no one was close enough to hear. Coming down from the top I saw a white ball or perfect circle moving on a straight line from left to right. It was difficult to tell the object’s height or size based on my perspective, but it appeared to about 6-feet across, perfectly round, and white and perhaps 50 to 100 feet above the trees on top of 5,236-foot mountain. This would be only a few hundred feet above the ground. It was a windy day and at first I thought it was some weather balloon broken loose but the wind was in my face and the object was moving left to right on a perfectly straight line at a constant speed---too fast for a bird, too slow for an airplane. It took about 30 seconds for the object to cross my limited field of vision as I descended to the base of the ski run. It seem to go into a cloud or perhaps was becoming smaller in the distance just as the tree line blocked my vision. I did not hear any reports of anyone else seeing it.
July 1, 2014 · 9:30 PM · LIGHT
Charlotte, NC
Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
July 1, 2014 · 9:15 AM · CIRCLE
Fayettieville, NC
Transparent huge Big flashing different color lights all around one min you could see it next it was transparent no sound I walked up too it and a bight light came down on me I felt stuck for few min then the light went back and it was a little dot in the distance it came from 3 stars first there was one then two then 3 Stars when they came together it came straight to me a day later I saw 3 huge arrows flashing red going down. This all happened not from this world .in 2019 I was in the hospital and mental health man came to me and ask so quote so u didn’t see a light I was scared there were going to lock me up for what I saw but I saw what I saw this is the truth thank u for your time
June 30, 2014 · 4:45 PM · CIRCLE
Oak Island, NC
One separate orange light moving across sky directly overhead.No sound could be heard coming from objects. Traveled approximately 5 miles in 30 seconds. Saw 2 more objects together 20 minutes later same description as above.
June 26, 2014 · 11:25 PM · LIGHT
Nags Head, NC
I was sitting on the beach, and was looking South towards a pier. A red light, which I thought to be plane, slowly rose from the horizon. The light was constant, and didn't blink. It moved toward a point that was directly above me, yet still very very far away. It did this so quickly that it couldn't have been manmade. The light instantly disappeared, and it was gone. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
June 25, 2014 · 10:30 PM · LIGHT
Oak Island, NC
June 26, 2014 about 10 PM, my son and I were sitting on the balcony at Oak Island, looking out at the ship lights on the horizon waiting to get into The Cape Fear River. We saw an orange light appear. And then 3 more beside that one. S o a total of four lights spaced out horizontally. Then they went out. Then the same thing occurred. I googled UFO sightings, Oak Island and found this site and learned this has happened quite a few times before. Very interesting.
June 25, 2014 · 8:30 AM · TRIANGLE
Avon, NC
Family vacation all looking off top deck of house into ocean towards avon fishing pier. 3 bright lights formed horizontally and the into triangle and then disapeared and reappeared in seperate location and then dissapeared. Moments later air force jets showed up super high did some loops and were gone. Time went by and lights reappeared, 2 this time, for seconds and vanished, 10 minutes later jets came back to snoop around. These lights were large had no sound or object behind them as the sky was not yet dark on their first time around. Totally strange. Obviously the air force were looking for something??? Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
June 23, 2014 · 11:00 PM · CIRCLE
Holden Beach, NC
Line of lights horizontally in the sky. Several appearenances off and on before completely disappearing. Sightings a few minutes apart. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
June 23, 2014 · 10:45 PM · FIREBALL
Leland, NC
2 round orange circles an equal distance apart in the sky parallel to each other. They appeared to be in the direction of Carolina Beach, NC, possibly over the ocean. The first light flashed and slowly faded. The second light flashed and slowly faded. Then the first light flashed and faded again. This all lasted about 1 minute total.
June 20, 2014 · 11:00 PM · SPHERE
Oak Island, NC
This sighting may not technically be classified as "UFO", since the objects were not actually flying, but it came on the heels of (1) a sighting of the typical orange orbs and flashing white lights frequently seen over the ocean, and (2) a sighting of a strange aircraft which I believe was a military drone. I am reporting those sightings separately. On the night of June 20, my husband and I were vacationing with his family at an ocean-front home on Oak Island about 1/2 mile east of Ocean Crest Pier. At about 10:30 a thunderstorm began to roll in, and by about 11:00 the storm was in full force. My husband, his brother, my daughter and I were out on the porch facing the ocean, watching the lightning. My daughter, who is 22 years old, suddenly said "what is THAT?" and pointed to the right (west) toward the beach. We saw a glowing, blue ball. At first we assumed someone was walking on the beach with a light, although it was a torrential downpour and there was lighting flashing every 10 seconds or so. However, when the lightning would flash we could clearly see that the ball was floating in the surf, probably in about 4 feet of water, and it was moving in a straight, steady line up the shore toward the east. Based on its location, it appeared to be at least 2 feet in diameter. We then noticed a glowing red ball following the blue ball by about 200 feet, and following that was a second red ball which also appeared to be about 200 feet behind the first red ball. We stood and watched the balls moving through the surf. They were not being blown or pushed by the waves, and they were not bobbing. The blue ball appeared to the larger than the red balls. They moved in a steady, straight line past our house. My daughter tried to get a video on her phone, but her camera wouldn't focus because of the heavy rainfall. About that time a young woman in the house next door came out onto her porch and saw the balls as well. She asked if we knew what they were, but we could only shake our heads in bewilderment. As we watched, the first red ball suddenly seemed to roll or be blown out of the water and went up into the dune. As soon as that occurred, the other balls seemed to just disappear. The following morning, I walked along the dunes to see if there was any sign of the red ball, but found nothing. I am completely baffled.
June 19, 2014 · 10:00 PM · SPHERE
Carolina Beach, NC
My family and myself are vacationing in a four story condo overlooking the ocean at north Carolina beach. On our third night we were out on the balcony relaxing watching the waves crash on the beach when a strange red orb appeared in the sky over the ocean what appeared to be several miles out when my step son said did you see that I at first replied did you see lighting. He said I dont think so then it appeared again it lingered for several minutes this time and then faded away to reappear again in the same location some times as three light close together. At times there would be up to three groupings of these lights in spread out locations at the same time they would linger for a minute then fade away to reappear in up to five mins latter. We called for the rest of the family to watch. This went on for over an hour with the time in between each appearance getting longer. It was too high in the sky to be from a boat and didn't behave like any aircraft I have ever saw. On the fourth night 06/20/14 around 22:30 we were on the private board walk for the condo we were staying in when we saw the light again this time I pointed it out to a man that was staying next door to us and asked him if he has ever saw that before he said he didn't this time it only appeared around five times in less than thirty minutes. Source of report indicates that the date is approximate. PD
June 19, 2014 · 8:00 PM · CIRCLE
Topsail Island, NC
I was standing on the pier when an object appeared in the sky. I knew it wasn't an airplane by its shape and movement. It had 5-7 orange lights in the shape of a circle that moved forward and disappeared. Then, it appeared again a good ways behind where it had disappeared, moved forward again, and disappeared. I stood on the pier waiting for it to reappear for a while, but it didn't show itself again. I continued to go off the pier and on to the beach where I could play my flute that evening. As I was playing, I looked back at the ocean to see the object again near the same spot. It disappeared as soon as I saw it.
June 18, 2014 · 10:04 PM · OVAL
North Myrtle Beach, NC
10:04 pm June 18, 2014 I was sitting outside my beach front hotel room overlooking the ocean near 2nd street south in North Myrtle Beach. When in front of me was a section in the sky that looked like lights blinking on and off directly out over the ocean. These lights were white lights. There were at least fifteen of them in a large group. I knocked on the door and let the others in the room know what was going on. They came out and saw the event as well. Then within the swarm as I’m going to call it, came these red circular lights that seemed to skip across the sky. The swarm moved slowly up the beach over about a 5 minute interval. Then started moving back down the beach over another 5 minute interval or so. Then as a plane was flying down the coastline above. It moved out to sea, then it moved down the beach and out of our sight. It blinked with those red circles at least fifteen to twenty times over the whole event which lasted at least 25 minutes. I walked out on the beach near the end of the event and another guy asked if I saw the ufo. Him and a girl with him was on the beach watching it as well.
June 18, 2014 · 9:15 PM · CHANGING
Surf City, NC
An object gradually appeared near the horizon in the south. It brightened to an orange glow, then gradually faded. It appeared to be stationary in the sky. A second object appeared on the horizon and faded as the other object did. Then, two objects of a cigar shape, glowing orange appeared higher in the sky and closer to shore. Suddenly, three round objects glowed orange in a line above the two objects. All five objects were glowing orange for about 10 seconds. Then, suddenly, all the objects went dark.
June 18, 2014 · 9:14 PM · TRIANGLE
Verona, NC
At aproximately 21:15, My wife and I were headed east towards highway 17 on high hill road out of Verona, NC, when I saw a singular amber light and thought to myself, "What planet is shining so bright tonight?" It then turned into a tight triangle of 3 lights then left of it the same pattern of lights appeared, and then to the right. Then simultaneously disappeared. It's a clear night. These were NOT military or civilian aircraft, and definitely NOT flares from either aircraft, artillary , or morters. I have spent 15 years on active duty and know my aircraft. This was NOT anything I recognized.
June 18, 2014 · 9:00 PM · LIGHT
Carolina Beach, NC
Bright orange lights over Atlantic Ocean. At first it appeared as one craft, then separated into 6 different orange lights. They slowly appear then disappear. Seem to be traveling all up and down the Pleasure Island Coast. ((ADDENDUM #1 FROM SOURCE OF REPORT)) Hi, I accidentally gave consent to release my Information on your UFO website and couldn't uncheck the box before it continued the page. Could you please remove my information? Thanks ((END ADDENDUM)) ((ADDENDUM #2 FROM SOURCE)) Thank you! I was on my phone and accidentally clicked it. I wasn't sure if it was released or not, because as soon as I posted the report I received a weird phone call. Thank you again though! We were seeing some strange orange lights off the coast of Carolina Beach the past couple of nights and I was reading the similar reports, so I thought I would share mine! ((END ADDENDUM))
June 18, 2014 · 8:00 PM · CROSS
Oak Island, NC
I was outside on the deck of my vacation home on Oak Island. I was watching for more of the same lights I had seen the night before and sure enough I began to see rapidly-blinking white lights and orange orbs. The white lights were moving erratically and seemed to be chasing each other. Then one or two large orange lights would appear and then fade away. The lights were all within 30-40 degrees of the horizon. As I was watching these lights, the next-door neighbor blinded my view with his flood light. As I looked to see what he was doing, he turned it back off and as I turned back toward the ocean I saw a large white light hovering down the beach from me. It seemed to be hovering over the Ocean Crest Pier and the light was just as large and bright as the lights on the pier. I got my binoculars and looked and all I could see was a large, bright white light. Suddenly the white light seemed to fade away and a small red light appeared and began to move south toward the end of the pier. Then the red light faded away and the large white light appeared again and seemed to just be hovering. After a couple minutes I could see that the light had begun to move toward me and there appeared to be a red light on the right and a green light on the left. None of these lights were blinking. By then my mother in law had come outside and watched with me as it glided directly over us. It barely made any sound, only a quiet hum. It was moving somewhat slow and was probably only a few hundred feet in the air. It was headed toward the northeast. At the back of the craft was a fourth light. This one was large and the same orange color as the orbs I had seen earlier over the ocean. The orange light was blinking, but then stopped and remained steady as the craft moved out of sight over the houses.
June 18, 2014 · 12:00 AM · LIGHT
Ocean Island Beach, NC
Walking on the beach, my husband and I saw a bright orangish yellow light in the sky. There was one light that flashed twice like a lantern in the sky. It would brighten in the sky as it shone, kind of like a firefly or a halogen light. The light appeared in two segments where it flashed twice at first, then about 15 minutes later we saw the same light with another two flashes. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
June 17, 2014 · 10:00 PM · SPHERE
Surf City (Topsail Island), NC
On June 17 or 18, my family witnessed at least 5 red orbs/lights appear way above the horizon at different levels and times. Some were brighter than others. No trails, just a bright red orb appearing and disappearing for almost an hour. It drew a crowd on the beach. I walked down to join them as they watched. The orbs didn't appear to move. There were no helicopter sounds or other lights. I'm fairly sure there were at least 5 lights. Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD
June 17, 2014 · 9:30 PM · SPHERE
Oak Island, NC
My family vacations at Oak Island every year, and we have seen the orbs on several occasions, and have taken to sitting outside and watching for them. On this night, an orange orb appeared over the ocean. It remained stationary and bright for nearly two minutes, then disappeared. We waited several minutes for more but nothing happened so we went inside. About an hour later, my husband went outside and saw rapidly-blinking white lights moving erratically in the same area of the sky (about 30 degrees above the horizon). We watched the lights for several minutes until they stopped.
June 17, 2014 · 9:30 PM · SPHERE
Carolina Beach, NC
My daughter and I got to Carolina Beach at 9:00 pm. At 9:30pm we witnessed what I thought a star exploding would look like. I bright orange,red orb glowing brighter and brighter and then just dimmed away. About a minute later three more lights in sequence from left to right repeated the first orbs action of glowing extremely bright and the dimming away. We did not see any craft but these lights were larger than any airplane. And was too far above the water to be a boat. The lights were about 300 yards apart from each other. We returned again tonight 6/18/14 and at 9:30pm on the dot my daughter and I witnessed them again. This time we only saw them one time. Much further off in the distance this time but I could make out a v formation of the orbs.keep in mind again we have not witnessed any craft. But I think these lights are enough. I'll be back again tomorrow night same time.