Mysterious Lights Described as 'Gliding Slowly Under 200 Feet'

A Des Moines, IA, witness reported watching "three bright, red lights in a triangle shape" that appeared to be gliding slowly under 200 feet, according to November 5, 2012, testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The witness was outside on a front porch looking east about 11:45 p.m. on November 3, 2012, when the lights were first noticed.

"I noticed a bright orange/red light in the sky," the witness stated. "Upon a second look I noticed two more identical lights. The lights were aligned like the three points of a triangle. I could not see a solid object between the lights but the way they moved together made me believe they were part of a solid object."

The witness was worried that the lights seemed to be very close by.

"I was worried that while I was sitting there the object/lights were going to fly over my house. They appeared to be much lower than an airplane would fly. I would estimate that they were approximately 100-200 feet in the air, maybe higher, but definitely below the light cloud cover. I remember thinking that when the object flew over, it was so low that I would be able to see all the detail and that frightened me."

The witness described the lights.

"The lights were gliding very slowly, not wavering from their position in the triangle and moving in a westerly direction. The lights were circular in shape and were about five times brighter and larger than the brightest/largest star in the sky. I watched the lights for about 10 minutes as they moved west toward me, then they began to slowly fade until they appeared no brighter or larger than the average star."

No images or videos were included with the MUFON report, which was filed November 5, 2012. The above quotes were edited for clarity. Des Moines is the capital and most populated city in Iowa, population 203,433.

Iowa is a current UFO ALERT 5 rating, with a low number of UFO sightings nationally. Iowa had 7 reports in October 2012 - the 26th highest reporting state while California had 69 reports - the highest reporting state in the nation.

You can read more details about other recently reported cases at the UFO Examiner home page.

The following is the unedited report filed with MUFON. Please keep in mind that most UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade. If Iowa MUFON State Director Greg Andersen investigates and reports back on this case, I will release an update. Please report UFO activity to MUFON.com.

November 3, 2012, 11:45 p.m., Des Moines, IA - 3 Bright Red Lights in Triangle Shape. Case 43716.

At approximately 11:45pm central time on November 3rd I went out into my front porch to smoke a cigarette. I was looking east when I noticed a bright orange/red light in the sky. Upon a second look I noticed two more identical lights. The lights were aligned like the 3 points of a triangle. I could not see a solid object between the lights but the way they moved together made me believe they were part of a solid object.

The lights were above the tree line and appeared to be very close to me. I was worried that while I was sitting there the object/lights were going to fly over my house. They appeared to be much lower than an airplane would fly. I would estimate that they were approximately 100-200 feet in the air, maybe higher but definitely below the light cloud cover. I remember thinking that when the object flew over, it was so low that I would be able to see all the detail and that frightened me.

The lights were gliding very slowly, not wavering from their position in the triangle and moving in a westerly direction. The lights were circular in shape and were about 5 times brighter and larger than the brightest/largest star in the sky.

I watched the lights for about 10 minutes as they moved west, toward me, then they began to slowly fade until they appeared no brighter or larger than the average star.

I wish, in retrospect, that I had grabbed my camera but I was too scared/in awe to go get it while the event was happening. After the lights faded I immediately went inside and woke my husband but it was too late, they were gone.

I am a 30 year old mother of two with a 4 year degree from a reputable university. I am an admitted skeptic. I have never witnessed anything like this before.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/des-moines-lights-described-as-gliding-slowly-under-200-feet