Before it reached the outskirts of the metro Phoenix "Valley of the Sun," it was allegedly spotted by hundreds of Arizonans in smaller towns to the northwest. By mid-evening, the object was drifting directly across metro Phoenix, including the central downtown area and Sky Harbor International Airport.

Cruising at a relatively low altitude, it was reportedly witnessed by hundreds or thousands of people.

Approximately two hours later, Air Force training exercises far to the west of metro Phoenix included the dropping of flares, which also were seen by some residents. According to many witnesses and researchers, the large V-shaped object and the Air Force flares were two different incidents.

That evening, many citizens called local police and TV stations, and in following days the story was carried by local, national and international media outlets.

Some government officials and some in the media claimed that witnesses simply mistook the military training flares over the western mountains for a huge V-shaped object directly over their heads.

According to journalist Kean's report, former Governor Symington considers the Phoenix Lights incident as unsolved and believes further official investigation is warranted.

INCIDENT, DISCLOSURES FASCINATE

The Phoenix Lights incident has become one of the most interesting UFO sightings in recent years.

The number of witnesses, the size and altitude of the object and the fact that it slowly cruised directly over a major American city during mid-evening all contribute to the fascination.

An award-winning documentary film, THE PHOENIX LIGHTS, was made, hundreds or thousands of news reports and research articles looked at many angles of the incident. Many TV shows have also examined the circumstances surrounding the Phoenix event.

A major conference exploring the incident and related matters will be held in Glendale, Arizona, just west of Phoenix, on Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1, 2007. The "Eyewitness 2007 - You Are Not Alone" conference hopes to bring together witnesses and discuss many wide-ranging elements of the UFO phenomena, including connections to ancient and contemporary Native American cultures.

Former Governor Symington's admission, ten years after the fact, that he takes the Phoenix Lights case seriously, and was a witness himself, certainly will add a new dynamic to our understanding of this incident.