Birmingham UFO Group Case Report
Author: Dave Hodrien
Release Date: 09/03/2020
Note: For reasons of anonymity pseudonyms have been used
In February 2020 someone under the moniker of “M” got in touch with me via our group’s website to report details of a sighting they had back in 2010.
Sighting Details
Back in 2010 M lived in Redditch. It was roughly 10 pm on the 5th November and they were watching nearby fireworks being set off from an upper window in their three storey house. Out of the corner of their vision, they suddenly noticed a glowing orange shape, translucent and bright yet solid at the same time. It appeared to be about the size of a small car and was floating about 20 feet off the ground. It was hovering and gliding slowly along on the opposite side of the road, and M froze in disbelief at what they were looking at.
As they watched, another glowing orange object seemed to emerge from the first and then began to follow the same flight path. This second object seemed intelligent, as if it was looking for something. It followed along the path, then manoeuvred to the left of their house and hovered in front of a nearby bedroom window. Then suddenly it vanished from sight. The first object had also now disappeared.
M spent weeks watching to see if they would return but they never did.
Sighting Analysis
The most probable explanation for what was seen was a couple of Chinese lanterns gliding along at low altitude. The witness specifically mentioned lanterns in their statement, going by the logic that they could not have been these as they were too large in size and seemingly intelligently controlled.
On this occasion the witness had a point of reference for the objects as they were low down and hovering in front of nearby houses, reducing the chance of inaccuracies regarding size and distance. However it is possible that these were particularly large lanterns, and the glowing light from within them could have made them appear larger than they in fact were. The incident took place late evening on bonfire night. While lanterns are quite uncommon these days due to them being removed from general sale as they are a fire risk, ten years ago they were extremely popular and would often be launched, especially on celebrations.
It is unlikely the second object actually emerged from the first, it could just as easily been hidden from view behind it and then changed course or speed, giving the appearance of coming from it. The manoeuvres may have appeared intelligent to the witness but could just have been caused by random drift in air currents. Lanterns often follow along the same path as one another and can sometimes come to a halt. Also the way in which they suddenly disappeared also fits with this explanation. When the flame inside a lantern burns out it can no longer be seen after dark, giving the impression that it has completely vanished.
While the idea that the objects were lanterns cannot be 100% I feel there are enough aspects in this case which make this the most probable explanation.
Copyright Dave Hodrien 2020