[Archived] Lights In The Sky Over Blackburn

[cletus]

Last night at about 9.45-10pm me, my mate & our partners were having a drink in the Fernhurst.

My friend was sat facing one of the windows (i had my back to it)

He suddenly stopped the conversation & said "Look at that strange light over ther in the sky"....pointing out the window.

The light looked larger than a plane light & seemed a bit brighter than a plane. It had a yellowish glow to it, but didn`t have any flashing beacons or owt.

It was moving quite steadily across the sky in a South Easterly direction, quite low in the sky too (under the cloud cover)

I said "It`s probably a plane taking off from somewhere" (it was rising slowly)

30 seconds later my mate said "There`s another one" then a few seconds later "....& another one!!" (All coming from the same point in the sky & heading in the same direction)

We ended up going outside to try & get a better view.

The sky was clearish with only a patch of cloud to the south east & it wasn`t quite dark (dusk)

In all we counted 14 individual lights (all the same colour & strength) coming from the same point in the sky, low over Blackburn, heading in the same direction.

None of them had any audible sound coming from them.

The whole event probably took about 10mins.

All four of us saw this unusual display, plus another gent who was stood there smoking a ciggy.

I`m not saying they were UFOs, cos i don`t know exactly what they were.

& i don`t think they were military helicopters or jets, cos of the number of them & lack of audible engine sound.

I don`t think they could`ve been passenger jets either, cos they were too low (& noiseless)

So what could they have been?

Did anybody else see them?

(p.s....we weren`t p155ed either!!!)

[jim mk2]

Chinese lanterns. Very popular at parties, functions etc.

Has been well documented in the newspapers.

[cletus]

Chinese lanterns. Very popular at parties, functions etc.

Has been well documented in the newspapers.

Sorry Jim, not a chance.

They weren`t floating/hanging in the sky. They were moving at a rate of knots.

It probably took them 2 minutes to go from horizon to horizon.

.....maybe somebody on here works at BAE??? Can they enlighten us?

[AlanK]

Actually Jim is right. Saw the same thing when camping at Silverstone. Its the new rage right now and they can shift pretty quick. I actually saw one disintegrate in mid air with fire landing in the campsite. Not a good place for flames. The farmers hate them as they burn crops and the cattle are eating the thin metal frames.

[Paul]

Sorry cletus but I've seen the same thing on two occassions, both times with a group of sane, sober people. It's chinese lanterns, which is a shame 'cos the first time one sees them it's quite inspiring......until someone works out what it is and the mystery disappears.

[Ozz]

Good crack them lanterns. We did a few earlier this summer.

[cletus]

Sorry, i`m not buying the lanterns thing.

These things weren`t glowing, they had proper bright beamed lights on them....similar to aircraft landing lights (but no flashing beacons) & they were definitley under some sort of power.

I`ve seen chinese lanterns before. Very nice but not like the lights we saw.

[S15]

You ever seen Chinese Lanterns whilst drunk before?

They've been spotted on the Fylde Coast too, and they too are Chinese Lanterns. If you aren't convinced report it. Then some one else can tell you it's Chinese Lanterns. Chinese Laterns. Chinese Lanterns. Chinese Lanterns....

[den]

Lasers from Blackpool illuminations reflecting on the clouds? Seen that many a time and I believe they were being used this weekend.

[Shevchenko]

I`m not saying they were UFOs, cos i don`t know exactly what they were.

Yes you are.

If you don´t know what they were you are saying they were UFOs.

[Hasta]

Sorry, i`m not buying the lanterns thing.

These things weren`t glowing, they had proper bright beamed lights on them....similar to aircraft landing lights (but no flashing beacons) & they were definitley under some sort of power.

I`ve seen chinese lanterns before. Very nice but not like the lights we saw.

They were alien spacecraft that took off from venus yesterday (see here.).

[AlanK]

Sorry, i`m not buying the lanterns thing.

These things weren`t glowing, they had proper bright beamed lights on them....similar to aircraft landing lights (but no flashing beacons) & they were definitley under some sort of power.

I`ve seen chinese lanterns before. Very nice but not like the lights we saw.

Well its hard to comment when I didn`t see what you did but the 1st time I saw one I asked the missus to jump out the tent and look caus I was baffled. Didn`t look like a flame at all, more like a bright orb. Seen a few since and the mystery has gone but its funny seeing other peoples reactions! Oh and the power is wind!

[Lee]

I was outside at a friends at Oakdale for several hours. The only lights in the sky that were seen were from planes heading to Manchester airport.

Having been in Thailand when thousands of the lanterns were set off on NYE, they can travel very quickly, oh and it is such a beautiful sight too.

I mistook the early ones as planes until more and more were sent up into the sky.

[Al]

It's either lasers or searchlights reflecting from the clouds. If you visit Lanzarote the people in boats at sea do it all the time to get exactly that effect to the tourists. THe givaway is that when there is a break in the clouds the lights disappear. In Blackburn there are not many breaks in the cloud.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Owen Coyle and a few of the Dingles' squad flying over for a sneak preview as to what a proper football ground looks like.

[eddiewac]

Ya shouldve taken a photo if it lasted 10 mins?

[cletus]

You ever seen Chinese Lanterns whilst drunk before?

They've been spotted on the Fylde Coast too, and they too are Chinese Lanterns. If you aren't convinced report it. Then some one else can tell you it's Chinese Lanterns. Chinese Laterns. Chinese Lanterns. Chinese Lanterns....

Definitely NOT chinese lanterns mate. They were more than likely planes as they had bright lights on them (not in them) & they were under some sort of powered flight.

The only baffling things were why was there no sound? Why no flashing beacons? (all aircraft are supposed to have them) & why 14 all in a row?

It looked like a military convoy of planes/helicopters......but without engine noise.

.....& we weren`t drunk. Had only been out half an hour & still on 1st pint

Den.....Lasers from Blackpool illuminations reflecting on the clouds? Seen that many a time and I believe they were being used this weekend.

I`ve seen lasers from Blackpool before Den. Not them. They were solid aircraft of some sort.

Shevchenko.....Yes you are. If you don´t know what they were you are saying they were UFOs.

Currently i cannot say exactly what they were, so i suppose you`re correct

Al.....It's either lasers or searchlights reflecting from the clouds.

Neither of them Al. They were powered aircraft.

Eddiewac.....Ya shouldve taken a photo if it lasted 10 mins?

I tried to Eddie, but it was dusk & my camera wouldn`t focus in the gloom.

I spoke to my friend last night (who spotted the 1st lights) & told him about the chinese lanterns theory. He dismissed it totally & said "you know & i know what we saw....& they weren`t lanterns"

[benhben]

These are what Flying Lanterns look like:

Did they look like that?

I want to know what happened to that wind turbine that was smashed up afew months ago. Something hit it in mid air, no debris. The story was in the papers for 1 day then never mentioned again.

[cletus]

These are what Flying Lanterns look like:

Did they look like that?

I want to know what happened to that wind turbine that was smashed up afew months ago. Something hit it in mid air, no debris. The story was in the papers for 1 day then never mentioned again.

No. They looked like aircraft but without flashing beacons & engine noise. I`m no expert but i`d say they were only a couple of thousand feet up & travelling pretty sharpish.

As for the wind turbine that got hit (& damaged). It has gone a bit quiet on that subject. I wonder what the outcome is? Maybe it was a chinese lantern

[S15]

Maybe the sun is a Chinese Lantern?

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Zigic, Samba and Nzonzi were juggling oranges.

[cletus]

Maybe the sun is a Chinese Lantern?

your attempt to be clever failed

[cletus]

A friend just made me aware of these.....

http://www.uk-ufo.co.uk/2009/07/blackburn-...1/#comment-2617

http://www.uk-ufo.co.uk/2009/07/over-great...26th-july-2009/

.....also, try clicking where it says "lancashire" on the right hand side. Many similar sightings.

[cletus]

Me & my mate saw a chinese lantern floating across the sky last night. We were walking along Preston old rd, near it`s junction with Livesey Branch.

It looked very impressive & made people stand & watch it......but it wasn`t what we saw the week before. A completely different thing.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Just seen the Red Arrows flying formation over Blackburn on their way home from the Blackpool Airshow...fantastic sight!