In the cold winter of 1980, an experience unfolded over the skyline of Toronto, Canada, that challenged everything I thought I knew about the night sky. I had just finished work at an auto dealership, driving eastbound on the Queen Elizabeth Way to meet friends. Suddenly, a strange, rotating circle of lights caught my eye at ten o’clock in the sky—a pattern unlike any aircraft or blimp I’d ever seen.
At first, I thought it was an advertising balloon with lights fashioned into letters, but as it moved, the lights transformed in shape, resembling the phases of the moon. This vast disk of yellowish-white lights didn’t fly or float; it seemed to sail through the sky, banking and changing its orientation until it was perpendicular to the ground, like a giant ferris wheel suspended above the city.
The sheer size of this object stunned me. Initially perceived as the size of a large plane, I soon realized it was gargantuan—twice the size of a football field, larger than an aircraft carrier. My heart pounded as adrenaline surged; fear and awe overwhelmed me simultaneously. Despite the slow speed at which it moved, it commanded the night with an overwhelming presence.
As I slowed my car to a crawl on the highway, flashing my hazard lights, other motorists sped by seemingly oblivious to the spectacle above them. The lights would sometimes switch off, save for a solitary red blinking light, only to flare back on moments later in a haunting pattern reminiscent of scenes from classic sci-fi films.
Desperate for recognition, I even approached a police officer who had no idea what I was referring to. Later that night, attempts to report the phenomenon to authorities and air traffic control met with skepticism. Even my friends at the bar dismissed my story.
Days later, a brief newspaper mention confirmed that many other residents had witnessed a massive UFO over the region. That solidified my resolve never to doubt my senses again.
This encounter with the immense rotating disk of lights over Toronto remains etched in my memory—a haunting reminder of how little we understand the mysteries above us.