On a chilly November afternoon in 2003, just as the sun had slipped beneath the horizon, I found myself drawn to the southwest sky near Vernon, British Columbia. At precisely 4:45 p.m., my eyes caught an intense white light, unusually placed—not where Venus should be. The light hovered steadily, refusing to behave like any aircraft I’d ever known; no blinking red lights or familiar hum to suggest a plane or helicopter.
Minutes passed as the light gradually drifted westward, maintaining its brilliant white glow. Then, something strange yet captivating happened. The object began to descend slowly into the dense trees atop the hill directly south of Vernon airport. Bringing my binoculars up, I tracked it carefully, watching as the bottom edge of the light seemed to burn with a soft orange-red hue, as though the mysterious craft was quietly powering down.
But the night had more to reveal.
Almost immediately beyond the lake, a set of strobing lights blazed through the sky—too quick and too nimble for any small plane preparing for landing. I glimpsed what I can only describe as an orb ascending rapidly toward the north. Through the binoculars, it seemed to brush past a low-flying plane, its glowing pinkish strobe lights emitting an eerie, ghostly presence. The orb was faintly visible without aid, resembling those spectral globes sometimes caught on film during paranormal investigations—nebulous and otherworldly.
The horizon still held the last vestiges of sunset colors, though the sun itself had long ceded to night. I stood there, silent, awe-struck by the chilling spectacle that unfolded before me. The entire encounter lasted some eight to nine minutes, leaving a lingering impression that defies any mundane explanation.
For enthusiasts and skeptics alike, moments like these challenge our understanding of the skies above. Was it an unknown technological phenomenon? A spectral visitation? Or something else entirely?
Whatever it was, the memory burns bright—a haunting reminder that the night sky still holds secrets waiting to be uncovered.