On a quiet evening in Burlington, Ontario, as I drove home with my husband and three children after a game of mini putt, we encountered something utterly inexplicable. Suddenly, our eyes were drawn to a glowing orange orb hovering low in the sky. The eerie glow pulsed rhythmically, casting an unsettling light that seemed alive with its own purpose. We immediately thought it resembled some kind of low-flying aircraft, but the color and pulsing were unlike anything we’d ever seen. This uncanny sphere flew parallel to us along Plains Road, moving with an unnatural grace.
Curiosity compelled us to follow it, so we turned down a side street for a better view. It was at that moment the orb shocked us all: it made a sharp 90-degree turn, accelerating faster than anything we could comprehend, shrinking rapidly until it vanished completely into the distance. As amateur stargazers, we’re familiar with the night sky—recognizing the Big and Little Dippers, tracking meteor showers, and spotting planes from the nearby Hamilton airport. Yet, nothing could have prepared us for this: an encounter with an object that defied all logic and left us shaken.
What we saw that September night still haunts me—the strange orb’s sudden, deliberate movements, its haunting glow, and its disappearance into the darkness. This experience remains etched in my memory as something beyond the ordinary, a glimpse into the unknown that continues to fuel my fascination with the skies above Burlington.