SIGHTING: MATTOON, ILLINOIS (UNITED STATES)

Witness Testimony

"I Was traveling from Charleston to Mattoon. It was a dreary day. Up ahead to the south I noticed something in the sky...which was a vivid white. First thought was it must be a plane, because I knew the Coles County Airport was ahead of me to the south west. The sun was in front of me, and was peeking out of the clouds. The Suns rays shined on the object, making it look illuminated, almost dream like. As I got closer, I realized I didn't know what I was seeing but that it definitely wasn't an airplane. In the middle was a solid white object. I'm not sure of the shape, but remember thinking that must be where the pilots are. It was encircled by white pipelike appendages. They went out above and below the object. It looked like a large geometric shape that you might find in a textbook. The appendages were connected to the solid shape. The shape stood still, as the appendages revolved up and over the solid object. They moved a slow 360 degree around the object . All around the object was a mist, or aura. In a way, it reminded me of the mirage that you see on a road in the summer. As the appendages turned, the object would disappear. Then on their way back up, the sun would hit it and allow me to see another glimpse of it. Again as the appendages turned, it disappeared again. This continued. The thought came to me that the aura was a cloaking device to make it invisible. However due to the dismal day, the sun peeking out of the clouds on the object, made it appear. It had something to do with the appendages turning. When they were coming back up, behind the object, it would reappear as the Suns Rays hit it. I called the airport the next day, and got an answering machine. So then I called the restaurant there, and asked if they had had any air shows there the afternoon before. She said no. I'm not sure what I saw...but it wasn't ours."