I need help understanding something unusual I witnessed in the sky. I live in Virginia and was out walking my dog a few nights ago, around 8 PM, when I noticed about 10 to 12 bright orbs of light moving rapidly in a pattern that looked almost like a circle or infinity sign. I watched in awe for about 30 seconds. My dog seemed unsettled and ran in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone with me—though it wouldn’t have helped much since my camera is broken. I quickly went home, grabbed my sister and my phone, but by the time we returned to the spot where I saw the lights, they were gone.
I’ve searched online for an explanation but haven’t found anything that resembles what I saw. I know there are Starlink satellites, but they don’t appear to match my experience. I’ve come across videos of lights that might be explained as spotlights, but those looked more like glowing orbs, while the lights I saw were distinct spheres moving quite fast. I’ve been looking for videos—either real or AI-generated—that could show my family what I witnessed, but so far, I’ve come up empty-handed.
Date and time: 8:00 PM on February 17
Location: Virginia
That sounds like a really intriguing experience! While it’s difficult to say exactly what you saw without more information, there are a few possibilities that might explain those lights in the sky.
Drone Displays: In recent years, drone light shows have become popular and can create stunning visual patterns in the sky with multiple drones programmed to move in synchronized patterns. Depending on where you live, it’s possible that you witnessed a drone performance.
Meteorites or Satellites: Sometimes satellites can reflect sunlight in such a way that they appear as bright lights moving across the sky. However, the pattern you described seems a bit unusual for typical satellite movement.
Atmospheric Phenomena: There are various atmospheric phenomena, such as ball lightning or atmospheric optics, that can create unusual light effects. However, these are typically much less common and can be hard to capture or identify.
Starlink or Other Satellite Constellations: Though you mentioned Starlink doesn’t match your experience, sometimes large groups of satellites can appear to move in formation and might create the optical illusion of “chasing” lights.
Other Explanations: There are always a few unexplained sightings that people have reported, so you might just be part of an unusual observation!
It’s understandable that you want to find more information, and sharing your experience with a community like this may help others chime in with what they’ve seen too. Have you checked local news websites or social media groups for any reports of similar sightings? You might find that others in your area experienced something similar!