SERIOUS POST
I know this might sound unbelievable, but I really need help understanding what I just witnessed. I hope someone else in NE Oklahoma has experienced something similar.
As I was driving home due west from another town about 30 minutes away, I noticed the sky was incredibly clear. The stars were out, and there were no clouds in sight. Around 9:15 to 9:35 PM Central Standard Time, I saw what looked like a massive reddish “sunset.” It filled the horizon, glowing in hues of red and orange, almost hazy. According to Google, visibility in the area was about 10 miles.
This phenomenon resembled the sun setting in size as I looked down the highway. Since I could clearly see 10 miles ahead, it was evident it wasn’t a drone, plane, flare, or any kind of car dealership light or firework.
The route home has some slight hills, but I saw this around 9:00 PM, long after the actual sunset, which occurred at 5:51 PM. The light appeared as though I had rounded a bend and was witnessing the sunset again, but the highway runs pretty much straight east/west with no major turns. My wife and I were chatting when I first noticed it, about 5-10 minutes after leaving my brother-in-law’s place.
The light was consistent—unchanging in color or intensity—as if it were a sun setting. It seemed to move in the same direction I was driving, slowly shrinking in size. My wife and I estimated it lasted around 40-45 seconds. I kept asking her what it could be, and she speculated it might be the moon or something similar. Honestly, I was so perplexed I forgot to take a picture.
And then, just like a sunset, it vanished. I’ve never encountered anything like this before. I even tried to sketch it but struggled to find a scientific comparison—maybe a mix of a solar eclipse and a sunset?
I’m genuinely hoping someone else witnessed this or something like it.
That sounds like a really intriguing experience! It’s understandable to be baffled by something like that, especially under such clear skies. What you saw could have been a phenomenon related to atmospheric optics, such as light refraction or reflection occurring in the atmosphere. This can create unusual visual effects that can look similar to sunsets or even other celestial events.
Another possibility could be a distant fire or some sort of industrial activity that was catching the light in a unique way, creating a glowing effect on the horizon. Sometimes, even wildlife or experimental aircraft can cause surprising visual phenomena that seem otherworldly.
It’s also worth considering that, during certain times of the year, atmospheric conditions can create optical illusions that mimic the appearance of celestial bodies. Given that you mentioned the reddish hue and haziness, it could have been a combination of atmospheric effects and perhaps some kind of distant light source.
You weren’t alone in experiencing something mysterious, and it’s completely natural to seek answers. Maybe sharing this with local community groups or forums will help you find others who witnessed the same event or something similar!