Flashing Lights - What was it?

Hey all, my sister and I saw something pretty strange last night (5/10/11). We decided to make a late-night run to the grocery store to buy my new kitten some kitten milk, and when we pulled into the parking lot (at 10:41pm.. I remember this because the store closes at 11pm), my sister noticed a strange flashing light in the sky. At first, I just dismissed it as an airplane, but, looking again, it was acting too strange for an airplane. While it had the same color light as a plane, the light was very bright, and it was flashing at a steady pace.
Now, we were at point A (Google Maps link) when we saw this light. The light was high in the sky, east of A, and about halfway between A and B. B, on the map, is the local airport. I lived within 5 miles of Bradley International for seven years, and never saw anything like this light. I also worked at that grocery store, and for a year I pushed carts from 7pm-11pm every Tuesday and Thursday. During that time, I was always watching the sky, because I was so incredibly bored. But I never saw anything like it during the seven years of living near the airport, and the year of pushing carts (a total of eight consecutive years watching the same sky). Also, the area above the store doesn't get too much air traffic.
Anyways, I watched the light for about 30 seconds, but I wanted to get my shopping done before the store closed. My sister, however, stayed out in the car and watched the light. When I came back, she told me that the light had traveled from its AB-halfway point to west of A, and after that it traveled back towards A, at which point it started moving upwards until it faded into the night sky. Keep in mind that when it disappeared, it was moving vertically, nearly above her, so there was no way she could have lost sight of it due to the horizon or any trees or buildings, and no clouds as it was a cloudless night.
She noted that, besides not behaving like any plane or helicopter she had ever seen, she did not hear anything from it, and it moved from one side of the sky to the other at such a fast speed that she had to turn her head much faster than she would have if it had been a plane at the same altitude. She also said that when it went straight up it was moving incredibly fast, and flashing the whole time.

(Un)important notes:
-The flashing was somewhere around 1-second intervals (1 second on, 1 second off).
-On our way home, about 10 miles from the store, we both saw an incredibly bright meteor streak across the sky. It was north of us, and moved from west to east. I'm not quite sure I've ever seen a shooting star so bright!
-I checked the local news, to see if possibly it was a plane in distress, or anything related to the airport, but I couldn't find anything related.
-Completely unrelated, but last night's sky was incredibly blue-purpleish. Did anyone else notice that? Or am I just going crazy?

Does anyone know what this was? I know it wasn't any plane or helicopter I've ever seen before, and its behavior was seemingly inexplicable. Any theories anyone might have would be greatly appreciated. My sister is incredibly freaked out by it, and I'm sure she'd love to hear a reasonable explanation as to what it was.

reply to post by MrFake


Star my friend, because you managed to included a kitten in a UFO thread
but as it was near an airport and it was flashing like an airplane light and it was the same color, its most likely some sort of plane or helicopter, but its hard to say with out seeing it.. it might be something weird, pity you didnt get a photo or video.
first rule of ATS, always take your camera/cellphone with you. as a picture is worth 1000 words.
peace.

www.abovetopsecret.com...reply to post by MrFake


Just a UFO, probably headed into Quabbin Resivoir in Massachusetts for a refeuling stop, they have been going into the place for years!

reply to post by sprocket2cog


It wasn't flashing like an airplane light. Airplane lights blink red/green, and this was only blinking one color. And it was more like a ball of light than what you'd expect something on a plane to look like.

I tried to use my cellphone to take a picture or video of it, but the lights in the parking lot were too bright for my camera to catch it

reply to post by MrFake


fair enough, just going on your opening post got the impression it was like an aircraft light.
but as i said, its going to be hard to tell what it is

reply to post by CosmosKid


Thanks for the link, your account was interesting and was fairly similar to mine

It's amazing how many sightings the Connecticut-Massachusetts border gets lol

I don't mean this in a rude way, but I'm not sure what answer you might expect us to give. No one here having seen it (presumably), there's not much anyone can offer.

However: Having seen two UFOs in my own life, both of which made a bitch of known physics, I'd personally offer that you saw something extraterrestrial--and congratulations. Don't worry too much about what others may think it was. It was whatever you can rationally believe it was....

reply to post by Ex_CT2


Well, I know it's difficult for people to say without any pictures or having actually witnessed it for themselves, but I'm hoping for a reasonable, scientific explanation that can be given based on the provided "facts". Maybe some kind of weather anomaly? Or a type of aircraft I don't know about.. anything!

I'll keep an eye out, I'm in the Springfield, MA area and I haven't seen anything in the sky that has acted strange. We get C5's flying over the city every once in a while and boy are those things massive and noisy, they make the buildings look small. But I know those have been mistaken for UFO's before, due to them being massive, slow-moving planes.

I live right out side of Omaha Nebraska and saw something very similar to this. it was about 10:30 and i was outside taking a walk with my dog. off to the south between the houses up against a corn field i saw a really bright thing that looked like a star, except too bright for it to be that. so i sat there staring at it. kept on getting brighter. as it got closer i saw the flashing light exactly as you explained. it made no noise and was at least 70 to 80 or so feet in the air. right above the trees. it hovered right over me and off to the north moving at about 10 to 20 miles per hour. i followed it as far as i could go. it was frieking astounding. never seen anything like it before. that's my story hope it helps.

I've seen this as well. I live in Southern WI. Time is illusion so it's hard for me to remember what time it was. What we are seeing isn't stars or airplanes. Just recently, a bright object was pulsating above me in the sky for what felt like a minute; a bright and vivid bluish/trasparent in color, it continued throughout the sky at a very rapid pace, blinking every once in a while..as if disguising itself as an airplane.

lastnite i also seen it around 12 or 1am just a small light flashing red then green repeatedly i thought but around 3am it was gone iit was weird ii also have been seeing green stringy lights fall from sky any idea wat that could be ?

btw im in alabama