Strange lights a mystery for man

Wednesday 4th November 2009, 10:27AM GMT.

The UFO seen by Richard Smeilus

The UFO seen by Richard Smeilus

A Bridgnorth man is the latest to spot unexplained flying objects in the Shropshire sky.

Richard Smeilus was just about to go to bed when he spotted three orange-coloured lights from his bedroom window. It was just after 10pm on Sunday night.

He said: “I saw three orange-coloured lights from my bedroom window moving slowly in a northerly direction, east of the town beyond the ridge forming Hermitage Hill Coppice.

“I watched for around 60 to 90 seconds before they sank beyond the woodland, where I assume they moved in an easterly direction towards Wolverhampton.”

Mr Smeilus said he was normally very sceptical on such matters and considered the fact the lights could have been Chinese sky lanterns or flares.

But he added: “The lights were orange in colour similar to that of a street lamp.

“I am aware they may have been something along the lines of Chinese lanterns or possibly flares. However the lights appeared quite large and were of constant luminosity, not flickering as you would assume for an open flame if it was a lantern.

“In addition I am at a loss to account for their uniform movement. They travelled in unison — if they had been independent objects under no intelligent control, I would have expected some variation in the formation as they moved.

“It was all very odd and I have no explanation for it, it would be interesting to know if anyone else saw the lights as they went over.”


  1. 2
    darren

    Good to see people are looking to the skys and noticing things. Its the boring and non open minded people that will moan and yawn…

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  2. 3
    Rich

    I have also seen them, they are the lanterns you speak of, I saw one run out of flame, and come down in Wellington. There have been few flying around lately, I think people are launching them from the Wrekin.

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  3. 4
    joanna

    My partner and I also saw 3 orange lights in the skies over Sundorne, Shrewsbury, we concluded that they were chinese lanterns,

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  4. 5
    Sky-Hi-Lanterns

    This is one of the rare occasions when i can safely say they are NOT Sky Lanterns.

    As a manufacturer of these i have launched hundreds,and also have commented on alleged ” UFO ” sightings many times in various publications.

    And,no before anyone asks,i can not explain what these are this time around.

    Sky-Hi-Lanterns

    Report abuse

  5. 6
    mark

    That has to be a bit of free advertising there!

    I would never be that blatant.

    FOR SALE – Ford Fiesta 1.1, one careful lady owner,

    Report abuse

  6. 7
    Thomas

    I’m not being funny, but I also seen a UFO a real one. Came over my house with no sound what so ever no wings no nothing. People that think we are the only ones are the nuts. We go to space but hey no one else could do it. Funny the many shightings coming out, some day we will be told the truth but yet people will still not beleive.

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  7. 8
    mandy

    My partner and I saw 3 of these lights in hadley telford on saturday about 8.50pm and then a larger one at bout 9.50pm we did take a picture on our mobile but we were very intrigued to see if anybody else saw them. one of them looked very much like that of a comet but can’t really be sure.

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  8. 9
    crisy

    Five members of my family and friends have seen these orange ufo’s flying in the sky, 20 were seen on the 31ast October in Redditch, no way were they firworks, chineese lanterns, sometimes they change shape.

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  9. 10
    tim

    Sky-Hi Lanterns – What? just because you didn’t release these 3, does not mean that they are categoricaaly not lanterns! Can people not make their own, or heaven forbid – buy them from another company, of which there are many – google it.

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  10. 11
    Lucy

    I´m not sure what Richard drinks, but may I tactfully suggest he takes more water with it?

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  11. 12
    Darren

    we need to remember… chinese sky lanterns flicker like a candle and are very distinct, what these people are seeing are NOT lanterns. the fact is we don’t know what they are. lets ask the MOD and see what they say. i can tell you now they will not comment on it, i wonder why…

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  12. 13
    askeric dotcom

    WOW ! Comment no 5 ! Free Advertising !!!

    What’s going on here Mr moderator? – If we aren’t careful everyone will be at it !

    I Totally agree with Mark #6 !

    I have on these columns before spoken about internet problems which companies like mine could solve etc.
    But I’ve NEVER released (and never would) the name of my company on these columns –

    Yet I’ve been accused of “free advertising”

    So – look out #5!!

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  13. 14
    W Francis

    On the 30th October at 8:30 pm about 10 people witnessed an orange light racing across the sky north of Oswestry, to fast to be a lantern. It then hovered for about 1 min then took off again.
    Not a drop off alcohol had passed anyones lips!!

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  14. 15
    winja

    Thomas.

    Given that light travels at 186,000 miles per second, and that the nearest STAR is about 4 light years away, and that the nearest star that MAY, POSSIBLY harbour a planet that MAY harbour life (though not necessarily intelligent) is millions of light years away, how long do you think it will take for other forms of intelligent life to contact us directly? Hmm?

    It’s meaningless.

    As Winky McBroon and various greenies have suggested, unless we stop eating meat and start renting out tools and clothes (I kid ye not, have a look on timesonline for the latter), then we’re all doomed over the next two centuries.

    Report abuse

  15. 16
    sarah

    i live in newton aycliffe in county durham an i saw these 3 orange lights around august this year and i also saw them again tonight while watching fireworks with my daughter,i would love to know what they actually are

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  16. 17
    SAMMY

    I saw the orange lights last week got it on my phone but the lights came out white on my phone not orange ……other members of my family saw a orange light over spondon last saturday evening frightened mum to death….seriously not joking

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  17. 18
    Greg Paul

    It was REALLY windy last Sunday. Gale force in fact. Even if somebody WANTED to launch a sky lantern in that weather, I can’t see how they would have got it into the air?

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  18. 19
    Peter

    ‘……other members of my family saw a orange light over spondon last saturday evening frightened mum to death….seriously not joking’

    What, Sammy – it actually frightened your mother to death?!

    Surely ‘UFO Frightens Spondon Woman To Death’ would have been a better story to run?

    A missed opportunity methinks Mr Moderator.

    Has no-one even considered the possibility that this might have been the afterburner/engine of a military aircraft?

    But then even if the MOD confirmed that there are clearly those on this forum who wouldn’t believe them…

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  19. 20
    karen

    We live opposite the hermitage over the other side of the river and yes we saw the lights in Bridgnorth around 10 oclock. I pointed them out to my husband as he is an aircraft freak but he insisted they were not planes or helicopters which i thought they were. We watched them for aprox 5 mins. Two were flying together and one slightly in front before disapearing towards wolverhampton. I,m very very skeptical about aliens but they were wierd!!

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  20. 21
    Nistagmus

    Unidentified Flying Object – The clue is in the name, it’s unidentified. That’s right, it’s not been identified as a spacecraft of alien origin, it’s not been identified as sky-lanterns – it’s unidentified. Now we could spend our time, indeed most of our lives, trying to identify each case (60 odd years and counting without success) or we could cut to the chase and say ‘beats the heck out of me’ and have a nice cup of tea instead.
    I happen to like tea, but I would as I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

    Report abuse

  21. 22
    Simon

    Winja said the nearest star is 4 light years away. It’s actually just 93,000,000 miles away and we call it the sun!

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  22. 23
    Tony o`carroll

    I live in Norton canes
    me & my wife also saw these orange lights 30th oct 09 around 9pm two at the front came over
    our house, when an aircraft miles away from them!!
    these orange lights went out same time & they were like black blobs of ink heading towards burntwood???? very uniform in movement and strange who knows :)

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  23. 24
    Bobby

    New sighting over Donnington Sunday 8th November 2009 at 19:18

    Two amber/orange lights overhead below cloud level moving slowly towards me. NOT flashing, NO noise. Then they turned 90 in a slow arc and went up quickly? Not jet afterburners, more like hot air balloons, but winds would not allow this movement!

    I can not explain it! At first I thought it was two rocket flares or fireworks, but lasted too long and they travelled a few miles towards me until overhead and then went 90 degrees for a mile until speeding up quickly into the light cloud base?

    Anyone else seen these two, I recorded them, but the quality is very poor!

    Report abuse

  24. 25
    ron

    There is a new area 51 it’s called Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, US.
    gOOGLE IT, VERY INTERESTING!!!!

    Report abuse



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