Posted: December 14, 2009

Location of Sighting: Tiptree, Essex
Date of Sighting: 12th December, 2009
Time: 12.30am

Witness Statement: Driving home from Tollesbury, just on the outskirts of Tiptree, I saw what I first thought to be a meteor, (I had already seen a meteor from the Geminid shower early the previous evening), but it was moving to slow to be a shooting star so I stopped the car for a better look. It was a bright fiery orange in colour and could have been made up of three balls of light in extremely tight formation - I say could have been, because of the fiery nature they blended together as one.

I was a little worried as to all intents & purposes, it looked like a large aircraft that was on fire - you could almost see flames. it was moving at about or slightly faster than the speed of a conventional aircraft - I would estimate a speed of at least two or three hundred miles an hour - It traveled in a straight line overhead then gently changed direction and took a completely new course at almost right angles to the first one. I got a pretty good look at it - It must have been about the size of a conventional large aircraft - Definitely not a chinese lantern - It moved too fast & changed direction and it was a clear cold night with little or no wind. It also was too late at night to be a satellite and anyway satellites do not change direction! I watched until it went out of sight wishing I had brought a pair of binoculars and a camera.