UFO Sightings on the Playa

Share your pictures and video. Tell us about the sights, sounds, and scents, as well as the rumors and truths found at Burning Man.
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tarri
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UFO Sightings on the Playa

Post by tarri » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:44 pm

Just putting this out there because I CANNOT be the only one who's seen stuff out there...

The year of the Floating World, there was a storm. After the storm there was an incredible sunset. There was a heavy bank of clouds in the west, and in front of the clouds, in the sky, there were 3 bright lights. I thought they were planes, but they didn't move, for 3 or 4 minutes. My 18-year-old son saw them too. Then they SUDDENLY disappeared. Wierd.

In the middle of that night, we saw a bright star, straight up in the sky,that got brighter and larger, then turned red, then began dripping fire, then disappeared. Sounds like some kind of firework, but it was WAY up there. Maybe a natural phenomenon.

The strangest one was the year before Floating World (can't remember the theme.) I went to that one alone. After the burn I walked out into the desert alone for about 2 hours. I wanted to find the hot springs. I saw a light moving perpendicular to me, across the playa, far away and so fast I thought it couldn't be a vehicle (but I know how deceptive things can look out there). Suddenly it stopped, separated into 3 lights (the middle one was larger than the other 2), and began coming toward me. I stopped and waited, not sure what to do. I slowly crouched down, my heart pounding horribly. When I crouched, it stopped, and seemed to wait too. After a few minutes, the 3 lights became 1 again, and zipped off at a diagonal away from me and disappeared.

I dunno. Anyone?

anarchist
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reminds me of...

Post by anarchist » Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:27 am

The guy we ran into one year who was completely cracked out on mushrooms and raving about the 136 foot dragon he'd seen. Normally, you'd just chalk this up to the mushrooms, but then it becomes apparent that he was talking about Draka, and so, in fact, had seen a 136 foot dragon. lol.

not saying you didn't see what you saw, but given the amount of crazy blinking lights, laser beams, and other assorted light effects out there, combined with most peoples various states of mental enhancement... UFOs are a tough sell. :-)

Although, I suppose if a UFO wanted to land unnoticed, BM would probably be a great place for it.

Anarchist

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tarri
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Post by tarri » Sat Aug 19, 2006 9:51 am

The last one I spoke of was 2 hours out away from the city - you couldn't see the city any more. And the lights were in the opposite direction from where the city lay. And I was completely sober. (shrug) BLM patrol?

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tarri
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Post by tarri » Sat Aug 19, 2006 9:57 am

Another strange thing: after that I started heading back to the city. I saw a water truck barreling along from the city out toward the springs, leaving a huge trail of dust. (That's another thing: the lights I'd seen had not raised any dust.) The driver of the truck saw me and circled around to where I was. He pulled up and wanted to know what I was doing out there. He seemed very agitated, and said there'd been a bomb threat, and there were cops everywhere trying to handle it without alerting or frightening the citizens. He was going to spend the night at the springs, and tried to pursuade me to go with him. I said no thanks.

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Post by mdmf007 » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:05 am

lots of lights in the desert. I have worked Winnemucca, and Northern Nevada for 8 years as incidents arise. Working night shift on a fire gives you the opportunity to reflect, and sit on top of many a mountain top.

Although the desert is devoid of structures there are still people everywhere. lights can be seen on roads, 50 miles away, a campfire can also be seen at 20 miles easily. We have to impress upon the rookies that scale, and distance in the desert is decieving. I have seen lots of wierd things in the desert.

In 2000 my crew and I were working a fire south of Gabbs Nevada. This particular night had us on a night shift sitting on the side of a hill watching the fire below us. When a formation of three lights (that did not appear to be connected as we could see stars between them) flew in from the right side of our view, braked like a helicopter would by lifting the front light, and then settled down above the fire we were watching. It rotated several times, clockwise and drifted a little as if looking around, then sped off away from us dissapearing in seconds. It was completely silent, and the lights were in a static formation without any apparent mechanical connection. We guessed that it had been 12-15 seconds from the time it came in until it was out of site.

Massive amounts of static were present, as our hair was charged, the radios were funky (both VHF, and the microwave) it started 3-4 seconds before the lights appeared, and lasted a little longer after it disappeared.

we had no clue what we saw, and spent the rest of the night looking from horizon to horizon for more of the same.

wieeeerd stuff

be safe - and see you all on the playa
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Post by AntiM » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:46 am

I have seen lots of wierd things in the desert.
Haven't we all?

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theCryptofishist
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Post by theCryptofishist » Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:32 am

Interesting how the people who spend the most time looking at the sky, and who have the most experience identifying skybound objects (astronomers) report few or no UFOs.
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Post by capjbadger » Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:01 am

theCryptofishist wrote:Interesting how the people who spend the most time looking at the sky, and who have the most experience identifying skybound objects (astronomers) report few or no UFOs.
Not interesting at all. If you got ridiculed and had your funding cut off, you'd keep you mouth shut too.

Astronomer know whats in space, not in our atmosphere. You want someone that knows whats supposed to be in the sky and what's not? Talk to a airline pilot. They report wierd stuff in the air all the time.
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Post by Rockdad » Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:36 am

tarri wrote:Another strange thing: after that I started heading back to the city. I saw a water truck barreling along from the city out toward the springs, leaving a huge trail of dust. (That's another thing: the lights I'd seen had not raised any dust.) The driver of the truck saw me and circled around to where I was. He pulled up and wanted to know what I was doing out there. He seemed very agitated, and said there'd been a bomb threat, and there were cops everywhere trying to handle it without alerting or frightening the citizens. He was going to spend the night at the springs, and tried to pursuade me to go with him. I said no thanks.
I think the Water Truck driver was lonely...
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tarri
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Post by tarri » Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:16 pm

He seemed more cracked out and raving than lonely.

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BAS
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Post by BAS » Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:21 pm

I think saying "No thanks" was the right choice.


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Post by mener » Fri Aug 25, 2006 8:27 am

NO!! SEVERAL of my friends and I saw that UFO thing one year on the playa. It was 2003 or 2004. I've been to Burning Man 8 years, and this was the ONLY year that anything of that nature has happened...

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Post by Apollonaris Zeus » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:13 am

The lights are brighter on Broadway!

but so are the three moons around planet Tarktan of the sun, San.

in the fouth Googala galaxy in sector 4.233.

Woooooooo, hoooooo

See you Aliens on the playa!


AIIZ

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tarri
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Post by tarri » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:34 am

If "they" are "out there", seems like Burning Man would be the best show on the planet to watch...

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Re: UFO Sightings on the Playa

Post by Norcal500 » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:07 pm

[quote="tarri"]
In the middle of that night, we saw a bright star, straight up in the sky,that got brighter and larger, then turned red, then began dripping fire, then disappeared. Sounds like some kind of firework, but it was WAY up there. Maybe a natural phenomenon.

The strangest one was the year before Floating World (can't remember the theme.) I went to that one alone. After the burn I walked out into the desert alone for about 2 hours. I wanted to find the hot springs. I saw a light moving perpendicular to me, across the playa, far away and so fast I thought it couldn't be a vehicle (but I know how deceptive things can look out there). Suddenly it stopped, separated into 3 lights (the middle one was larger than the other 2), and began coming toward me. I stopped and waited, not sure what to do. I slowly crouched down, my heart pounding horribly. When I crouched, it stopped, and seemed to wait too. After a few minutes, the 3 lights became 1 again, and zipped off at a diagonal away from me and disappeared.

I dunno. Anyone?[/quote]



eat some more drugs hippie, it might come back and take you to their leader!!!!
Down with Burning Man !!!!!!

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Post by Kinetic IV » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:12 pm

That's a nice job of stereotyping people you don't even know Norcal.
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Post by Badger » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:30 pm

If "they" are "out there", seems like Burning Man would be the best show on the planet to watch...
Nah, from the visitor's perspective it'd probably be like getting the top of the stadium nosebleeder seats at the Superbowl.
Desert dogs drink deep.

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Zulegoona
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Post by Zulegoona » Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:06 am

I suppose they’d have to hang out someplace till the Super Bowl came around.

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tarri
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Post by tarri » Sun Aug 27, 2006 7:46 pm

Thank you Kinetic IV...you're my hero...

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Post by Norcal500 » Sun Aug 27, 2006 10:37 pm

[quote="Kinetic IV"]That's a nice job of stereotyping people you don't even know Norcal.[/quote]




SHUTUP !!!!........DON'T START WITH ME HIPPIE !!!!!
Down with Burning Man !!!!!!

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Post by Kinetic IV » Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:02 am

Norcal500 wrote:
Kinetic IV wrote:That's a nice job of stereotyping people you don't even know Norcal.



SHUTUP !!!!........DON'T START WITH ME HIPPIE !!!!!
Good grief. I've been called many things but this is a first! A hippie! Damn! And I don't even own a bottle of patchouli either! Wow, thanks Norcal! I want that stereotype brush you're using...if it can paint me as something I'm certainly not from 2000 miles away, I'm most impressed! NOT!

Now why don't you take your own advice and shut up yourself? Just because the majority of the board is at the event you think you can sneak on here and post your bullshit and lies and operate with impunity? It ain't gonna happen.
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