I just felt the need to "check in" to let you know I'm still here and keeping up with the site. I really do appreciate the entries, not just for historical context, but also for the fact that the observations from those who need to explain a sighting to themselves or others are restricted to natural phenomena such as meteorites in the days before space debris.
I'm keeping myself busy with an outstanding book on physics, "The Road to Reality" by Roger Penrose. He's a colleague of Hawking at Oxford, but he has a much clearer writing style in my opinion. I want to understand as much as possible about the current knowledge of the universe so I can put the UFO phenomenon into a better perspective. The book is 1099 pages and it will keep me busy for a year at least. The first third is devoted to pure mathematics, which is necessary for understanding the material to follow. I find it the mental equivalent of lifting weights at the health club. I haven't had so much mental exercise in years.
I found this part particularly interesting, especially the account by William Leet who viewed an orange sphere from the "Old Crow" while returning after a bomb drop. His account is the only one I've seen in which a pilot admits he couldn't judge the size of the object because there wasn't a good reference. I'd think the only way to properly judge the size of an object at night would be to have it appear in the midst of a formation flight with other nearby aircraft for comparison. There may be reports of that type, but I haven't seen any.
For even more fun, Google "orange spheres". Seriously, your contribution might just be the first reported encounter with something that has become fairly common now that the general population has become familiar with the UFO phenomenon.
Just for fun, Google "amber orbs".
Fascinating! I liked the description of a "gold colored ball, with a metallic finish" by one pilot and "phosphorescent gold colored sphere" by another. Much more descriptive than just "lights". These are similar to later sightings such as the Phoexix lights, and my own experience.
Comment continues. I believe there was a sixth object, but I can only say that it was probably there. There was a dim point source of light, like a star, which moved with the same characteristics as the five which were clearly defined. It surely would not have been visible had it not been an absolutely clear night.
The objects moved across the sky, and they were visible for less than a minute. The objects didn't change shape as they passed from right to left across the sky, which leads me to conclude that they were spherical. It was impossible to judge distance or speed of the objects as there was no reference.
I've had a single experience, and it was on January 2, 2007 in Negril, Jamaica. It was around 9:00 PM and my wife and I were walking back to our room after a nice dinner and a relaxing walk along most of the length of the seven mile beach. Negril is famous for easily obtainable ganja, but we had not enjoyed any mind altering substances beyond a couple of beers each at dinner around 7:00. The night was perfectly clear with stars bright against a deep black sky.
My wife was the first to notice the objects. There were five circular objects, identical in size, with a uniform orange color moving across the sky. The diameter of the objects was approximately a tenth that of the moon, and the edges were sharply defined. The motion of the objects was jerky with abrupt changes in speed and direction. The color was uniform across each of the objects and constant intensity.
Excellent account of your observation. This must surely be in the supposed 5% of unexplained sightings. Frankly, I'm more than a little skeptical of that 5% number which is quoted by the authorities. I'm surprised that we haven't seen more documented observations with the widespread use of camera phones.
In keeping with the spirit of this series, I typed RADAR rather than "radar". RADAR was an acronym for radio detection and ranging. I don't think RADAR became radar until the 1950's. We are used to thinking of radar reports as accurate and reliable, but that may not have been the case in 1941. I frankly don't know the status of the RADAR technology used on the west coast in 1941.
None of the original reports referenced RADAR as far as I can tell. One report says that planes were "detected" 100 miles off the coast. RADAR was at the time of these reports a new and secret technology. False echoes can't be ruled out. RADAR was instrumental in the defense of England in the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, but I don't know how the technology on the west coast of the US compared to that in England.
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Medley