A Metallic Disc Over Gridley: An Unexplained Sighting

The Sighting At 1:44 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2026, a Gridley, California, resident was at his food club in the Iceberg area, looking toward Casa Lupe. He saw a wingless metallic disc with no discernible heat, moving about 10 miles away.

The witness described the object as a metallic-colored circle moving slowly from left to right at three to four kilometers per hour, at an angle of about 46 degrees above the horizon. He said it moved back and forth at the end of its path, creating a steady “to-and-fro” motion. The sighting lasted about five minutes, and the witness kept his eyes on the object throughout.

Local and Weather Context Gridley is a small city in central California, surrounded by farmland and open spaces. In late spring, the area's air tends to be warm and visibility good, allowing clear views of the sky. According to the witness, the object appeared about 10 miles away, placing it thousands of feet above the ground.

What Could Explain It? The report suggests the object may have been a metallic balloon or another object with similar characteristics. Metallic balloons are sometimes used for research or advertising, and can look shiny when sunlight reflects off their surface. However, the lack of discernible heat, the absence of wings, and the slow “to-and-fro” motion do not precisely match the characteristics of a typical balloon.

Why It’s Interesting Several details make the object difficult to identify at a glance: its circular shape, metallic color, and lack of visible wings or propulsion. The witness’s ability to watch it for five minutes also allowed for a more detailed account than a sighting lasting only a few seconds. Reports like this add to NUFORC’s database and invite possible scientific or technological investigation of rare aerial phenomena.

Summary The report is an unverified eyewitness account of a metallic object hovering over Gridley and moving slowly in a circular path. A metallic balloon is one possible explanation, but some details make it difficult to identify with certainty. Until further information emerges, such as camera footage, additional eyewitness accounts, or radar data, the case will remain part of the area’s record of unexplained phenomena.

The report is listed in the NUFORC database under case number 197650.