What Happened
At 11:20 p.m. local time, a series of small orbs was spotted about 5–6 feet above the ground on a southbound road from Sedona toward Cottonwood. Each was about a foot in diameter. At first, they appeared to be ordinary lights, such as lamps or vehicle headlights. Then one changed unexpectedly. The green light, surrounded by a thin halo, landed on the ground and began to flash. A few seconds later, it cut out and shot upward at an astonishing speed of about 300 kilometers per hour, reaching roughly 100 feet before disappearing.
The driver said he tried to keep looking at the light while driving, nearly lost control of his car, and was shaken for about two minutes. He described it as an “orb”—a green sphere with a halo, slightly larger than a basketball. He estimated it was 50–70 yards (45–65 meters) away.
Local Context
Sedona, Arizona, is known for its colorful scenery and sightings of unusual lights, including phenomena such as ball lightning or UFOs. The area draws many tourists, so traffic can be heavy, and moving lights may be mistaken for headlights. Still, the reported halo and the light’s rapid vertical ascent are unlike the behavior of ordinary vehicle headlights.
Why the Sighting Is Interesting
The report describes several features that are difficult to explain simply:
- Green color – unusual for ground-based light sources.
- A halo around the light – may point to a physical phenomenon involving plasma or the interaction of materials.
- Speed of ascent – about 300 kilometers per hour over a few seconds, making it difficult to explain as an ordinary “headlight.”
- Size and distance – the light was basketball-sized and relatively close, allowing for a detailed observation.
Still, there is no corroborating evidence, such as video, accounts from other witnesses, or radar data. This remains an unverified eyewitness report.
Summary
The incident highlights the importance of documenting unusual lights accurately, especially in tourist areas such as Sedona. Whether this was a natural phenomenon—a fireball, plasma, or another electro-optical effect—or something else remains an open question.
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TL;DR – In the dark on an Arizona road, a basketball-sized green light surrounded by a halo was seen rising at about 300 kilometers per hour to a height of roughly 100 feet, nearly causing a crash.