568

12.45 PM. Blue sky.

A. C. Williams of Caergynydd Road, Waunarlwydd:

"At 12.45 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, while glancing skywards to estimate the weather situation, my attention was riveted on a small, but bright object at an elevation of approximately 80 degrees from the north western horizon (i.e. almost the zenith).

It appeared as a bright star or planet, except that it was set in a bright blue sky, and appeared quite stationary, well above the cumulus clouds travelling from a west or north-westerly direction.

A pin head held at arm's length would have covered it completely and its altitude I judged as being very great indeed.

On observing it further with 8 x 30 binoculars, it appeared slightly larger, but no detail could be seen, except for a flash which occurred at irregular intervals from the lower left of the phenomenon. My view of the phenomenon was obscured at irregular intervals for about four minutes by the passage of a large cumulus cloud at relatively low altitude. When it reappeared it was apparently in the same spot.

At about 12.50 p.m. observing with the naked eye, the phenomenon became less bright and began to fade or disappear.

On immediately using the binoculars I was amazed to find that there were now three smaller points of light instead of one, two above and one below, forming a sort of isosceles triangle arrangement with the points of light at the vertices. The points of light were not visible with the naked eye and remained more or less stationary save for a slight decrease in distance between the two above, which occurred in a few seconds.

After assuming a more comfortable position to observe the celestial trio of light points I inadvertently lost their position since even through binoculars they appeared small. There was no sign at all of the bright object I first observed, the sky remaining blue and clear in that spot. The object had apparently broken into three parts. The only explanation I have considered is that of a weather or research balloon that burst at high altitude.

Source: 'South Wales Evening Post' Tuesday 26 August 1969.