Mysterious object in sky intrigues viewers

An online video of a mysterious object in the Jefferson City sky Sunday evening has drawn thousands of online viewers, but no definitive answers.

After stopping for a bite to eat at the Sonic off Eastland Drive, Jefferson City resident Andrew Lloyd Schnieders saw something in the sky that he couldn't explain.

He captured the image on his phone camera at about 8:30 p.m., then posted the video on his Facebook page, as well as KRCG TV-13's Facebook page, and on YouTube.

By late Monday afternoon, the video had a total of nearly 11,000 views.

"I just want to know what it was," Schnieders said. "It was crazy - doing all these different colors, going in all these different directions. It was (switching from) green and blue and red, and I thought, "This is not a helicopter.'"

The 4.5-minute video, which contains graphic language, shows a lighted object that appears to change directions as well as the intensity and color of the light being emitted. During some points, it appears to stop and hover in mid-air.

Schnieders said some of the feedback he received indicated that it could be a drone.

"I don't know anything about drones, but that's the only other explanation," he said. "I hesitate to say it was an extraterrestrial craft, but I don't know what it was. I could have been anything. It could have been Santa for all I know."

Schnieders said he's been looking at online videos of drones at night. "So far, none of the ones I've looked at look anything like what I saw and got video of," he said.

Postings on Schnieders' Facebook page indicate others also saw the object.

John Koonce is president of the local Experimental Aircraft Association, a group of aircraft enthusiasts who promote and support recreational flying.

He said that if anyone in their group could bring clarity to the video, it would be Bob Lynch, an aviation expert and longtime member of the organization. Lynch is retired and no longer active in the organization, but Koonce said he would be able to instantly recognize many aircraft.

Lynch hadn't heard about the video, but agreed to view it and give his reaction. After watching it, he called the News Tribune back: "I have no idea," he said. "It's moving around and the detail is so far away, you just can't make out anything on it. It does change colors, from white to red, but who knows."

He said it could be a drone, but he's not convinced because of the light emitted from the aircraft. The light is constantly round, so the aircraft would have to be facing the camera the entire time, he said.

"The light is round like a moon," he said. "I don't know how they got it to glow so round, yet not have any detail that you could make out."

He said it's also hard to determine how far away it is, and hence, how fast it's moving.

"I have never seen anything like that before," he said.