On Friday evening 16 May we settled down after super to a good night’s
sailing and were chatting in the cockpit when we saw it. It was about 8.30 pm,
the sky was dark but clear and the moon hadn’t risen. A couple of miles
above the horizon to the west, a very bright orange light, so bright it looked
like a search light, appeared. Trailing the light was a wide, bushy
orangey/yellow tail. It curved to the left and moved as if searching for
something in slow motion towards us. It then slowly curved around to the right
and disappeared. Had us fooled – three grown adults thinking we were about
to be abducted by aliens! Of course (haha) we realised that there is no such
thing as UFOs. So it must have been an asteroid, comet or meteor we suppose.
Calling all astronomers out there – please explain our phenomenon. Thank
you!