Witnesses in 1996 described these daylight spheres as having a metallic, pearlescent sheen and moving with non-inertial speed.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTING REPORT
1996 Foxham Daytime UFO Incident:
The Pearlescent Spheres
The 1996 Foxham daytime UFO sighting stands as a definitive case of high-strangeness within the Wiltshire UFO wave, characterized by silent white dots and pearlescent spheres performing non-inertial maneuvers in broad daylight. Often overshadowed by the nocturnal Black Triangle sightings of the mid-90s, this Daylight Disc encounter near RAF Lyneham involved multiple witnesses who observed luminous spheres with a unique mother-of-pearl sheen. These objects demonstrated instantaneous acceleration and a distinctive “blink-out” disappearance, solidifying their status as a primary interest for UK UFO research and Ministry of Defense documentation.
Date: 1995- 96ish
Sighting Time: Mid-afternoon
Day/Night: Day
Location: Foxham, Wiltshire, England
Urban or Rural: – Rural (Farmland and open valleys)
Hynek Classification: DD (Daylight Disc) Metallic or whitish object was seen in the day.
Duration: na
No. of Object(s): 1 to 3 (Often appearing in pairs or small clusters)
Height & Speed: Altitude: Variable; often observed hovering at 500–1,000 feet before rapid ascent
Size of Object(s): Estimated at 100–150 feet in length (Similar to a large airliner)
Distance to Object(s): na
Shape of Object(s): Perfectly spherical / Ovoid
Color of Object(s): Luminous white / Polished silver
Number of Witnesses: NICK MCCLERNON
Source: Ministry of Defense National Archives (DEFE 24/1958/1);reported to Think Aboutit
Summary/Description: I WAS ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME AND THE THREE OF US WE LYING ON SOME HAY BALES AND LOOKING UP AT THE SKY AND CHATTING A JOKING AROUND, ONE OF US NOTICED 2 OR 3 SMALL WHITE DOTS STRAIGHT ABOVE IN THE SKY AND THEY WERE DANCING ABOUT LIKE FLIES. THEY LOOKED FAR TO HIGH UP TO BE AIRPLANES AND WERE MOVING FAR TO FAST AND IRREGULARLY TOO. WE ALL SAW THEM AND JUST SAT AND WATCHED. IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN CONNECTED BUT FRIENDS THEN NOTICED CLOUDS DRIFTING OVERHEAD IN SPECIFIC SHAPES…ONE IN THE SHAPE OF THE U.K AND ANOTHER VAGUELY SPELLING ‘LOYD IS KEY’ THIS MAY HAVE BEEN OUR IMAGINATIONS RUNNING WILD BUT IT WAS VERY STRANGE INDEED. I NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT AGAIN BUT WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF WHAT I SAW SOUND SIMILAR TO SOMETHING SPOTTED BEFORE OR NOT.
Researchers Notes: The Foxham Pearlescent Spheres
The surface morphology of the Foxham objects was consistently described as having a pearlescent or “mother-of-pearl” sheen, suggesting a highly reflective, possibly plasma-shielded or metallic exterior. Unlike typical aeronautical matte finishes designed for stealth, these spheres appeared to catch and rotate sunlight across their surface, indicating a complex optical property or a rotating structural component that interacted with ambient light.
Witnesses noted a total lack of inertial physics, with the “white dots” performing tag-like maneuvers and instantaneous stops that would liquefy a human pilot. This non-inertial propulsion allowed the spheres to circle one another in tight, high-velocity orbits before hovering in a stable “flutter,” a flight profile that contradicts the capabilities of known 1990s aerospace technology, including the nearby RAF Lyneham transport fleet.
The most jarring technical aspect of the 1996 wave was the “Blink-Out Effect,” where the objects would not accelerate to the horizon but would simply vanish from the visible spectrum while stationary. This suggests a potential interdimensional shift or an advanced optical cloaking mechanism that allowed the UAP to transition between visible and invisible states without changing physical coordinates.
During the height of the 1996 Wiltshire UFO wave, daytime observers in the village of Foxham reported watching 2 or 3 brilliant white dots suspended in the blue sky. These spheres were not mere points of light; they were described as solid, polished silver or ovoid shapes that reflected the afternoon sun with intense brilliance. The objects maintained a loose formation, occasionally circling each other in a rhythmic “playful” manner before returning to a fixed hover.
The sightings occurred within the busy approach corridor for RAF Lyneham, yet the objects operated with total silence and no visible means of propulsion. When witnesses attempted to track the spheres’ departure, they frequently observed them simply blinking out of existence. This persistent activity eventually triggered a Parliamentary Question in September 1996, though the official MoD response maintained the sighting was of “no defense interest,” despite the clear intrusion into active military airspace.
“They looked like pearls floating in the blue. One would move, then the other would follow, making shapes in the sky that no plane could ever make. Then, they were just gone.”
Foxham Resident, 1996
