Bright Trailing Light Filmed Across Six Patagonian Towns, Likely Chinese Rocket Debris

This scan turned up one credible new report: a bright light with a long trail that residents in at least six Patagonian towns saw and filmed on Monday night, Nov. 2. There's also a Bigfoot report from Idaho that has been widely republished but has almost no evidence behind it.

Bright light with a white trail crosses Patagonia, Argentina (Nov. 2)

What was reported: On Monday night, Nov. 2, residents in Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces reported a bright object crossing the sky. It left a long white trail, which some called "white smoke." In some places it looked like an intense orange light that started as a point, moved slowly toward the northwest and sank toward the horizon.

Where and when: Reports came from El Calafate, Pico Truncado, Fitz Roy and Las Heras in Santa Cruz, and from Río Mayo, Esquel and Cholila in Chubut. La Opinión Austral says the first reports from Pico Truncado arrived around 22:00 local time.

Evidence: Residents shared photos and videos with local outlets. In Cholila, resident Jessica Ubiedo filmed the light from outside her home and posted the video on Facebook. Several regional news sites covered it, including La Opinión Austral, ADNSUR, Diario Crónica and Argentar Noticias.

Verifiability: Moderate. It was seen across a wide area and filmed by a named witness, but no radar data or official statement has come out.

Likely ordinary explanation: RS Astroturismo, an astronomy-tourism project in Río Gallegos, said the images match debris from a Chinese Long March 2C (CZ-2C) rocket that orbital data predicted would re-enter around Nov. 2. A slow object with a long trail that breaks into orange points fits a re-entry better than a meteor. Local outlets call this a hypothesis, though. No space agency or government body has confirmed it, and one outlet listed the expected re-entry date inconsistently.

Source: La Opinión Austral

Idaho deer hunter reports knocking, a smell and a voice near St. Maries (Oct. 20)

What was reported: An unnamed hunter told the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (report 83680) about a 5-to-10-minute encounter on an evening deer hunt around 5 p.m. on Oct. 20. He heard knocking on a tree 200 to 300 yards away near a creek bed, noticed a strong smell of decay and briefly heard a deep voice he couldn't make out. He found no carcass and no human footprints.

Verifiability: Weak. There is one anonymous witness, with no photos, video or tracks. It's included here only because Fox News ran it and other stations republished it this week.

Likely ordinary explanation: Tree knocks, carcass smells and distant voices in the woods can come from elk, other hunters or rotting game out of sight.

Source: WFMD (Fox News)

Saw something yourself?

If you saw a moving light, first try our Is It a UFO? checker to rule out re-entries, satellites and planets. A steady shot makes footage much easier to analyze, so a phone tripod is worth having.

Sources: La Opinión Austral; ADNSUR; Diario Crónica; Argentar Noticias; WFMD