1783.10.18
21.45
On 18 October 1783 Tiberius Cavallo made [an] interesting observation from the terrace of Windsor Castle:
“To the north-east of the terrace, in a clear sky and in warm weather, I suddenly saw appear an oblong cloud moving more or less parallel to the horizon. Under this cloud could be seen a luminous object which soon became spherical, brilliantly lit, which came to a halt. It was then about 9.45 pm. This strange sphere seemed at first to be pale blue in colour, but its luminosity increased and soon it set off again towards the east. Then the object changed direction and moved parallel to the horizon before disappearing towards the south-east. I watched it for half a minute, and the light it gave out was prodigious; it lit up everything on the ground. Before it vanished it changed its shape, became oblong, and at the same time as a sort of trail appeared, it seemed to separate into two small bodies. Scarcely two minutes later the sound of an explosion was heard.”
(UFOs 1947-1987: The 40-Year Search for an Explanation, Evans and Spencer)