ClaphamFox
Roofer
I didn't see it fly off. It was just there, then it wasn't. It just seemed to switch off, leaving an afterglow which lasted for 10-15 seconds before fading.Very interesting. What do you mean by "suddenly snapping off"? Did it fly off at speed, or disappear?
My first thought was a Chinese Lantern, but obviously not if it flew off at speed...
I'm sceptical it was a Chinese lantern, for several reasons: 1) judging from the height/distance, I'd say it was a large object - much larger than any Chinese lantern I've ever seen; 2) it was saucer-shaped and hovering at a slight angle, whereas most Chinese lanterns I've seen have been round/oval/cylindrical; and 3) it didn't move the whole time I saw it - it just seemed to hover in the same spot for 10 minutes before it 'switched off' (obviously I don't know how long it was there before I spotted it). Given there was a breeze that night, I would have expected a Chinese lantern to be moving.
One thing I didn't mention in my first post is that judging from the angle and distance it seemed to be hovering above Farmoor Reservoir, which is 2.5 miles away from my house. I'm not sure if that's relevant or not...