March 2, 1999: UFO Sightings - Peter Davenport & Dr. Roger Leir | Miami Circle Update - Richard C. Hoagland
Dr. Leir recounts the emotional weight of the experience, noting the crowd fell into complete silence rather than the expected excitement. He describes a distinct feeling that the objects were acknowledging the observers before departing. Davenport, normally a self-described scientific skeptic, confirms this was among the strangest things he has witnessed in a decade. Neither man was able to photograph the event, as the objects appeared only as faint star-intensity lights impossible to capture with standard cameras.
Richard C. Hoagland joins later with an update on the Miami Circle, reporting that the site remains protected by court order while multiple lawsuits entangle the county, the city, and the developer. He connects the archaeological find to a broader theory of a prior sophisticated civilization, citing hieroglyphic panels at the Temple of Seti I at Abydos depicting what appear to be technological devices carved thousands of years ago.
Key Moments
Laughlin banquet: triangle of stars, two moved: On the closing night of the International UFO Congress in Laughlin, Nevada, Dr. Roger Leir describes Peter Gersten pulling him outside to a silent crowd of 30-40 staring at the sky. Leir initially dismissed it as nystagmus, removed his glasses, and saw two of three stars in a triangular cluster move slowly together into the moon's corona. He recalls a near-telepathic sense of 'we showed us to you, now we're leaving.'
Davenport corroborates Leir's sighting: Peter Davenport, head of the National UFO Reporting Center, confirms Leir's account. He came outside skeptical, saw a star pattern resembling Orion's belt with two extra stars off to the left, then watched those two move at low magnetic 80, about 45 degrees up - likely over Arizona across the Colorado River.
Hoagland: Miami Circle saved by lawsuits, not consensus: Hoagland updates from Miami: bulldozers stopped by judge's orders and the 10-1 county commission vote. Mayor Alex Penelas leads eminent-domain action against developer Michael Baumann (asking $50M against an $8M appraisal). The city of Miami, wanting tax revenue from a high-rise, is now suing the county. A lawsuit-driven legal limbo is what is preserving the 38-foot circle of holes.