Mystery objects over Chelsea leave city agape

Has Chelsea become so trendy even Martians are scouting for co-ops?

A silvery vision of a dozen balloon-like dots hovering in yesterday's clear-blue sky over West 23rd Street had thousands speculating the mysterious objects might be UFOs.

Callers began phoning the NYPD and Federal Aviation Administration at 1:30 p.m. with reports of the strange, silver objects high in the sky.

"Some people saw something described as yellow with blue lights surrounding it," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. He added that if the objects were weather balloons -- as some suggested -- his agency had no prior notification they'd be launched.

Witness Daniel Calhoun, 52, admitted, "Common sense says it wasn't a UFO.

"Common sense says it was a plane or a balloon, but this thing stopped everyone in the street for two blocks. Any New Yorker will tell you, that alone is extraordinary."

Pete Bryant, 32, said, "I saw five or six lights shining in the sky. There was no way that thing was a balloon.

"There was something weird about it. Light just doesn't reflect off balloons like that. "If Martians were to land anywhere, New York is a much better location than some backwoods town in the Midwest."

Tim Powell, 28 , described the objects as "the most bizarre thing I've ever seen."

"It looked like a jellyfish made of lights that just hovered in the sky like it wanted to be seen," he said. "I was half expecting the aliens to beam down and introduce themselves."

And Richard Molina, 42, compared what he saw to the "creatures from 'Predator.' "

"It freaked me out. It was a real Superman moment, too," he said.

"Everyone looked up in the sky. It really was an event."