NUFORC Sighting 180419

Occurred: 2024-02-14 19:25 Local
Reported: 2024-02-14 17:44 Pacific
Duration: 5 minutes
No of observers: 2 - Military

Location: Forest Hill, MD, USA
Location details: Suburban area at night, not too much light pollution

Shape: Unknown
Color: White
Estimated Size: Difficult to estimate
Viewed From: Land
Direction from Viewer: about 120 degrees
Angle of Elevation: 80
Closest Distance: Difficult to estimate height
Estimated Speed: Stationery, then elevating
Explanation: Rocket - Probable
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Left a trail

Group of lights in night sky looked different than the rest

My wife noticed a group of three stars in a row, similar to Orion's belt, that looked cloudy when the rest of the sky was very clear. These were spotted looking over the top of our house to the east, altitude varied. As we watched, the westernmost or trailing star became very bright and the entire formation seemed to get closer. A gaseous cloud emanated from the formation in a conical shape and the formation began gaining altitude until it faded away into the sky. A quick check of air traffic in our area showed zero aircraft in that direction. Aircraft headed south towards BWI or beyond were flying steady and at a different altitude than the formation.

Posted 2024-02-15