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National UFO Reporting Center
Sighting Report
Occurred : 7/17/2009 20:30 (Entered as : 07/17/09 20:30)
Reported: 7/17/2009 4:17:03 AM 04:17
Posted: 8/5/2009
Location: Launceston (Australia),
Shape: Light
Duration:5-7 min
Slow moving , bright orange starlike object at high altitude .

To NUFORC,

I wish to report a UFO sighting that I saw tonight , 17/7/09 , at approximately 8.30p.m. Australian eastern standard time. My partner and I were seeing off friends in our back yard and while looking looking into the sky towards the south I noticed a slow moving bright orange object moving from the south-west towards true south .

We are located at Launceston, Tasmania and the object was initially travelling from south-west towards south-east and then seemed to turn right heading south and also climbing away. My partner suggested it was an aircraft but I was sure it wasn’t as there were no red or green flashing navigation lights and I also believed it was not in a viable flight path area as it would have created a problem for normal Launceston airport air traffic . Launceston airport is south of the city of Launceston and the position of this object was at high altitude but seemingly directly above the airport .

The object being at a high altitude was of only the size of a star but distinctly bright orange in color . There was scattered cloud and as the object climbed away the intensity of brightness began to vary until eventually we could not see it .

I would like to say that I am an astronomy enthusiast and often gaze at the night sky whilst having a cigarette in our back yard and try to identify sky objects such as planets and various stars and sometimes see sattelites . I am certain I have not mistaken this object for a normal aircraft and while I would be thrilled at the prospect of proof of alien visitors buzzing around our world in spaceships , I would never generate a hoax or false claim of this nature . I was going to run inside to grab my digital camera but I realised that the object was going to be out of view within seconds and at best a photo would have only shown a faint , starlike object .

From Launceston , Tasmania


((NUFORC Note: Could not have been the ISS, which was visible from this location only during morning hours on July 17, 2009. PD))