NUFORC Sighting 33873

Occurred: 2003-08-07 21:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2003-12-17 11:53 Pacific
Duration: about 2 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Newberry, MI, USA

Shape: Orb

A star-like light passing overhead in an arc, appearing in intervals over a time of about 60 to 120 seconds.

On my back stargazing at Camp Paradise near Newberry. A star-like light passes in an arc at zenith. This lasts about two seconds. The light reappears, following the same arc, for another second then goes out. Seconds later I see it again, farther away but following approximately the same arc. This finally disappeared and I did not see it again. The first time it appeared, I thought it was just like a lightning bug passing overhead. This would have been very unusual, however, because there were almost no other bugs whatsoever and I had certainly not seen any lightning bugs. When it reappeared I was sure it was no bug because it was obviously distant, star-like and moving at a rate like a very distant object might move. A satellite does not orbit in an arc, an airplane would not have appeared in intervals and would not have taken nearly the same amount of time to travel the way this did - unless it was very, very far away and at such a high altitude. I have seen so many airplanes, satellites and lightning bugs to know this was not any of this. The intervals of appearance, the appearance of great altitude and distance and the time it took to travel the distances I observed it all indicate something I cannot explain.

Posted 2003-12-19