NUFORC Sighting 38698

Occurred: 2004-08-16 22:15 Local
Reported: 2004-08-16 16:08 Pacific
Duration: 6 HOURS
No of observers: 2

Location: Granite Falls, WA, USA

Shape: Changing
Characteristics: Lights on object, Changed Color, Aircraft nearby

A bright object with flashing colored lights and consistent back and forth movement appeared in the Northwest Sky at about 10PM.

When I was about to fall asleep on Sunday night my wife noticed that there was what she called a "star that was moving". We went outside to our driveway and saw a reddish-blue object at about 50 degrees azimuth off the horizon in the Northwest sky about the size of Mars or Venus but brighter, with what seemed to be flashing rotating red, blue, green & yellow lights. My first impression was that it was a planet but upon closer observation we both saw that it was moving left to right and up and down without any specific pattern. The movement suggested that the object was "hovering". The movement would be as much as 5-7 degrees in either direction at medium speed. I then noticed what appeared to be an aircraft with a blue light approach the object from the West and disappear once it reached the object. After the apparent aircraft disappeared the "hovering" movement resumed and the flashing lights took on a different characteristic of rhythmic pulsing. I then went upstairs and got my video camera and began taping. This continued for 3 hours until we both became so sleepy that we had to go back to bed.

NUFORC Note:

We spoke with this witness via telephone, and we found him to be serious-minded. He agreed that he might have been looking at a planet, probably Jupiter. PD

Posted 2004-08-24