NUFORC Sighting 11871

Occurred: 2000-02-02 21:30 Local
Reported: 2000-02-03 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 5-7 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Bagdad, AZ, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

Out stargazing, I noticed an unusually bright yellow light just above the eastern horizon It proceeded to climb accross the sky. As it crossed overhead I could make out two seperate lights side by side. With the absence of navigation lights, and lack of noise it appeared not to be an aircraft. It proceeded to disappear below the western horizon, being visible to the naked eye during it's entire five to seven minute arc accross the night sky.

In Bagdad, AZ {N 34.34'18" x W 113.10'47"} at 9:30 pm {21:30} AZ time. Being an amateur astronomer, I was out stargazing like usual. I immediately noticed an unusual object on the eastern horizon, it was approximately a magnitude -2 and yellow in appearence. It was very out of place. Having once lived next to an airforce bombing range, it reminded me of a flare dropped by a military aircraft. It slowly rose above the horizon heading straight over me, heading due west. As it approached I realized it could not be a flare as flares do not travel from horizon to horizon. Upon my realization that it was not a flare, aircraft, or satellite and that it was something I have never observed, I retrieved my binoculars. By the time it was directly overhead I could see that it was two individual lights {approximately 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch apart at arms length} with the aid of 10 x 50 binoculars I could see a 3rd light slightly ahead and 1/8 of the size of the two outer most lights. As the object headed towards the western horizon the two outer most lights appeared flicker once about every five seconds. It had no navigation lights, made no sound and took approximately five to seven minutes to travel from the eastern horizon to the western horizon. It did not fade out of sight, it just disappeared below the western horizon.

Posted 2000-02-16