NUFORC Sighting 180519

Occurred: 2024-02-20 18:55 Local
Reported: 2024-02-21 04:32 Pacific
Duration: roughly 1 minute
No of observers: 2 - Aviation Expert

Location: Vail, AZ, USA

Shape: Light
Color: White slightly blue
Estimated Size: unknown
Viewed From: Land
Direction from Viewer: North
Angle of Elevation: 80
Closest Distance: 50-75 miles estimated
Estimated Speed: orbital speeds

Bright but variable light travelling east to west at speeds much greater than normal jet traffic and faster than a satellite.

I went out to lock the garage just before 7pm and looked at the sky. It was mostly clear with very wispy clouds. Orion and Sirius were clearly visible as was the moon. As I was facing east looking at the moon I noticed a bright white light moving from east to west at a speed much greater than any normal aircraft. I discounted a satellite due to the direction and apparent speed. It was travelling roughly 3-4x as fast as any satellite I've previously witnessed. I yelled to my roommate who was in the house several times, all the while tracking the object and she came out after it had passed through the zenith. I directed her to what I was observing and she witnessed the last few seconds of its path before it was no longer visible. There was some variability in brightness and apparent maneuvering but the changes were slight. There was no sound. No navigation lights. Nothing to indicate this was an aircraft. I've lived in the Tucson area since 1996 and I'm a member of the EAA and former Docent at the Air Museum here. I'm very familiar with aircraft capabilities. This is not my first sighting nor my first reporting.

Posted 2024-03-13