NUFORC UFO Sighting 193921
Occurred: 2025-11-07 17:24 LocalReported: 2025-11-07 06:23 Pacific
Duration: Approx 15 seconds
No of observers: 1 - Aviation Expert
Location: Bend, OR, USA
Location details: Brilliant phosphorus white trail, faster than aircraft, slower than meteor or bolide.
Shape: Other
Color: Billiant White
Estimated Size: Not pinpoint by neither discernable size / arc.
Viewed From: Land
Direction from Viewer: SSE to E
Angle of Elevation: 30
Heading: Easterly
Closest Distance: Unknown
Estimated Speed: Covered roughly 80 degrees in under 15 seconds
Explanation: Space Junk - Possible
Characteristics: Left a trail
Sighted an object leaving a brilliant trail / wake that was faster than aircraft and slower than any meteor or bolide.
I usually get up at 5a, and when weather permits, spend 20 minutes in the hot tub before getting ready for work. On Fr 11/7, I noted the time at 5:21 as I headed out to the tub.
Weather was partial clouds, but the sky above was open. Ursa Major on its tail was quite visible to the NE, Arcturus low in the east, and to my SW behind the pine trees were Sirius and Orion. Sky to the south was open. Cloud cover mainly low and to the west and north.
I also hold an FAA Part 107 commercial sUAS license, and am familiar with the IFR routes that cross over Central Oregon. Shortly after climbing into the tub, approx 5:23, I noticed traffic on roughly the Q11 jetway, SSE heading. No contrail (significant), running lights making it clear this was an aircraft at altitude. A later check of Flightaware shows that this was likely UPS 9615 from PDX to ONT.
At about 5:25, I noticed what I thought at first was a contrail low to the south, about 170 degrees azimuth and 30 degrees elevation, moving from WSW to E. What struck me were the appearance and the velocity. It was faster than the aircraft we usually see, but noticeably slower than any meteor or bolide that I've ever seen. The brightness grew in intensity, yet the trail remained a uniform apparent thickness - about that of a contrail you would normally see in the daytime. It grew to a brilliant white, like white phosphorus. The object / trail continued steadily eastward until it just blinked out, due directly east and about 35 degrees elevation. The was no visible 'head' or object at the front of the trail, and it did not fade or fragment like a meteor or bolide tends to do. It simply turned off. Against the night sky, the path would have been on a line roughly from Sirius to Arcturus. The 'trail' never fluctuated in size, color, intensity once it reached peak brightness shortly after I caught sight of it. Having seen countless aircraft, satellites, Starlink trains, and meteors in my life, this simply did not conform to anything I have ever seen.
Shortly after the incident, I saw additional air traffic on roughly the same heading, obviously commercial. Again no contrail, running lights making it obvious this was an aircraft, and much slower than what I had just seen. A subsequent check of Flightaware shows it likely to have been UAL 1241 EUG to DEN.
My father spent his career with the Titan IV program, and I've witnessed many launches from Southern California and Vandenberg. Those launches tend to be westward or SSW. The trail did not distort nor disperse like exhaust trails that I've seen throughout my life.
I was back in the house by 5:42. My guess is that was space debris or perhaps re-entry of some military hypersonic vehicle.
Posted 2025-11-11