NUFORC Sighting 08683

Occurred: 1999-08-14 22:00 Local
Reported: 1999-08-18 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 8 - 10 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Richland, WA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object

I saw a bright light appear directly above me in the sky. It was moving slowly and was not a shooting star or the lights on a plane. It was about 10 times larger than the brightest star in the sky. It was traveling horizontally and remained in sight about 8 - 10 seconds before it went out.

I was on our deck about l0:00 pm leaning back in a lounge chair and looking up at the night sky. A bright light suddenly apeared directly overhead travelling from the northwest towards the southeast. It looked just like a bright flash of light that remained in sight much longer than a flash should is the best I can describe it. It was in my sight for about 8 - 10 seconds. It was moving steadily and not very fast like a shooting star would travel. It was one large light about the light density and size of 10 times the brightest star in the sky at the time. The distance that it travelled was equal to the distance from my index finger to my thumb held at arms length. It appeared instantly, moving slowly, and then went out instantly. I live near a small airport and have seen airplanes fly over my house at night so my first thought was that it was a plane. I then realized I had never seen a light on a plane that was that big or that bright, or a light that turned on and then turned off like that. It was travelling away from the airport and not towards the direction of the airport. I could not hear a plane and can hear the planes that take off and come in to land that pass over my house. We recently had 4th of July fireworks going off around town and it was not like a flare, rocket or fireworks--it did not go up and then down. It appeared to be high, directly overhead and moved horizontally in a straight line before it disappeared. It did not disappear from going out of sight into the distance but seemed to just turn off while still directly overhead.

Posted 1999-08-30