NUFORC Sighting 11477

Occurred: 1999-12-26 22:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 1999-12-27 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 1-1/2 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Portland, OR, USA

Shape: Unknown
Characteristics: Lights on object

Fast moving object with multicolored lights crossing east to west.

My boyfriend and I (both systems analysts, 30 and 36 respectively)were trying to identify constellations from a field behind his apartment building. There were no immediate city lights, the sky was incredibly clear. The moon had not come up yet into view. We first noticed the light in the middle of the big dipper. An unknown sized craft moved from east to west rapidly, it was much higher than planes that were coming in on approach to land at our nearby airport. We thought it was a shooting star, quickly discounted that in favor of a satellite, but then halfway through the movement across the sky, multi-colored lights suddenly started twinkling on it. It took about 15 to 20 seconds to cross the sky, maximum. It was about 1/3 as fast as a shooting star, stayed in a fairly straight pattern although it did seem to curve off at the end. We walked out into the field trying to follow it, but it disappeared into a horizon of tree tops. There was no sound and we did not observe a contrail. It was moving too fast for a jet, we both felt.

Posted 2000-01-07

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