NUFORC Sighting 18579

Occurred: 2001-07-19 03:00 Local
Reported: 2001-07-23 00:00 Pacific
Duration:

Location: Iron Mountain, OR, USA

Shape:

Hello Peter,

JIm ((name deleted--UFO investigator from Oregon)) suggested I send this to you.

What: Don't know
Where: Iron Mtn. OR
Heading: From NW to NE horison
When: 3 am, 7/19/01

Description:

I awoke to 'talk to the trees' and looked up from 6,000 ft at the clear mtn. sky. Surprised was I to see what looked like a satelite, high in the sky, but with an unusual twist....it had a clear beam of light, with a narrow focus emitting in front of it all the way across the whole sky from west to the eastern horison! The beam of light was very focused and did not widen or dissipate for the entire length of its arc across the sky....a very long distance from that altitude.

As the'satelite' moved across the sky, about 20-25 seconds to cross from nw horizon to ne horizon, the beam clearly was coming from the front of it and it shortened as a headlight would do as the vehicle moved across the sky....

Satelite body was yellowish, no detals, beam was slightly bluer.

There was also a clear but faint sound as it passed overhead, sounded like decelleration of a body from a great speed...a droning, low pitched vibration which lowered slightly in frequency in the time I observed it slightly.

Possible Explainations:

1. Military
2. UFO

Regards,

((name deleted))

NUFORC Note:

Satellites are probably not visible in the night sky at 0300 hrs. local time. They are not visible because they are on the "dark" side of the Earth, I.e. the side facing away from the Sun, so satellites are in the Earth's shadow. Satellites are visible in orbit because they are being illuminated by the Sun. If they are not illuminated, they are not visible from ground level. PD

Posted 2001-08-05