NUFORC Sighting 30627

Occurred: 2003-08-08 22:30 Local
Reported: 2003-08-10 19:37 Pacific
Duration: 10-15 minutes
No of observers: 3

Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Shape: Flash

FLASHING LIGHT/ NO MOVEMENT/VERY BRIGHT AND HIGH IN THE SKY

MYSELF, MY BROTHER AND ROOMMATE WERE OUTSIDE MY HOME IN TEMPE, SITTING IN THE BACKYARD. I WAS FACING E/SE WHEN I FIRST NOTICED A FLASH TO THE NE OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE. SEEING AS WE ARE CLOSE TO SKY HARBOR AIRPORT IN PHOENIX, I EXPECTED A PLANE AND REALLY THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. 30 SECONDS LATER ANOTHER FLASH IN THE CORNER OF MY EYE. I TURNED TO FACE THE DIRECTION OF THE FLASH, E/NE AND WAITED. SURE ENOUGH, ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER, ANOTHER FLASH. I POINTED THE AREA OUT TO MY AMIGOS AND WE WAITED. 30 SECONDS, ANOTHER FLASH. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TUMBLING SPACE DEBRIS WHICH CAN COMMONLY PRODUCE FLASHES AS IT TUMBLES IN ORBIT AND REFLECTS SUNLIGHT. THE ODD THING ABOUT THIS WAS IT WASN'T MOVING. I'VE SEEN MANY, MANY SATELLITES IN MY DAY, SOME FLASHING AND SOME LIKE A MOVING STAR BUT THEY ALL HAD A DISCERNIBLE MOVEMENT. THIS OBJECT STAYED IN THE SAME EXACT SPOT AS WHEN I FIRST SAW IT FOR A GOOD 13/14 MINUTES. NO HIGHER OR LOWER IN THE SKY AND FLASHING WITH A BRIGHTNESS LIKE THAT OF MARS, VERY BRIGHT, MUCH BRIGHTER THAN ANY STARS IN THE SKY. I RAN INSIDE TO GET BINOCULARS, ASKING MY FRIENDS TO PLEASE KEEP WATCH OF THE AREA. AS I RETURNED THEY HAD BEEN TIMING THE FLASHES AND THEY WERE BETWEEN 27-30 SECONDS WITH NO CHANGE IN LUSTER. INTERESTINGLY WHEN I PUT THE BINOCULARS ON IT, I COULD QUITE EASILY SEE THE FLASH BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THERE AFTER THE FLASH, NO MOVING OBJECT, NO DISTANT SMALL PLANE, NOTHING. BY THIS TIME I'DE SAY 12-14 MINUTES HAD PASSED WITH THIS FLASHING LIGHT REMAINING FIXED IN THE SKY WITH THE SAME APPARENT BRIGHTNESS. THE 3 WITNESSES HAVE ALL SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME OUTDOORS, MY BROTHER IS A GUIDE ON THE COLORADO RIVER IN THE GRAND CANYON, SO WE HAVE SEEN MANY OF THE MISIDENTIFIED UFO'S COMMONLY REPORTED, SATELLITES, METEORS, ODD ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA, THIS THING MATCHED NOTHING I HAVE SEEN BEFORE. I WOULD SAY THE LAST 60-90 SECONDS WERE VERY STRANGE. THE OBJECT STILL WAS FLASHING ON 30 SECOND CYCLES BUT IN THE LAST MINUTE AS IT FLASHED IT WAS GETTING LOWER AND LOWER! IN THE SKY, STILL VERY BRIGHT BUT OBVIOUSLY COMING DOWN(or moving away). THE LAST 2 FLASHES GOT VERY DIM, THE LAST BEING BARELY VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE, AS MY BROTHER STATED TO ME. THROUGH MY BINOCULARS IT SEEMED TO GET RED, THEN REDDISH BLUE AND STOPPED FLASHING. WE STAYED OUTSIDE FOR 20 MORE MINUTES AND IT DIDN'T APPEAR AGAIN. I SUPPOSE IT COULD BE A SATELLITE MOVING FROM SW TO NE AND SEEING AS IT WAS FLYING AT A CERTAIN ANGLE TO US ON THE GROUND, IT COULD ACCOUNT FOR A BIT OF MOVEMENT DISTORTION(like a plane coming straight towards you from a distance). HOWEVER I DOUBT 10+ MINUTES COULD PASS WITH NO APPARENT MOVEMENT, EVEN A SATELLITE SHOULD BE SEEN TO MOVE A BIT THROUGH THE SKY IN THIS AMOUNT OF TIME. IT WAS DEFINITELY ODD AND I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN A SIMILAR OBJECT OR WHO MAY HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR IT'S LACK OF MOVEMENT. TO US, IT REMAINS UNKNOWN....…

NUFORC Note:

This is one of several similar reports NUFORC has received during July and August 2003 of tiny, long-duration, blinking lights, allegedly witnessed in the night sky by seemingly credible witnesses. We do not know what the objects are, although if the reports are accurate, they can be neither satellites, no conventional aircraft. PD

Posted 2003-08-28