NUFORC Sighting 31507

Occurred: 2003-08-05 23:45 Local
Reported: 2003-09-16 15:03 Pacific
Duration: 6 sec.
No of observers: 1

Location: Dun sur Meuse (France), , France

Shape: Formation
Characteristics: Lights on object

Two objects looking like regular stars crossing the night skies way too fast to be satellites or airplaines. No trail

Location: Dun sur Meuse, app. 20 miles north of Verdun, France.

Just before midnight (8th-9th aug.)I saw two objects, looking like regular stars or satelites, moving rapidly towards the southwest. They came in from the northeast and moved in a straight line, at an angle of about 40 degrees upward.

They appeared to be regular stars or satelites: small white lights that would never have caught my eyes had they not been moving at such a strange speed. There where moving much too fast for satelites (besides, I've never heard of satelites traveling in unison) and way too slow for meteorites, which I've seen many times. I most certainly saw no trail of bright glowing material behind these two travelers. They where also moving way too fast for a couple of airplaines in the night. I saw no red of green navigationlights on portside or starboard, nore any blinking lights. Had it been two plaines (fighterjets in formation?) then I would have heard the noise, considering the speed and therefore low altitude. I have seen thousands of airplaines in the night, so I know what they look and sound like. Airplaines at cruising speed move about five times slower then the two objects I saw. Otherwise they must have been about 1500 feet up in the air. What a roar that would haven given! It's almost impossible to estimate the distance between these two 'stars' since I don't know their actual size and altitude. If I where to draw out the night sky on a big piece of paper and hold it at an arms lenght in front of my eyes, I would pinpoint these two 'stars' about an inch apart.

Another thing puzzles me too. The first few seconds I noticed that one 'star' was a little behind the other. During the entire passage (about seven seconds) they never changed places. Normaly they should moved right next to each other, because of the change of perspective. Like two racing cars that come in from the left, one a little behind the other, but seemingly driving neck-to-neck when getting out of sight on the right. However, this is only the case with two moving objects at fairly close range. Big objects very far away - like real stars - would not look differently to an observer on eaerth if there where to be on the move. At least not within seven seconds.

At this particulair night I was not drunk or tired. I'm a freelance copywriter in the Netherlands. At the time I was having a vacation in France with my wife and 2,5 year old son. This is the first time I report an unidentified flying object, knowing I may look stupid to all of my friends.

NUFORC Note:

Report was, in fact, submitted from The Netherlands. Some satellites are reported to orbit in formation, e.g. the U. S. Navy "NOSS" satellites, but we agree with the witness that an object that moves across most of the sky in six-seconds almost certainly is not a man-made satellite. PD

Posted 2003-09-17