NUFORC Sighting 65366

Occurred: 2008-08-23 08:55 Local
Reported: 2008-08-23 21:18 Pacific
Duration: 4 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Issaquah, WA, USA

Shape: Light

satellite-like in brightness, slow and changing direction, no contrail, heading first WSW then W.

I was enjoying my morning coffee on my porch, facing east. There was a thin, high band of clouds somewhat obscuring the sun, and I noticed a 'rainbow effect' by the disc of the sun, presumably due to ice crystals in the clouds. I then noticed, about 50-55 degrees above the eastern horizon, what looked like a satellite, moving toward WSW in a slow, somewhat halting fashion. After about a minute it seemed to change course to due west. It did not increase or decrease in brightness, as a tumbling satellite reflecting sunlight would. Also, the sun was behind it. I could not determine altitude using the clouds as a guide, because the object was away from the clouds, but it looked to be much higher than a normal aircraft. There was no contrail or sound. I wish to emphasize that the object looked very much like a satellite that you see after sundown would. I watched, craning my neck as far as possible until I had to get up and walk on the gravel driveway (in barefeet-ouch!) I took my eyes of the object for just a second, but could not find it again. It would have been directly over my house. I went inside, and it was exactly 0900 hours. As a sidenote, my Dad was an aeronautical engineer for Boeing, and I know a plane when I see one. I am also an amateur astronomer, and this may well have been the ISS space station or a satellite of some sort, but the fact that it changed direction, was slow and halting and so bright makes me scratch my head and wonder what it was. If I had to guess, I would say the object was round or slightly oblong. Also, I was wearing sunglasses.

Posted 2008-10-31