NUFORC Sighting 72176

Occurred: 2009-09-08 21:20 Local
Reported: 2009-09-08 22:35 Pacific
Duration: 5 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Springfield, OR, USA

Shape: Light

Two lights flying in loose formation disappear in sudden vertical climb.

At approximately 2125 Pacific Daylight Time, September 8, 2009, I was leaving a friends home walking to my truck. I noticed two bright, -2 to -4 star-like objects in the western sky. At first I thought they were stars but their obvious motion eliminated that possibility. The second thought was that they were aircraft, possibly jetliners at high altitude. But their apparent path, traveling from west to east eliminated that possibility as well. (Commercial aircraft at altitude DO NOT normally travel from east to west over this area. The normal path for commercial air traffic is north-south, generally traveling between the major west coast airports of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Aircraft heading east from this area do so at lower altitudes taking off from the local airport the turning east.) Viewing conditions were clear, with no clouds. The two lights were the brightest objects in the sky while they were visible.

I called my friend over to view these objects and she was startled at their apparent motion across the night sky. We thought they might be satellites but that was dispelled when the lead light changed course from a west-east direction to a north by northeast course.

Having had years of observing satellites, (I’m old enough to have seen Sputnik’s first crossing of the Pacific Northwest sky) the speed of these two lights was much faster than a normal satellite. Their apparent altitude was within the atmosphere but very high up. I say this because there was no “twinkle” as with the other star objects visible at the time of this sighting.

These two lights were traveling at identical speeds. The lead light was ahead and north of the second as viewed from the ground. The first light passed in front of the Big Dipper. The second light, from our viewing location passed below the Big Dipper and farther south than the first. I would guess the observed separation to be between 40 to 60 degrees north to south and about the same west to east.

Shortly after the first light changed course it went vertical. In less than ten seconds it disappeared from sight. From our viewing point (I’ll send the actual Latitude and Longitude if you like) the first light disappeared just a little west of the constellation Cassiopeia.

Right after the first one disappeared the second light changed course the same as the first. Then it too went vertical and in less than ten seconds disappeared. The second light followed the same vertical course as the first.

There was no sound accompanying these two lights. We listened long and hard to try to hear the faintest of sounds but heard none.

These lights might have been military aircraft but the vertical acceleration argues against that idea. Also, for two military jets to go vertical at such velocity would have required a considerable burn from their engines. No engine noise or glow was seen.

Once the two lights went vertical they faded from sight.

Thanks.

NUFORC Note:

ISS and Space Shuttle in formation. PD

Posted 2009-12-12