NUFORC Sighting 129615

Occurred: 2016-08-30 07:40 Local
Reported: 2016-08-31 08:53 Pacific
Duration:
No of observers: 5

Location: Boulder, CO, USA

Shape: Light


White dot over boulder

First noticed at 6:40 AM. Sun was coming up, it was bright out. No stars left but one to the NNW. Bright star, not flashing or twinkling. I pointed out to my co-worker the star and said it was most likely a planet.

I'm a recent college graduate that took a handful of astronomy and cosmology courses and I'm extremely skeptical of UFO phenomenon. But I felt something was off when I realized the sun was up and all the planets should have been on the ecliptic further to the left an lower. Checked location of planets: Jupiter, Venus and Mercury all following sun up, Uranus and Neptune setting, Saturn, Mars and Pluto all below the horizon. This "star" isn't on the ecliptic at all, too far north. I crossed checked with star charts, nothing matches. As 08:40 rolls around it's still up. Hasn't moved (if it is a celestial body it should be moving west, but hasn't). It's getting bright out and still very visible. As the sun got higher it looked more like metal! reflecting light than a star. Looks artificial and not natural. I estimate the object was 70 degrees above the horizon (not counting the mountains. I used clenched fists to estimate sextants about 10 degrees).

The "star" still visible with the sun 40 degrees above the horizon. Aircraft from DIA seemed to be flying east to west normally below it. Another coworker showed up about 09:00 and we both observed it for 30 minutes. In that time frame it moved 30 degrees south. Pointed object out to two passerby at 09:40 and they could see it and agreed it was strange. The object was brightly visible until 10:00. By then it was directly west. Hate to be that guy but since there is atmospheric research going on here it could be weather ballon? When I looked at it through binocs it had circle large shape, it was clear with ribs. Seemed to morph from circle to oval. I have no idea, so I thought I would post this here.




NUFORC Note:

Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD


Posted 2016-09-02

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