NUFORC Sighting 9597

Occurred: 1999-09-05 21:33 Local
Reported: 1999-09-07 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 00:03
No of observers: 1

Location: Cedar City, UT, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

flashing light high in sky.

On Sunday the fifth of September, at 21:33 hours, I was in my front yard, satellite spotting. I do this just to keep an eye on the sky. On this night I spotted what looked, at first, as a standard satellite silently moving from the north to the south. As it passed, from my vantage, just west of Altair. I watched it pass to the south, I attempted to located it in my binoculars, and I was caught off guard as a bright strobe light went off. I quickly tried to identify this object as an aircraft, I say quickly because it was still moving very fast, but I could not see any other running or marker lights. The object displayed three levels of luminosity. First it was dim, like a normal satellite, then the strobe went off, after which the luminosity was in-between. I tried to keep it in view, but after a few more seconds, even with the flashing strobe, it vanished. I am sorry that I could not give exact times, I had to turn on a flashlight to see my watch which read 21:33. I know that I am not a trained observer, and may not have conveyed or missed what you might be considered valuable information, but I hope you might find this report worth some type of interest.

NUFORC Note:

Report is not inconsistent with sighting of either a tumbling rocket booster, or an Iridium satellite. Either can be a truly eye-catching event in the night sky.

Posted 1999-09-12