NUFORC Sighting 02659

Occurred: 1997-08-12 00:30 Local
Reported: 1997-08-17 00:00 Pacific
Duration: about 10 sec.
No of observers: 1

Location: North Lynnwood, WA, USA

Shape: light

Summary: four spots of light in a pointing config. moved E. to W. without fading. Lights didn't seem "twinkling" or shooting-star like. Didn't look like searchlights-too far up. During the Perseid Meteor Showers. Seemed like they didn't fit in up there!

I went out that very early morning to specifically watch the star showers. Living in an apartment complex, there was a mostly dark area away from the lights where I laid out on the grass with my blanket around me; my head towards the south and my feet towards the north. In this position on my back, it was dark enough to provide a spectacular view. I had gone outside about 12:15-ish a.m. 8-12-97, so this is how I guess-timated the time of this event at about 12:30a.m. Before the event happened, I watched the usual stuff, and the meteors were coming at about 2 or 3 a minute. Then, suddenly an unusual configuration of four spots of light, with three on one side and one on the other side, (like it was pointing) start in the east (it just appeared out of nowhere) and moved somewhat smoothly and quickly to the west; straight across without fading! It (the configuration) didn't look like it belonged up there; it seemed so out of place! 1.) They certainly didn't look like a! group of searchlights. They were too high up. 2.) They didn't have the appearance of "twinkling" or comet-like (no tails). 3.) The light spots were white and slightly blurred on the edges, but anyone watching wouldn't be able to miss what I saw. These spots were in a definite arrangement or pattern, and I didn't see nor hear any plane or other recognizable shape that would tell me otherwise what this thing was. It was an event of some sort that made me sit up, take notice and start thinking, as never in my life did I ever see anything like I saw that night. I had actually sat up to say aloud to myself, "What in the world was that?" The configuration was definitely moving (purposefully so) east to west.

Posted 1999-01-28