NUFORC Sighting 12908

Occurred: 2000-05-18 20:55 Local
Reported: 2000-05-18 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 45 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

A white star-like object moving south off the Pacific coast

I was standing on a 7th floor deck of a building in downtown San Francisco looking up toward the North when I saw what appreared to be a faint star moving southward. At first I thought it was a plane way out in the distance but then it stopped and just hung there, then proceeded again in the same direction it was originally moving. It was a whitish light just like a star and was pretty far away. I would imagine that when I started watching it, it was over the ocean off the Marin coast. Anyway, after it started moving again it seemed to arc upward a bit and then descend again. Then it stopped a second time. When it started moving again it went almost straight upward for a couple of seconds then moved down and continued on it's original path. I knew then that it was not a plane and I don't think satellites stop like this. It soon disappeared from my view as there was another building close by that blocked my sight. When I last saw it it would have been off the coast of Ocean Beach in San Francisco from what i could tell.

Posted 2000-06-06