NUFORC Sighting 16043

Occurred: 2001-01-04 16:00 Local
Reported: 2001-01-25 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 12-20 min
No of observers: 0

Location: Anderson, SC, USA

Shape: Cigar

White large object without wings,above 30,000 feet moving very slowy toward the NNW

It was moving verey slowlyfrom about 110 degrees toward the NNW or about 340 degrees. The object was white,not a light,norsilver,nor reflecting sunlight.It stopped in it's slow movement for about ten seconds or more when it was about 10 degrees off my 12 O'clock position. The sky was clear with only some cirrus clouds in the West which were only visable from the horizon to about 10 degrees above the horizon. I watched the object then went for my wife to verify what I was seeing. She came out and watched it for a few minutes.I went back insidefor my binoculars but had misplaced them,this taking about 5 minutes. When I went back outside the object w2as still in view and moving verybslowly. Eventually it went behind the view to the cirrus clouds. As a pilot I am familiar with judging altitude etc.,and this was above 30,000 feet. As mentioned before,it was white in color.not reflecting the sun. The object was over an inch as measured with my hand in front of my eyes. This was very unusual to me as it was moving toward the jet stream for today. I did not say to my wife what I thought it was,nor color etc.,but I did ask her to explain what she saw. She said the same thing I was thinking,color,shape etc. The shape as we could make it out was long with no wings. It certainly was NOT a weather balloon. It was in our view at least 12 to twenty minutes from the 11 O'clock position that I first observed it until it was about 3 O'clock in the NW sky. My location is: Lat. 34 3((deleted)) N Long. 82 4((deleted))W

Posted 2001-02-18