NUFORC Sighting 31911

Occurred: 2003-09-27 20:50 Local
Reported: 2003-09-28 16:42 Pacific
Duration: 10-15 seconds
No of observers: 2

Location: George, WA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object

Object observed from Gorge Amphitheater on September 27, 2003.

At the above noted date and time, my wife and I were attending a concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington 98848. The artist, James Taylor, had just returned from intermission and was beginning the first song of the second set when I looked upward to the stars. I noted the location of the North Star to the right of the stage, then looked over my right shoulder and noted the location of Mars. I then lay back in the grass and just watched the sky for several minutes while the artist performed. As I was looking upward, I observed a satellite rising from the Southeast, to the east of Mars location in the sky. According to the NASA Liftoff website, there were three satellites visible to the East from this zip code within this time frame: Cosmos 1340 from 20:32:34 pm to 20:45:16 pm, Lo 19 from 20:37:59 pm to 20:52:37 pm, and Cosmos 1674 from 20:40:32 pm to 20:54:04 pm. I only observed one of the above listed satellites and it rose from the left side, or East side, of Mars: the only satellite listed above that matched the trajectory of the satellite I observed is Lo 19. I am listing this information for the following reasons: I was not wearing a watch and have only an estimate of the actual time of the observation; The second object I observed from this location was on a similar trajectory and was approximately the same observable size.

A few minutes after Lo 19 passed, I observed the second object, approaching from approximately the same area of the sky. It appeared to be approximately the same size as the first object I observed. Although it was red in color, I assumed it was another satellite. As it moved North across the sky, I noted the velocity of the object was considerably greater than the first object and I called my wife’s attention to it. I pointed out the object to my wife and we both observed as it continued in a straight trajectory for approximately 2-3 seconds then turned right, to the east. It continued on to the east then began to turn randomly to the left and right, finally turning back toward the area where I had first observed it. It moved in a straight line for a few seconds then began turning randomly again, moving farther South East and disappearing on the night horizon.

The object was red in color with a light aura or haze around it that extended out approximately twice the width of the object itself, becoming somewhat brighter at the edge, which created a "ring" effect around the object. The object moved in what appeared to be perfectly straight lines with no observable arch. The turns were rapid and precise, never less than 90 degrees as I recall, and the object neither accelerated nor decelerated before, during or after each turn.

Posted 2003-09-28

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