NUFORC Sighting 144107

Occurred: 2018-12-22 00:09 Local
Reported: 2018-12-21 23:10 Pacific
Duration: 7-10 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Union City, TN, USA

Shape: Circle
Characteristics: Lights on object, Changed Color, Aircraft nearby

This particular siding is not all that exotic. I am mainly submitting this report to see if there are any others that might corroborate it or have a explanation as to exactly what it was.

This evening the night sky is very clear and lit by a near full moon. At around 0009hrs., I was looking toward the south and noticed a bright object that appeared to be a bright star. This was not all that unusual other than the fact that in the city, almost no stars are visible at this time due to the lights and the moon. Still, I assumed it was the light of an airliner flying north. But then the light, which did not appear to be moving, disappeared like someone turned off the light switch. The light was not an unusual color; maybe a redish white.

I kept an eye on this spot in the sky and noticed that about 7 minutes later, a light appeared in the same spot but this time it was much dimmer and a deep red. This light began blinking in a pattern not normally seen on aircraft. It would blink 3 times rapidly then disappear for around 3 seconds and blink rapidly again 3 times. This continued for about a minute without moving then disappeared again. About one minute later it appeared again as a solid red light for a few seconds before diappearing again. I had to move from my vantage point after this and was no longer able to be sure of the exact spot so I can't be sure if it ever reappeared.

There were at least 3 other airplanes in the vicinity that all appeared normal and not like this.

Posted 2019-01-04