NUFORC Sighting 08505

Occurred: 1999-07-31 21:50 Local
Reported: 1999-07-31 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 2 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Cortez (4 miles northeast of), CO, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object, Emitted beams, Changed Color, Aircraft nearby

Star-like light traveling at high speed from Northwest to Southeast. It became larger and flared,then back to former size. Disappeared behind clouds. then reduced to former size.

My husband and I are clinical psychologists. We were sitting on our second-floor deck watching the lightening from distant storms in the east. We noticed that the sky was clear for the first time in a couple of weeks to the west and were looking at the stars. As we were looking at the big dipper, we noticed a star-like light which moved very fast across the night sky. We realized there were no flashing lights as a plane or helicopter would have. It was traveling northwest to southeast. As it approached our location just before it went directly overhead, it flared and appeared larger with almost a luminescent light purple or blue aura around it. It almost looked like a starburst (light eminating from it in beams) when it brightened,and within the light I could see a darker shape. It then diminished to former size as it continued toward the southeast. We grabbed our binoculars and watched it as it streaked across the sky. It was not reflecting light, it had its own bright, white light. It didn't have a tail. It was definitely brighter than the stars it passed and seemed to be quite high. We followed it until it went behind clouds and disappeared. After it disappeared from view, we noticed a plane flying from the northeast to the southwest. It provided a nice comparison, in that it was much smaller and had flashing lights.

Posted 2002-09-19