NUFORC Sighting 23873

Occurred: 2002-07-15 01:30 Local
Reported: 2002-07-23 12:46 Pacific
Duration: 10 seconds(approx)
No of observers: 1

Location: Port Angeles, WA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Left a trail

Very bright light around me and overhead shooting light motion

I was camping with my girlfriend and dog at Salt Creek campground about 15-20 west of Port Angeles. This camp is right on the Straight of Juan de Fuca. I went to the bathroom before going to sleep and on my way back I was following a trail through a wooded area using a small maglite when suddenly there was an extremely bright halogen-like light shining on me, which I thought was some other camper's obnoxiously bright flashlight. I stopped sort of blinded and surprised by how lit up the area around me was(like a spotlight or spaceship landing on TV! very bright) and looked up to see what could be described as a 'close-up' shooting star, as far as what the speed/motion of the object was(very fast, like when you see a shooting star the moment is so short that you barely experience it!). I didnt hear any sounds. This lasted a very short period of time, ten seconds at the most, I'm guessing. Noone was there afterward with a flashlight as I suspected, we were probably the only people still awake. I walked out to the water to check out the sky, it was a very clear starry night but I didnt see anything else(shooting stars, planes, etc.) There was alot of off shore boat activity earlier, fishing?? I asked my girlriend if she saw anything and she said she thought someone flashed a flashlight on our tent when I was gone. The dog didn't act weird. There is a naval airbase on nearby Whidbey Island, so it would make sense if this was some sort of plane, one of "us" ???

Posted 2002-07-26