NUFORC Sighting 46422

Occurred: 2005-09-12 20:45 Local
Reported: 2005-09-22 11:52 Pacific
Duration: 15 seconds
No of observers: 0

Location: Mt Rainier Nat Park, Cougar rock campground, WA, USA

Shape: Orb
Characteristics: Lights on object

Fast moving light with a zig-zagging path.

We had been walking for three - four minutes on the dark pavement of the campground, when we emrged into a larger parking area. Looking up at the stars, we noticed the light travelling in a ESE direction (approx. 125 degrees from north) It appeared to me at first to be the ISS. My friend pointed out that it wasn't travelling in a straight line! I stopped walking and noticed that the light was moving quickly from one parallel line to another (all lines going 125 degrees from north) The jump from one line to another occured very quickly, I was unable to see the light actually make the transition. The parallel lines were approximately 1/2 degree apart. I guess you could say the flight path was zig-zagging as if to dodge something in it's path. We were unable to determine the lights altitude. If it were in low earth orbit it would have been moving about twice the speed of the ISS. It took 15 seconds to cover half the sky. When it was about forty-five degrees up from the horizon in the SE sky it wasted no time in fading away. It just ceased being visible. There was no cloud cover at the time as many stars were still visible behind where the light vanished. There was no sounds of any kind for several minutes after. We listened for a distant engine. Both of us were in the USAF in the late 70's and could not figure out what type of aircraft could move in such a quick moving zig-zag manner. This object may have been terrestrial, but if it were, I hope it says USA on it's side!

Posted 2005-10-11