NUFORC Sighting 124936

Occurred: 2015-12-22 18:10 Local
Reported: 2015-12-22 19:22 Pacific
Duration: 1-2 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Susanville, CA, USA

Shape: Sphere
Characteristics: Left a trail

Orange/amber light, w/ contrail, over Susanville, Ca.

While taking an after-dinner walk, in my neighborhood, I observed a spherical, bright object, of an orange-amber color,and with the approximate intensity of a welder's torch, moving in a south-southeasterly direction, toward Reno, Nv. It also left a contrail, visible in the moonlight.It was making a sound, similar to a jet-engine sound, only quieter. At first glance, I thought it was a conventional jet-aircraft, and appeared to be moving at about the same approximate cruising-speed, at an altitude of approx,10-15,000ft,AGL, but then I noticed that it had NO running-lites, or red tail strobe-light, as required per FAA regs. Then, I thought that it may have been a meteorite, but it's light never changed in color, or intensity, as they typically do. I'm 52 yrs.old, and have NEVER seen anything, quite this dramatic! As it disappeared behind a cloud-bank, I was almost tempted to "brace for impact", I thought that it could have been an incoming N.Korean ! or Chinese I.C.B.M!

NUFORC Note:

Re-entering space debris. PD

Posted 2016-01-05