NUFORC Sighting 130722

Occurred: 2016-10-20 19:40 Local
Reported: 2016-10-20 18:50 Pacific
Duration: 2-3 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Shape: Sphere
Characteristics: Lights on object

large, bright, high altitude white sphere moving very slowly from north to south-east---- then drops

about 7:30-7:40 pm- just dark about 15 min.

had just unloaded some brush from the back of my truck and finished just as it became too dark to see what I was doing. Drove the truck back up to the other end of property. After I got out I noticed a bright light. Didn't think anything of it at first as I am only about 3 miles north of the international airport. I stood and watched a moment. I immediately noticed that it was barely moving--- way slower than a jetliner would be going...... it also appeared very bright and large as well. I had binoculars just inside the door of my shop. I grabbed them and watched the object. (7x50) It showed to be perfectly spherical and a bright white light evenly distributed over the surface. The light was a pure white-- not the red-orange that is reflected off satellites just after dark. It seemed to be moving very slowly across the sky. Jupiter (or Saturn) was just setting in the western sky--- and the object was was about 1 to 2 times the diameter of the planet. The objects speed seemed to vary from very slow to all most stopped.

Judging by the very slow speed --- a satellite at that slow speed would have to be several thousand miles out to go that slowly---- and to have THAT angular diameter at that distance--- it would have had to be many miles across.

However I don't believe it was a satellite- as it was the wrong color and the brightness did not decrease as it went off zenith towards the far horizon as a satellite would have.

I watched it from just north of zenith at about a 020 compass heading------ and ended at about 150 degrees near the tops of the far pine trees.

I estimate I watched it through about 60 degree arc ------ and for about 2 to 2.5 minutes through that arc. I watched it move very slowly along the above path. as it approached the top of the trees to the south-east---- it slowed to nearly a stop---- and then it changed direction to going straight down and behind the trees. I did not see much decrease in brightness except that would be consistent with the object getting farther away gradually. It did not "wink-out" like satellites do ( which they do long before they get near the tree line) I am a physicist by degree and have piloted airpcraft. The object had NO navigation lights of any kind and no tail beacon. The light did not have the look of a bulb ( a tiny point) either a nav light or a landing light. I compared its color to several passing airliners which were about 10-20 miles away. The aircraft's white lights were more orange than the object. It was a bright white sphere with the illumination evenly distributed across the whole surface.

there seemed no way to estimate how high it could have been. I don't believe it was any normal aircraft or man made satellite.

My location was about 4 miles e-ne of the Orlando international airport.

Posted 2016-10-21