NUFORC Sighting 68005

Occurred: 2009-01-12 10:00 Local
Reported: 2009-01-13 18:44 Pacific
Duration: 11:00
No of observers: 3

Location: Arden, NC, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Emitted beams, Changed Color, Aircraft nearby

Bright star-shaped light with red center through binos appeared to have yellow and blue trails or bursts coming out of it.

On the night of Monday, January 12, my son and I were outside facing the south-western sky when we saw this bright light that appeared to be a star. It was HUGE and for a moment I thought that it could have been Venus, although, I've never seen Venus so enormous. Upon starring at it for a few minutes it appeared to have a red center. The Asheville Airport is near here so we are familiar with aircraft travel and appearances. The aircraft from the airport that we did see during this event would pass behind or to the side of this bright object.

I called my Mother who lives in Etowah (about 20mins west of my location) and she said that she also saw the bright light. We don't have a telescope so we used binoculars to look closer. Looking through the binoculars also appeared to have a red center and trails of yellow which turned blue at the top coming off of it, almost like a meteor or satellite coming into the atmosphere. However, this changed. It then began to appear that what I thought had been trails were surrounding it. I checked to see how it looked at that point by the naked eye and it appeared to be as I had originally seen it; just a huge star with a red center. After being unable to determine what it was I went inside the house and checked back 30 minutes later where it had appeared to have moved latterly across the horizon toward west. I know that it moved because on first seeing it the object had been right between two trees and on my seconding outing I saw it behind a tree more to the west.

I have seen this same light on other occasions but assumed that it was Venus or some gigantic star. If I see it again, I will definitely post again. Could this be Venus? Or a satellite falling?

Posted 2009-03-19