SIGHTING: RATHDRUM, ID

Witness Testimony

" 12 to 15 star-like lights travelling SSE to NNW, one after another, over Post Falls and RathdrumMy boyfriend (Wood finisher, Production, QC) and I (Tech Writer) watched 12 to 15 small star-like lights travel across the sky, one by one, from SSE to NNW on Monday night between 10:20 and 11:00 pm. They looked just like some of the less-bright peach-colored stars in the sky that night, except they each seemed to maintain a constant speed. We noticed each one to the south of us, about 60 degrees above the horizon, and we watched each travel over us, then fade away when they reached about the same point (about 60 degrees above the horizon) to the north of us. They traveled on parallel paths, and each covered the 60 degree arc in about 20-30 seconds.One had just passed overhead when it stopped and made a hairpin turn and faded out almost directly overhead. Another flared at one point, and we thought maybe it was a meteor, but then it resumed its normal star-like state and continued on its paced trajectory. Another abruptly turned on a very bright light that seemed to shine down toward us for a second or two, then abruptly turned it off. (We were pretty sure at this point they were not satellites.) As we watched the lights travelling overhead, we both saw, peripherally, a very bright white light to the north-east, traveling vertically, down. It flared, faded, and flared again before vanishing. It only lasted 1/4 of a second. A coincidental meteor? At one point, as we stared up toward the south, waiting for the next star-like light to appear, I suddenly saw one materialize right in my field of vision and fly over us much closer, as if it were only 1000 feet up, instead of 10-30,000 feet, it seemed. It, too, was the same peach-like color, but rather than a pin-point, it was round--the size of a cherry tomato held out at arms length. It was so close and moving so fast that I only saw it for half a second before it vanished directly overhead, but, when it was visible, it was only half-materialized--I could see through it. Light-bending tech? They were all completely silent. We felt no ominous feelings, no unpleasant nervousness--only positive excitement. "