SIGHTING: SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN (UNITED STATES)

Witness Testimony

"I was on (southeast facing)deck at residence just after dusk in the early part of June 2014. I was watching sky looking for a satellite that I have seen on other occasions. It would pass overhead from SE to NW. I would usually see it at about the same time (2100 or so). I did not make a habit of looking for it but had seen it maybe six times previously. Sometime after 2100 hours on the evening in question, I observed what I believed to be the same satellite at about 60 degrees from south horizon traveling SE to NW. The sky was clear at the time. The object was about as bright as the planet Venus and about the same size, maybe slightly larger. As I watched, the object, at about 80 degrees from horizon, stopped and stayed stationary. After about 30 seconds, It started making radical changes in direction, zigzagging and looping at a rate that no aircraft could possibly achieve. The maneuvers were only within one or two minutes of angle around the spot it had stopped. After a time, maybe one minute or so, it continued on its trajectory. It disappeared over the roof of the house. I went to the front (north side) of the house and reacquired visual of it. At about 90 degrees, the object stopped again and began to maneuver as before. My neighbors were out and I pointed it out to them I also got my wife and granddaughter outside and they saw it too. After an indeterminate time (1-2 minutes), it stopped and then reversed course, going back on its original trajectory to the SE. I went back to the south side of the house after the object was obscured by the house.. The others quit watching at this time. Back on the south side of the house, I reacquired visual on the object and watched it until it was hidden by clouds moving into the area. It had made no more maneuvers but continued on a straight trajectory NW/SE.The object's maneuvers to me were suggestive of the way someone would use a laser pointer to tease a cat, but with a much more limited area of movement. Projecting the area of maneuvering to scale, I would estimate the area of maneuvering to be the size of a silver dollar held at arm's length, maybe 1-2 minutes of angle. I was unable to tell the distance of the object but would estimate it was very high, probably even orbital. I called Duluth IAP ATC tower to tell them what I had seen. Unknown if they entered the call into a log or if the conversation was recorded. Haven't seen object or satellite again, but I really haven't looked that hard. "