SIGHTING: DES MOINES, IOWA (UNITED STATES)

Witness Testimony

"- Iowa MUFON ASD, Beverly Trout, is submitting this telephoned report. Sighting date is November 4, 2015, BETWEEN 5:00 AND 6:00 A.M. - probably closer to 6:00 a.m., and this witness would have been seeing objects very likely at the BEGINNING OF NAUTICAL (MID) TWILIGHT BEFORE DAWN (Sun rose at 6:50 a.m. on 11/4/2015.)Witness was lying awake in her indoor hammock looking through west-facing window when she saw two silent objects moving (VERY FAST) N to S at about 10 degrees elevation above/beyond a treeline some - to - mile land distance. Sun was not yet risen; it was near the beginning of mid-twilight before sunrise. She could see LOTS OF STARS, and found herself wondering about two objects that were quickly moving from N to S. "What is that?" she wondered. "Why does it seem like 'twinkles' through the bare tree branches and on over to a treeline some - to - mile distant?" BRIGHT, LIGHTED (OR REFLECTED LIGHT) ROUND (disc) FORM WAS FOLLOWING BEHIND, AT A SLIGHTLY HIGHER ALTITUDE, A LOWER, DARK, OVAL SHAPED OBJECT. As witness watched, the upper, lighted object seemed to "catch up" to the lower, dark object. With one directly above the other, the two objects seemed to stop/hover, VERY BRIEFLY, then the lower, dark object emitted a LENGTHY FIERY FLAME out its rear (like an ascending rocket). Witness describes flame as 1.25 degrees in length in a somewhat rectangular shape, in other words, it did not seem to narrow down or "tail off" at the rear of the flame. Dark object seemed to then separate slightly from the flame, and BEGIN A SLANTED ASCENT as if to continue on south. At separation, flame persisted for perhaps 2 more seconds before disappearing. However, at this point, BOTH OBJECTS SIMPLY BLINKED OUT. Duration of sighting is estimated at 8 seconds, or less. Witness comments that objects seemed "FAR OFF," yet thinks they were not very far away, and admits that she has problems in spatial perception.Experimenting with 10 degrees, at VARIOUS land distances ranging from 1 to 3 miles, and using full moon (.125 degrees) yields various possible actual sizes ranging from 23 to 35 feet in diameter. These guesstimates re land distance may be way off, and the witness could only offer an apparent size estimate of the objects as bigger than a bright planet. She compares the objects' size to airliner climb-outs during take-offs from the airport some 2 miles land distance."