SIGHTING: TUCSON, ARIZONA (UNITED STATES)

Witness Testimony

"I never thought I'd actually be reporting this to you, but I've just seen what I'd have to call my first UFO. This was UFO in the literal sense of Unidentified Flying Object, not a classic flying saucer with obvious structure, physical characteristics, etc. I had gone out sometime after 3 ayem to look for Comet PANSTARRS. The sky wasn't crystal, and I'd just been staring at a computer screen so I knew it'd take a while to dark adapt. Looking around, I noticed a flash in the southeast, maybe 30 degrees high. It was very like a satellite flashing in the sun. I put up the binoculars and was lucky to catch it right away, heading left or basically north. The flash was more like a constant pulsation, about twice per second. These flashes were bright and occasionally much brighter. But it wasn't like a flashing light attached to an object, nor was it flashes of solar reflection. The moving light was steady, like an ordinary star in the binoculars--white with no other colors. But superimposed on that was the steady pulsation, as if a glowing object was brightening and dimming above a base level twice per second. Whatever this was seemed very high--satellite height. But it crossed the sky much faster than any satellite does--two or three times as fast.. The overall impression was of a tremendous amount of power, both in its speed and light output. I watched it cross two-thirds of the sky, always through the binoculars, and followed it right to the horizon, where it disappeared between two trees almost directly below the North Star. It never dimmed like a satellite entering Earth's shadow--only with distance. And the flashing remained constant in its rhythm, although some were noticeably brighter. It was kind of awe inspiring: that sense of speed and power and purpose. I've checked the satellite database on Heavens Above and nothing seems to match. The important points are the time (about 3:30), where it disappeared over the horizon (just east of north), maximum above the horizon (not much above that original 30 degrees), brightness (mag 3 or 4, plus those first magnitude flashes). This is stupid, but I got the impression that it was one of ours, rather than one of theirs--if you know what I mean. Otherwise: cool. NOTE: I SENT THIS REPORT TO MY SISTER SHORTLY AFTER THE EVENT, SO IT SEEMED BEST TO JUST COPY IT TO YOU VERBATIM, DO EXCUSE THE CONVERSATIONAL TONE. I SEE SATELLITES ALL THE TIME: NAKED EYE, IN BINOCULARS, ISS, IRIDIUM FLARES, HST, ETC. THIS WAS DIFFERENT. POWERED, RATHER THAN IN ORBIT, BRIGHT AND STEADY PULSATIONS, ALL THE WAY TO THE HORIZON. "HEAVENS ABOVE" IS THE WEBSITE I USE CHECK SATELLITE INFO. THE OBJECT DIDN'T HAVE AN "ALIEN" FEEL TO IT, BUT MORE LIKE IT WAS BEING OPERATED BY SOME MILITARY JOCK. THAT'S WHAT I MEANT BY "ONE OF OURS." HARDLY A GREAT SIGHTING, PER SE, BUT IF OTHERS OBSERVED IT BEFORE OR AFTER ME, THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTING. I GOT THE IMPRESSION IT WAS GOING FROM A TO B ALONG THE CURVE OF THE EARTH. DISAPPEARED HEADING TOWARD PHOENIX. I WAS UNABLE TO FIND COMET PANSTARRS THAT MORNING, ALTHOUGH I HAD SEEN IT THE PREVIOUS WEEK--NOT SURE WHY. THIS IS ALL FROM MY BACK YARD. TIME IS MST, AZ DOESN'T DO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS. HAVE FUN WITH IT, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, THANKS, SORRY I'M TOO BROKE TO DONATE, ETC."