1999-01-29 - Germantown, MD - Disk

craft was stationary for app. 5 min., moved higher & west, pulsed several times then disappeared

I was driving on I270 between Germantown and Frederick when I saw the craft to my left (west). The sky was mostly clear, and with the near-full moon, the shape of the craft was plainly visible. It had small lights on the bottom and some lights around the circumference, some of which were pulsing. There were about 4 planes flying in a large circular pattern around the craft (similar to planes flying around fireworks on 7/4). The craft was stationary for about 5 minutes, moved (fast!) higher and to the west, pulsed several times, then disappeared. After the craft had vanished, the flight-paths of the planes seemed to change, slowly criss-crossing back and forth across the area the craft had been in. On my southbound return, I noticed many contrails coming from the area the craft had been in, going toward a point east/northeast (returning home?).