2001-07-07 - Missoula, MT - Rectangle

Flashing mulitcolored lights on hilltop dip behind hill and reappear as rectangular strobing craft.

On A warm clear Saturday night my wife and I were sitting outside on our deck on the south hill in Missoula Montana. I was pointing out to her where I saw what I thought to be a fire on Waterworks hill on the northside of our small town of about 60,000 people. As we were looking a flicker of amber light appeared. I thought this wa rather odd so I got out my very light sensiteve binoculars and waited to see if the flicker reappeared. I was supprised to see the light appear again only this time the light changed to a brilliant white. I continued to watch and found that the light would change appearance. About every 20 to 60 seconds light changed color, location and duration although the light flashes only lasted a maximum of about 10 seconds per incedent. The light firsh was first amber, then white then amber then amber then red then blue... I had thought that perhaps these were left over fireworks but the short flash of most of the lights and the intesity considering that it was about 15 miles away made it seem unlikely. As I contiunued to watch the light then moved behind the hill and projected a beem of light upward in a "V" formation so that all that was light was the air itself. Then positioning itself back atop of the hill it flashed two short green flashes. About a minute and a half later it then flashed a combined blue and red combination light. As I waited there were no more light flashes for about 10 minutes then out from behind the hill a craft slowly appeared from behind west side of the hill. This craft had a stack of three amber lights horizontally and vertically. In the center very brilliant white lights strobed from left to right. It then changed direction and started moving slowly north toward the small community of Saint Ignatius, Montana. I watched it slowly drift north for about 3 to 5 minutes. A comercial airliner then flew directly over my home and within seconds the unidentified craft made a extreamly quick turn to the east and accerlerated. I would say the ! craft by that time was 30 miles away and during its acceleration covered 10 to 15 miles in about 3 to 5 seconds and disappeared bihind a group mountains somewhere in the St. Ignatiius Valley which is in the Mission Mountain range area. I have never before seen a craft that I felt that I could not explain but both my wife and I were and are baffed. I was not going to report this for fear of being thought of as I may be accused of causing a mass halucionination with my wife but our local radio station that they had received several calls from people around the Missoula area that a green light had been seen moving about our city late Saturday afternoon. This gave me the courage to tell what I and my wife had seen.