2008-07-10 - Hyattsville, MD - Rectangle

A very bright object, (small, distant and oblong) against an early evening sky observed for 15 minutes disappears within 10 seconds.

I arrived home on the evening of July 10, 2008 at approximately 8:35pm and found my mother, her dog and my daughter in the front yard enjoying the beautiful weather. After playing with the dog for about five minutes I asked my daughter to help with the groceries I had brought home. She took 3 bags into the house and went off to do something else. I stayed outside as my mother pointed my attention to the ¾ moon rising in the on this gorgeous evening.

I acknowledged the moon, which was rising between two trees and was 40 degrees above the horizon, but then I noticed a very bright object almost directly overhead. It was very bright, as bright as the moon, and was approximately 80 degrees above the horizon. As I looked at it, I noticed it did not seem to be moving at all. Also, it did not seem round-it looked rectangular in shape though it was very small and distant. I’ve seen the space shuttle in the sky and, to me it looked like that kind of object-something definitely in our orbit, however, it wasn’t moving.

I pointed it out to my mother who acknowledged seeing it and asked her to keep an eye out for it as I went inside, dropped off grocery bags and rounded up my binoculars. This took about 3 minutes. When I came back out it was still there and still very bright. I gazed at it some more with the binoculars and also gazed at the moon. I also gave the glass to my mother who also took a look. This went on for about 5 more minutes.

As we were talking about it I got distracted and looked down at the dog who was running around the yard. I turned around and looked up again, and it had completely disappeared. Within a span of about 7 to 10 seconds, it was nowhere to be found.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. This object which was so bright (against a bright evening sky) and not circular in nature, which I observed just sitting there for approximately fifteen minutes just disappears within seven to ten seconds. I truly believe I have seen something extraterrestrial.