2008-07-18 - Hemet, CA - Oval

Orange object flying near jetliner.

While doing yard work somewhere around 8pm I heard an airliner flying over. The plane was flying east along a common route. I noticed just above the craft, maybe a few thousand feet or so an orange oval object. The object did not change color or shape, and was flying slower than the airliner. I quickly looked around to see if it's a reflection. The sun had already set, and it was still too bright for satellites to be visible. I am an amateur astronomer and astrophotography, I often track satellites. I continued to watch the object till it was too far away to see. The brightness and color remained the same the entire time. The orange color was similar to maybe an afterburner flame from a fighter jet, or from a rocket engine. The size and shape when I first saw it was similar to an oval pill held at arms length. It was moving too slow to be a fireball, and with its consistent speed and shape there is no way it could have been something burning up. My other thought was it being a balloon or a blimp, but again, it was too steady and seemed to be moving faster than I've seen any blimp go. The shape was very smooth, nothing coming off the sides or anything else.