2008-08-25 - Boston, MA - Light

My boyfriend, our friend, and I were sitting on our second floor front deck that looks out towards the Peter's Hill section of the The Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain (an area of Boston proper) having dinner. Our house is up on a hill so we can see well over the few rooftops below us that look to the South West sky towards Needham and Route 128/95 - it's all tree tops from the park looking towards the horizon. As we were eating I looked up to speak to my BF and a very bright light in the sky behind him caught my eye - it wasn't there a minute before. No other stars were out since the horizon was a pale yellow and the sky above shades of blue - it was just starting dusk - but not nearly dark yet and a very clear night. I pointed out the light and the two people saw it and agreed it was really bright - and stationary in the sky. They were puzzled by it as was I. I said it's probably a planet but I'll watch it and see if it moves across the sky. I would estimate it was 20-30 degrees above the horizon. I observed it for about eight minutes without it moving in the slightest. I then went inside to grab something from the kitchen (maybe 15 seconds) and when I returned it was nowhere in sight... and it couldn't have possibly moved behind something since we were so high up and could see for miles around it - nothing would have obstructed the view. It just vanished. We didn't see it again. Other aircraft were visible and easily identifiable and nowhere near this light. No sound was heard but that's not surprising seeing how we felt it was miles away.

We are all professional men and women. Ph.d., Actuary and an I.T. Director. None of us were inebriated.