2012-01-03 - Eufaula, AL - Light

Watching the Quadrantid meteor shower, my 2 teenage boys and I noticed a blinking light in the southern sky at approximately 160 degrees south. The intensity of the light was slightly brighter than the brightest nearby star. The light seemed to move in a confined (approximately 2-3 degrees) but random pattern. The movement was noticeable because the event was very near the top of a large oak tree. This light blinked on every 10 seconds for 7 minutes. Occasionally, the intensity was less but there was no discernable pattern to this lesser intensity. The light appeared to be at very high altitude. At the end of the event, the light blinked faintly once then a final very dim blink in a position that seemed as if it were moving very far away.

This event was very similar to an event I reported 12/13/2010. The light was the same and in the same area of the sky. It may have been in exactly the same spot but time and date were different so the star background was different. Both events occurred on the night of a meteor shower. The first event occurred during the 2010 Geminids. I have observed this position in the sky on several occasions and times but have seen this light only on these 2 occasions.