2016-02-09 - Clackamas, OR - Diamond

Bright golden square object has a bright golden light move away from the "parent" object.

While driving a passenger vehicle east on Oregon Highway 212 in Clackamas, Oregon, I observed a golden-yellow object in the sky southeast of my position. It appeared to be one very bright object, a square or diamond shape at the top and a bright "starlike" point of light at the bottom of the diamond. As I watched, the bright "star" separated from the square looking "top", and drifted very slowly away from the "square", appearing to be descending toward the ground.

Both the "star" and the "square" were visible against a clear blue, brightly lit morning sky, the sun had not yet risen above the horizon. The golden-yellow color of the objects were similar in color to a sodium vapor street light, but much brighter, and appeared to be shiny and metallic. Neither object appeared to be moving horizontally. My first thought was that the object was a cloud, but there were no other clouds in the sky and this object appeared to have clearly defined boundaries, and the top looked like it had straight edges. The objects were between me and the rising sun, seeming to be backlit and not reflecting sunlight.

The objects were very bright, the larger of the 2 being much brighter than a full moon, the smaller being much brighter than Venus in a dark sky.

I was working at the time so had no opportunity to stop and observe, or get a photo. I lost sight of the objects when I had to change direction to get to my destination.

My wife was traveling the same road in the same direction about 5 minutes behind me and observed the same objects, but because she had a different destination she was able to observe the objects until 07:25, whereas I lost sight of the objects at about 07:15. She was able to intermittently observe both objects, the "square" lost its brightness and disappeared leaving behind a puffy cloud that faded from view.

I believe the objects were a few thousand feet in the air and 2 to 8 miles away, somewhere over Carver, Barton, or Redland Oregon. If they were any farther away than that they would have been huge. The "square" was about 1/2 the size of my little fingernail held at arms length, the "star" was a very bright point of light.

I don't believe the objects were flares, balloons, ball lightning, aircraft, planets satellites, or stars; I have seen all of those and this looked like nothing I have ever seen before. My wife's observations match my own up until the time I had to turn away.