Given that local weather forecasts mentioned that the Aurora Borealis could be viewed in my area from around 10 PM, I went outside to see if they were, indeed, visible in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, they weren't.
However, while scanning the night sky around 9:45 PM, I noticed a light directly overhead. At first, I thought it was a satellite moving quietly, steadily due north. But then I saw it was blinking on-and-off in one second intervals. No navigation lights were evident, and the light was not the strobe of a high-flying aircraft. In fact, two such high-flying jets (headed west) crossed well in front of this object, so it was easy to discern and compare what a strobe looked like at altitude vis-a-vis the unknown object.
In terms of illumination, the object/light resembled Saturn in both brightness and magnitude, although the quality of its light was a steady pale white while lit. There light definitely wasn't a flash like that of a strobe, and it wasn't like the brilliant reflected light of a planet like Jupiter or Saturn. It had no star-like characteristics, either.
Unlike transient satellite flashes, the pulsing remained constant throughout the sighting. And, unlike a satellite, the object appeared to stop about 30 degrees above the horizon for 15-20 seconds, before heading off in a more northwest direction (a deviation under 10 degrees). It pulsed steadily until it disappeared from view. No navigation lights were ever in evidence; no contrail; no sound; no silhouette visible against the sky.
The sighting lasted about five minutes.
((NUFORC Note: For some reason, witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate. PD))
However, while scanning the night sky around 9:45 PM, I noticed a light directly overhead. At first, I thought it was a satellite moving quietly, steadily due north. But then I saw it was blinking on-and-off in one second intervals. No navigation lights were evident, and the light was not the strobe of a high-flying aircraft. In fact, two such high-flying jets (headed west) crossed well in front of this object, so it was easy to discern and compare what a strobe looked like at altitude vis-a-vis the unknown object.
In terms of illumination, the object/light resembled Saturn in both brightness and magnitude, although the quality of its light was a steady pale white while lit. There light definitely wasn't a flash like that of a strobe, and it wasn't like the brilliant reflected light of a planet like Jupiter or Saturn. It had no star-like characteristics, either.
Unlike transient satellite flashes, the pulsing remained constant throughout the sighting. And, unlike a satellite, the object appeared to stop about 30 degrees above the horizon for 15-20 seconds, before heading off in a more northwest direction (a deviation under 10 degrees). It pulsed steadily until it disappeared from view. No navigation lights were ever in evidence; no contrail; no sound; no silhouette visible against the sky.
The sighting lasted about five minutes.
((NUFORC Note: For some reason, witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate. PD))
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Milwaukee
USA
5 minutes
5 minutes
43.07
-87.96
light
WI
Occurred : 7/16/2017 21:45 (Entered as : 07/16/2017 21:45) Reported: 7/17/2017 2:42:16 PM 14:42 Posted: 7/23/2017 Location: Milwaukee, WI Shape: Light Duration: 5 minutes
Given that local weather forecasts mentioned that the Aurora Borealis could be viewed in my area from around 10 PM, I went outside to s