Object moving into wind reflects sunlight.
Observing the sky I noted what I first thought to be a large bird traveling at moderate speed in a westerly direction. As the object was headed west, a commercial aircraft was leaving KSEA (SeaTac) on a southern flight path. I attempted to point out the "bird" to a friend who did not locate it. At that point it was rather small in the sky and was basically a dark object. The sun was low to the SW. I noted a very bright reflection that seemed much large in scale then the sizeof the object. I can completely rule out an aircraft, as the direction of flight would have been an airspace violation. Once I witnessed the unexpected shimmer, I lost sight of it.
I estimate that the object traveled from the Auburn valley to I-5 in less than 60 seconds. There was a distinct cloud ceiling, which is was under. Conditions at KSEA are as follows: Conditions at: KSEA (SEATTLE/METRO , WA, US) observed 0153 UTC 25 March 2018 Temperature: 7.2°C (45°F) Winds: from the WSW (250 degrees) at 6 MPH (5 knots; 2.6 m/s) Visibility: 10 or more miles (16+ km) Ceiling: 12000 feet AGL Clouds: few clouds at 3000 feet AGL scattered clouds at 6000 feet AGL broken clouds at 12000 feet AGL broken clouds at 20000 feet AGL The traverse of the sky seemed to match that of a large raptor at approx 1000 feet altitude. The time it took to gain distance, etc. This is what I thought I was seeing, until it brightly reflected the sun for a brief moment. It it were at 5000 feet, it was traveling at approx. 250 knots. At 10,000, triple that.
I report this in case others may report a similar or related incident.
Observing the sky I noted what I first thought to be a large bird traveling at moderate speed in a westerly direction. As the object was headed west, a commercial aircraft was leaving KSEA (SeaTac) on a southern flight path. I attempted to point out the "bird" to a friend who did not locate it. At that point it was rather small in the sky and was basically a dark object. The sun was low to the SW. I noted a very bright reflection that seemed much large in scale then the sizeof the object. I can completely rule out an aircraft, as the direction of flight would have been an airspace violation. Once I witnessed the unexpected shimmer, I lost sight of it.
I estimate that the object traveled from the Auburn valley to I-5 in less than 60 seconds. There was a distinct cloud ceiling, which is was under. Conditions at KSEA are as follows: Conditions at: KSEA (SEATTLE/METRO , WA, US) observed 0153 UTC 25 March 2018 Temperature: 7.2°C (45°F) Winds: from the WSW (250 degrees) at 6 MPH (5 knots; 2.6 m/s) Visibility: 10 or more miles (16+ km) Ceiling: 12000 feet AGL Clouds: few clouds at 3000 feet AGL scattered clouds at 6000 feet AGL broken clouds at 12000 feet AGL broken clouds at 20000 feet AGL The traverse of the sky seemed to match that of a large raptor at approx 1000 feet altitude. The time it took to gain distance, etc. This is what I thought I was seeing, until it brightly reflected the sun for a brief moment. It it were at 5000 feet, it was traveling at approx. 250 knots. At 10,000, triple that.
I report this in case others may report a similar or related incident.
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Off
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Auburn
USA
60 seconds
60 seconds
47.30
-122.18
unknown
WA
Occurred : 3/24/2018 19:02 (Entered as : 03/24/18 19:02) Reported: 3/24/2018 7:35:28 PM 19:35 Posted: 3/29/2018 Location: Auburn, WA Shape: Unknown Duration: 60 seconds Characteristics: There were aircraft in the vicinity or aircraft chasing the object
Object moving into wind reflects sunlight.