What was the UFO we saw?

Factual Questions
1

This happened two weekends ago, and I meant to run it by you guys, but got busy doing other stuff and it slipped my mind. I feel like I remember the incident well, though, because after it happened, my husband and I discussed it for a while, trying to figure it out.

We live about 30 miles south of Whiteman Airforce Base, in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. Our neighbors are cows and corn. It is very, very dark out here at night and the Milkyway is visible in detail. My husband and I were hanging out in the hot tub, about an hour after sunset (so, 8-8:30), admiring the stars. The night was very clear. He is in the Air Force, and works on the B2’s. So he knew they weren’t flying that weekend, due to it being the end of the fiscal year.

We noticed a steady, bright light, about twice the brightness of a bright star, moving at about the speed of a satellite. He made a comment that it was an unusually bright satellite, or unusually low, and and I agreed. We watched it’s progress for a minute or two, and it made it’s way over about 10 degrees of sky, moving at a steady pace, no blinking or change in brightness.

As we were speculating on what it was, it suddenly turned red, and faded out over a few seconds, still moving. We didn’t hear any noise from it. It never reappeared, but about a minute later, a military helicopter came out of the north towards where we saw it disappear. It flew over us once, and was gone. Just one helicopter, moving fast, and the only aircraft (other than our UFO) we saw that night. (If it matters what kind of chopper it was, I’ll ask my husband, I forget.)

So, any idea what we saw?

2

Meteor burning up in reentry.

Or like you already said, a satellite which then became obfuscated by a bit of haze you couldn’t normally notice when it was dark.

Helicopter was coincidental.

Or OR it was a spacecraft full of Grey Aliens looking to mutilate those cows.

3

I doubt anyone can give you a definite answer without having seen it, but since you were near an airforce base, I guess the best bet would be a military plane or UAV. Sometimes atmospheric conditions can cause lights on the ground, such as traffic to appear as though they are above the horizon. It’s an effect similar to a mirage, caused by a temperature inversion. Those are my only guesses. The first one seems most likely to me.

4

Bah! missed my edit window. But should have said “Entry”

5

There is no way it was a meteor. We see a few meteors a night, when we’re out there, and this was nothing like that.

It was well above the horizon, like if you’re looking at the milky way, it was maybe 15 degrees below that. There is no traffic out here. I know that sounds crazy, but if we sit in the hot tub for an hour and two cars go by, it’s unusual. It would certainly not take a minute for a car to go by our property, and we would absolutely notice it.

Are there aircraft which don’t require flashing lights to fly at night?

6

Wild stab: You were first seeing the front white light of an airliner. Then the plane turned, and you saw the red light on the left wingtip for a bit, until it either turned again or went behind a cloud and you lost sight of it.

The helicopter was coincidence.

7

This sounds like the ISS entering the Earth’s shadow. Since you remember the exact time and place, you can look it up on Heaven’s Above.
http://www.heavens-above.com/

8

The ISS went over Whiteman Airforce Base at 20:04 0n 2 Oct, 20:48 on 3 Oct, and 19:55 on 4 Oct. Which day did you see this?

9

It was probably Friday the second. I think you’re right, looking at photos, it was the ISS. I couldn’t remember if it was last weekend, or the one before. Very cool, thanks!

10

Yeah, that sounds exactly like the ISS. If it is passing over your location, it is often visible for a while after sunset because it is high enough to still be fully illuminated by the sun, then it turns red as it enters the shadow of the earth (as the sun sets on it, basically), then it disappears.

11

Pretty awesome that this thread got such a definitive answer. I really wasn’t expecting that. Nice detective work.

12

I know! I’m knew the SDMB would come through for me. :slight_smile:

13

The ISS is pretty distinctive among visible satellites, not only for its brightness, but because it moves from west to east. Most satellites do that, but most of them are in a low-inclination orbit that prevents them from being seen in most of the US. Most of the satellites we see in the US are in polar orbits, and so will always be moving north to south or south to north. The ISS, however, is in a highly-inclined orbit to make it accessible from the Russian launch site, so it can pass over the US.

14

It was moving West to East.

15

I’m thinking it would have been an Iridium_flare.
They are awesome view. I’ve seen three in the past few years.

16

Iridium flares are quite remarkable, but they don’t last that long.

17

“he knew they weren’t flying that weekend, due to it being the end of the fiscal year.”

Do our enemies know this?

18

Yeah, probably. The end of the fiscal year is not secret. They weren’t training for a couple of days, but it’s not like they wouldn’t have responded if needed.