Distance to Object(s) & Altitude

3 miles and 20,000+/- feet of altitude

Shape of Object(s)

brilliant round light

Color of Object(s):

white

Full Description & Details

My husband and I were walking in the "Avenues" neighborhood of Salt Lake. I'm not sure of the time, but it was nearing sunset, though still very light. I was admiring the sky and noticed a brilliant light in the sky to the northwest. It was several air miles away and at high altitude. I mistook it for a jet. I thought it was catching a lot of light from the setting sun, however it was unusually brilliant and round (not like the normal reflection of light you might see from a high-flying plane). I was about to call my husband's attention to it - I had just lifted my hand to point to it and started to speak, when the object abruptly turned to the north, at an angle of about 90 degrees to it's previous direction. At the same time the object accelerated to the apparent speed of a "shooting star". In fact, if it had been dark I might have mistaken it for a shooting star, except it's apparent direction was up into the sky instead of down or across the sky. It disappeared before I was able to utter a word to my husband.

Witness Background

High level administrative manager - 20 years BS Degree - Sociology

Other Comments

I am posting this report now because there was an article in the Salt Lake Tribune today (9/30/04) about a Delta pilot being injured by laser light "flooding the cockpit" of his plane during a 9/22/04 landing approach to the SLC airport. The report of this event was first published in "The Washington Times" on 9/29/04. Both articles omit the name of the pilot and are a bit sketchy on details. After seeing the articles, I did a bit of web research on laser incidents affecting pilots. Apparently this is so frequent an event that the military has developed a laser detection box to install in cockpits so that pilots can be alerted to the potential danger. I have not learned yet whether this application is intended for commercial planes or just for military use. It makes sense that military planes need a detection system to alert pilots when they are being targeted by lasers prior to deployment of enemy air to air missles - but it seems like a detection system for this purpose would have been developed a long time ago. The press release I saw was dated November 2003. I hope to learn more about this.

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