'UFO' might be space station, local amateur astronomer says

The orange lights seen in the Southeast Missouri sky last week might not have been so strange after all.

Several people in the region reported seeing unusual, bright orange lights in the sky last Wednesday night. But amateur astronomer Edward Matott of Poplar Bluff, Mo., said he thinks the light people saw was the international space station, which orbits the Earth about 220 miles above its surface.

Matott has been tracking the location of the space station since it was launched in 1998. He uses Orbitron, a free computer program, to view its progress. He said he knew the space station was going to be visible over Southeast Missouri last Wednesday, and he watched as it flew across the sky from southeast to northwest at 8:57 p.m.

The space station is visible to the naked eye under certain conditions. When the large solar panels of the space station catch the sunlight at the proper angle, the light is reflected toward the Earth. The resulting light is most easily seen shortly after the sun sets and shortly before it rises.

"It gets pretty bright, and it'll be orange or reddish-orange," Matott said.

The people who witnessed an orange light in the sky last week said it did not resemble a high altitude jet, in part because of its speed. Matott said the international space station travels at about 17,500 miles per hour, whereas a commercial jet flies at 500 to 600 miles per hour.

He said the observation of some witnesses that the light disappeared suddenly has several possible explanations. The space station can abruptly disappear from sight if it passes behind a cloud or moves to where it is no longer reflecting sunlight at the appropriate angle, Matott said.

H.B. Rice of Chaffee, Mo., reported seeing lights in the sky last week while sitting outside with four friends. He said Matott's explanation is possible, but he is left with some doubt because he saw a light twice. Rice said a white light flew northward at about 9 p.m., and 30 minutes later a similar, orange light came from the opposite direction, stopped and vanished.

Matott said his experience with astronomy, a hobby since the early 1970s, enables him to find explanations for unusual phenomena.

"Being an amateur astronomer, I'm aware of some things in the sky that other people aren't," he said.

Matott said he thinks Rice and his friends saw the international space station at about 9 p.m. The second light could have been an airplane or helicopter that they associated with the first light, he said.

Cecil Haley saw a reddish-orange light streak across the sky in Bloomfield, Mo., last Wednesday. He said he thinks Matott's explanation is possible. But he did not rule out other possibilities.

"It could have been [the space station]. You know, I can't say it wasn't, I can't say it was," Haley said.

Matott said the international space station will be visible again in Southeast Missouri next week. He said it will be almost directly overhead at about 9:30 p.m. July 25 and again at about 8:45 p.m. July 27. Space shuttle Endeavor, launched Wednesday, is scheduled to be docked at the station from today to July 29, according to NASA. Matott said the addition of the shuttle will increase the brightness of the light reflected from the space station.

To track the international space station or find a schedule of sighting opportunities in the region, go to www11.jsc.nasa.gov/sightings.

astephens@semissourian.com

388-3654