I was driving northbound on I-75. I passed exit 217 and rounded a curve approaching the next exit 220. As soon as i rounded the curve i Noticed 4 or 5 lights in an arc formation in the sky north of me. These looked like stars, but they were not. I've never seen a constellation like this and they were lower than stars. They vaguely reminded me of thiose "flares" famously observed in california years back. I also saw a couple of planes at different altitudes, which is not at all unusual. The arc of lights hovered in the same formation while i drove and watched. I wanted to exit on the 220b ramp, but i also wanted to continue watching. I chose to continue driving and just watch a couple of minutes longer and exit at the ellenton exit and turn around there. I was excited and puzzled and a little apprehensive about witnessing this. I could only see them when i was on the overpasses, as the road dipped down to groud level i lost sight of them because they would dip below the tree line. The best view i had of them was while i drove over the manatee river bridge. The first few moments i noticed them, i thought they might have been fluctuating from brightness to darker, but i cannot be sure because i was trying to focus on them and there were streetlights obstructing my view of them. For the moments i could see them, they seemed pretty still. When i turned around and started driving south bound on the interstate, i tried to catch glimpses of them in my rierview. They were still there. I exited at 220 and went to my destination to meet someone who i begged to go back with me for a quick drive to see if the lights were still there, and then he could see them too. It probably took 10 minutes to get in the car and drive back to where i could see them, but they were gone. I was amazed and disappointed that i missed witnessing them leave.
