June 16, 2015 9:50pm
I am on the Florida MAST team. We have been on alert for a few days, MAST Activation #15-004. This was the first evening I had the opportunity to observe with good visibility. Our area had an intense thunderstorm late in the afternoon/early evening, but the skies were mostly clear by 9:30pm, so I decided to sit out.
I was observing the night sky with my spouse, from our backyard, facing S. At appx 9:50 pm, a very bright light appeared in the southern sky, heading due N, directly towards us. I then noticed a second light just behind it, at an angle, to the left. My husband spotted a third light, just behind it, at an angle to the right. The 2nd & 3rd lights were very faint at first, but then increased in brightness until they were as bright as the 1st light. They traveled together, in a V formation, due N, then turned slightly onto a NE course. The lights began to dim when they reached 90 degrees, almost directly over our heads, then faded completely out of sight. The entire event lasted about 10 seconds.
Please note: we observed S/L 8 RB pass at appx 9:54pm, shortly after sighting. There were also 2 satellites in the E, but we couldn't see those with naked eye.
We were very excited to witness this. I made some preliminary notes on the details of sighting, then reported sighting to Florida MAST director. We compared satellite charts for anything I may have missed.
My husband & I sat outside until appx 11pm. He commented to me, several times after the event, that he felt like his energy was completely drained. He didn't move from his chair, didn't even have the energy to speak, which is very unusual for him. I experienced no adverse affects.
