| Country | South Africa |
| State or Province | Gauteng |
| City | Randburg |
| Date | 8/7/24 |
| Time | 19:00 |
| Weather | Clear evening, no clouds. |
| Duration | Approximately 3 minutes |
| Witnesses (Number) | 1 |
| Distance | Approx. 1 km away (estimated) |
| Solid Object | No |
| Size | Appeared no bigger than a light aircraft |
| Shape | Oval/Oblong |
| Shape Details | Saw it as a light, not a defined physical shape |
| Metallic/Shiny | No |
| Color | White with a yellowish hue |
| Glow/Halo | Yes |
| Lights | Yes |
| How Many Lights | One, it behaved like a beam or searchlight above the halo |
| How Bright | Comparable to a car headlight |
| Light Coloration | White with a blueish hue (different from halo) |
| Sound | No |
| Motion/Speed | Comparative to the speed of a light aircraft |
| Number of Objects | One |
| Coordination/Communication | Not Specified |
| Windows | No |
| Occupants | No |
| Description | I was facing north and the object was flying from east to west. It appeared as a light, but struck me as odd because the light was too big for a light aircraft and furthermore the object was not flying towards me but towards the west. I stared intensely at the object for a while; I was looking for all the usual flight / navigation lights, but saw none. After doing this for approximately 30 seconds a light was shone directly at me. Initially I thought the object had suddenly changed direction and was flying towards me, but after a few more seconds, I saw that a beam of light was rotated away from me and I could see that the object was still following the flight path as before. Here’s the strange bit: before the beam switched off, it seemed to have been retracted quite a bit (which you can’t do with light so I have no idea how that could possibly be). UAPSRS ASSESSMENT: Witness description is consistent with an iridium flare produced as sunlight reflects off large flat antenna panels present on Iridium communication satellites. These flares are predictable, can be very bright (reaching magnitude -8), and are visible for up to several seconds as the satellite passes overhead. Given that no video is available, UAPSRS assesses with moderate confidence details provided in witness description match this well-known phenomenon. |
| Nearby Landmarks | Not Specified |
| Latitude | -26.0941 |
| Longitude | 27.9827 |
| Altitude | Approx. 1 km high (estimated) |
| Propulsion | No |
| Advanced Capabilities | No |
| Visible Payload | No |
| Radar | Not Specified |
| Signatures | No |
| Awareness | Yes |
| Aggression | No |
| Health Effects | None |
| Physical/Environmental Effects | None |
| Animal Disturbance | None around me |
| Witness Feelings | Fascinated |
| Witness Assessment | It seemed to notice me staring at it, but beyond using the beam, it showed no real interest in me. |
| Additional Info | Not Specified |
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