Moving lights in Siwa sky (Egypt), for more than a year, almost everyday

[maxim.zavads]

TL;DR: One to five yellow/white lights have been appearing almost nightly for over a year near Siwa Oasis, Egypt. They float, accelerate, reverse direction, and fade in/out between 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM. Observed by myself and a hobby astronomer. Data, angular speeds, and bearings detailed below.

Location & Timeline

• Location 1: Near the Siwa Oasis Lake (where a hobby astronomer and his friend recorded videos in February 2025).
• Location 2: Siwa Oasis Luna Camp (where I conducted observations between May 24–26, 2026). This is roughly 5 km from the lake.
• Environment: Desert oasis with excellent visibility and zero cloud cover (the Milky Way is clearly visible).
• Timing: The lights consistently appear starting around 10:00 PM and last until at least 3:00 AM. I checked at 5:00 AM once, and the sky was empty.

The Data (Bearings & Movement)[/H2]
Using a bubble level app, a timer, and finger-width measurements, I tracked the path of the objects over consecutive nights. The trajectory is highly consistent day-to-day:

• 10:00 PM: 310∘ (NW)
• 12:00 AM: 330∘ (NNW)
• 1:20 AM: 4∘ (N)
• 2:00 AM: 20∘ (NNE)
• 2:30 AM: 20∘ (NNE)

Flight Characteristics:

• Elevation: Very low on the horizon, ranging from 1∘ to 9∘.
• Movement: Mostly left-to-right (towards the North). They are highly erratic: stopping to float, accelerating rapidly, making sharp turns, or completely reversing direction.
• Velocity: Angular velocity ranges from 0∘/s (stationary) up to at least 0.375∘/s.
• Count: Anywhere from 1 to 5 dots simultaneously. One might appear first, followed sporadically by others.

Appearance & Luminosity

• Color: Yellow and white lights. At their peak brightness, they flicker and appear distinctly yellow.
• Luminosity: Ranging from the size of a small star up to the brightness of Jupiter.
• Brightness Comparison: Around midnight at a 6∘ elevation angle, one dot was as bright or brighter than Antares, and significantly brighter than any star in the nearby Cassiopeia constellation.
• Behavior: The lights gradually fade in and out. Each light lasts anywhere from 10 seconds to 1.5 minutes. Note: The fading behavior does not correlate with their physical movement.

What do you think these could be? Given the low elevation angle (1∘–9∘) and the proximity to the Libyan border/desert military zones, could this be a specific type of drone activity, atmospheric refraction, or something else?

Please help me debunk this!
(transcribed and cleaned up by AI from my voice recording)

 

[Mick West]

They look like Starlink horizon flares.

They float, accelerate, reverse direction, and fade in/out between

Do you have video of them accelerating or reversing direction? That's a common illusion with SHFs, but the video alsowas shows straight lines at constant speed.