Unusual object flight path - ideas?

In August 2008, a friend and I were out in the countryside stargazing. The sky was almost entirely clear and moonlit. At around midnight, I observed what I at first believed to be an artificial satellite (I've seen these before). It was bright and moving at a regular pace along a more or less straight, predictable path.

After a minute or two, however, the object began to U-turn and, in the process, began to dim. Moments later, it looped around to the original path and returned to its original brightness. In short, it went in a loop, and it repeated this several times until I lost sight of the object. I estimate that the dimming I saw as the object turned was due to the object reflecting sunlight, like a satellite, but I've no idea what kind of object at that height would fly in loops.

Since August, I've been trying to find plausible explanations for what this object was through an established astronomy and satellite observing forum. Aside from the predictable bird/Chinese lantern/passing jet theories, no-one has been able to offer much, or even say that they've seen something similar, which surprises me.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Hmm..

I seen something along the same lines.

Read my thread here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Interesting; thanks. With the exception of the coloured lights you saw, our sightings sound quite similar.

I'm practically certain that the light I was seeing was reflected sunlight, which means the object was, like yours, extremely high. I'm also pretty certain that, to fly the path it did, it must have been both artificial and under control. So this leaves the questions: what flies that high that isn't a satellite, appears not to be artificially illuminated, and makes fairly tight turns? Certainly something odd.

The only rational explanations I can think of involve various forms of military plane, but this leaves the question of why such a craft would be flying repeated circles along a flight path passing over dark bit of moorland, lakes and forest nestled between unremarkable small cities and towns.

It also raises the question of why, despite over 6 months of trying to find ideas among the amateur astronomer and satellite observation community, no-one has provided any plausible explanations, and nor has any of these sky watchers described seeing anything similar.