While observing the annual Perseid meteor shower on the late evening of Aug. 13 in the countryside, I saw a motionless flare of white light that faded to blackness again. The whole event was about 4-8 seconds. Location: Pegasus (eastern sky).
Any idea what it might have been? I don't think quasars and pulsars are visible to the naked eye; there are a number of
variable star types, but it may take some research effort to narrow the list down.
(By the way, despite the fairly clear sky and the new moon, we saw only about 20 shooting stars in about 90 min.; probably fewer than usual for the Perseids.)