7 motionless bright lights in an uneven row

I woke up before dawn and looked out my window.  Above the trees, in the distance over the ocean, there were 7 bright lights in an uneven row.  They were as big as the moon slightly squeezed at top and bottom to be a bit of an oval.  They never moved.  There was no sound.  The lights were constant.  
After about 15 minutes of watching, I woke my mother and we watched them together until they disappeared in the rising sun light.  I told my aunt who lived down stairs.  
For over 30 years I never thought about them until my son brought a book home from school with a picture that was almost the same as what I saw.  
My mom had passed but my aunt remembered me telling her about them.
Source of report indicates that the date is approximate.  PD