Rock Hill, SC - 1988- circle of flashing lights slowly appeared, one light at a time, then, flashing faster and faster, zoomed out of s

I was awakened early one morning in my dorm room at Winthrop College, which is unlike me.  I looked out the window near my bed.  Our curtains were not drawn, as we were on the eighth floor where no one could really see in.  I noticed a flashing yellow-orange light flashing slowly.  At first I thought nothing of it, thinking it was an airplane light or a radio tower light.  Soon white, or light yellow lights began to appear one-by-one in a ring around the original light.  I was frozen, trying to understand what I was seeing.  After the last light in the outer ring appeared. the entire set  of lights began to blink in unison, faster and faster.
All of a sudden, the entire object zoomed out of sight, faster than anything I'd seen before.  I'll never forget it.