An incandescent white circular object passed over Pasadena, CA and ejected a smaller version of itself.

This UFO (meaning Unidentified Flying Object) sighting occurred in the four-year interval starting mid-year 1952 to mid-year 1956. I was 16 to 20  years old at the time.  I am now 73.  The observation occurred in Pasadena, CA.
My mother was working  in her garden behind our house in mid-afternoon on a beautiful sunny day.  There were no clouds, the sky was blue, and there were no winds.  She called me to come out of the house because there was something in the sky she wanted me to see.  Her voice was urgent.
According to my mother (now deceased), the Unidentified Flying Object was heading South, made a 90 degree left-hand turn and then was headed East.  When I came out, it was headed East.
The object was incandescent white, like a light bulb, and had a perfectly circular cross-section.  There was no exhaust of any kind or any vapor trail. It was completely silent.
The object was flying very close to a jet aircraft.  After 50+ years, I’m not completely  sure of the following, but I believe that the object was trailing the jet aircraft and to its right.  I could see very clearly the swept wings of the jet aircraft, one jet engine under each wing, the two horizontal tail stabilizers, and the fuselage. When jets fly at 35000 feet, you can hardly see them. This one was much closer, possibly 10000 to 15000 feet. If you placed the circular object on top of the jet, I believe it would be just large enough to cover up the jet. Since the direction and distance from the jet to  the UFO did not change, I believe both were at the same altitude.
As the UFO was traveling  toward the eastward horizon, it ejected a smaller version of itself (maybe one-quarter of the diameter, incandescent white, circular cross section) to the South. It moved South through a 30 to 45 degree arc in about 3 seconds. It stopped at this point and just faded away. Possibly because it was moving radially away from me. The jet aircraft and the main UFO continued until they disappeared over the eastern horizon.
I have never seen anything like this UFO. It was either from this Earth or it was not. I wish I knew.
Source of report indicates that the date of the incident is approximate.  We spoke via telephone with this witness, and he sounded to us to be exceptionally capable as a witness.  PD