12/12/09 between 22:30 and 23:00 numerous moving bright lights 50 - 60 in the sky moving in an easterly direction with bursts of speed

I was looking up into the sky after some rain and we had.  The sky was intermitinly clouded, mostly small clouds passing by. carried by a swift upper wind. at first I thought they were stars, but they were brighter than venus. then I thougth it was one airplane, but there were no flashing lights, then I noticed more of them too many to be airplanes. 50 to 60 all moving in the same direction from the eastern horizon to the west.  Some were in formations other were not.  There would be bursts of speed then very slow as if trying to pass for stars should anyone look up.  I had to ask others there if they were seeing what i was seeing and like me the first explanation was that they were planes, but the altitude was too high and their light to bright for anything conventional and the speed to great, not to mention the size they must have been to cast such a light at that altitude. 
After they passed there was a brief period where the sky was just black then the stars! were all there in their normal  locations I stood there in disbelief while other said to call the police or someone.  Some of the women there even started to cry saying it was armegedon.  I just could not believe what I saw and so many and not one of our jets was in the sky?  "I live near a flight path".