Around 6 or 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2012, I was in my back yard enjoying my fire pit. I live near two Army Airfields and always observe fixed and rotary-wing aircraft flying over my house. This one was different. I first noticed the movement of the object. It appeared as a steady, very bright light in the southern sky, not unlike Venus which was to the NNE. As it flew from west to east, it seemed to turn very slightly towards the north, then disappeared completely, almost as if it melted away. There were no other aircraft lights seen from this object. The object moved about the same speed as most aircraft. I did not hear any sounds. As an amateur astronomer, I always am looking up at the skies. I have never seen anything like this. I don't think it was a flare from the Army as they tend to fall down, not move across the sky. I mentioned the incident to my partner after the object disappeared because I really thought it was an aircraft at first. I did not expect it to disappear.