New Year's Eve. Party plans failed. In my backyard, around my fire pit, watching the neighborhood fireworks. Clear sky at the time, a aircraft flew over (very high) flying east to west leaving con-trail. Moon was slightly west of 90 degrees. A frontal cloud bank was moving in from the south. Otherwise, a beautifully clear sky. At 11:40 PM, (I checked my watch) after a starburst firework, an INCREDIBLY brilliant orange "orb", (for lack of a better description) flew south over the tree line to the north. It flew straight and steady to the south. Comparatively, it was twice as big, and brighter than any star in the sky. No nav lights. It flew just east of the moon, directly overhead and under the con-trail of the earlier aircraft, then into the approaching cloud bank in the south. Total approximate duration was 3 minutes. During the sighting, I called my parents to let them know what I was seeing, as it happened.This is the 5th time that I've seen this object. Two times earlier, two of them were flying in formation. The New Years observation was the first time that I have had Any frame of reference to gauge size or speed (con-trail, cloud bank). My "opinion", is that it must have been a Very large craft, (in relation to the aircraft that flew over earlier and flying into the cloud bank). In all sightings, it made absolutely Zero sound. Even at 50,000 ft, a passenger aircraft's engines can be heard, though quite delayed due to the speed of sound. As big and bright as these were, if they were "conventional" aircraft, you'd expect to here Some sort of delayed engine sound....but there was none. I've seen the shuttle reenter, and I've seen ISS fly over. They were too small compared to this, but about the same speed. I've seen my share of sattelites flying overhead, with the occasional cool optical effect of the early morning sun shining on them at the terminator resulting in a brilliant burst of sunlight reflecting off of them. What I have observed is none of these.I am a decorated USAF veteran, and "was" privy to many classified aircraft projects. I am well aware of what "conventional" aircraft look like and how they perform (and even some "unconventional" ones). Though "most" of what I know has been declassified, NOTHING that I know, can explain the craft that I've seen. And, I just can't believe that I'm the only one who has seen them. I see no record of these sightings in your data files.My friends talked me into submitting this report. Sorry it took so long.