Standing outside having a smoke, I was looking up at the stars as I usually do. As I glanced to the northeast, little over halfway up into the sky, I saw a flash of light in the sky, just out of my direct line of sight. It was very concentrated in one location and did not illuminate the surroundings. It also did not stay on for any length of time; it was as short as a camera flash. I was able to note the shape of the flash. It wasn't circular, nor was it strictly rectangular. If you take a thin board of wood and roughly snap off pieces at both ends, you'll end up with a jagged edge on both top and bottom. That is the closest I can think of to describing the shape.The other way I would describe it is if you took a length of cellophane wadded it up, there would be one side of the ball that is relatively smooth. If you turn it so that the side catches the light, it will flash momentarily right when it catches the light right. That is what it looked like. I have never seen a known iridium flare, so I cannot say it wasn't that, but I could find no evidence of an expected flare in my area at that time. It also definitely wasn't heat lightning. The light was too concentrated in one location.I did not witness any movement of any object in that area prior to or following the event. However, I have seen such flashes multiple times in the recent weeks, but this was the first one I was looking at semi-directly and couldn't dismiss as being a reflection in my glasses.