At approximately 5:15am, I witnessed what I can only describe as a UFO traveling in a SW direction over Newport, Oregon. I was located roughly 3 miles south of the local municipal airport and was outside stargazing before going to sleep when I noticed a light and what appeared to be the underside of a vehicle lit from below traveling overhead.My first instinct was to get excited, thinking I was viewing the ISS traveling past. I knew that at those altitudes, they are usually still lit by the sun while other areas are in pitch black. I then realized that this object in no way resembled the ISS and would have been far smaller if it were. Being near the municipal airport, I then tried to guess if it was a plane or helicopter, but the object consisted of a single light (approximately as bright as Sirius) and a main body that split into a "T" shape that appeared lighted from below. It seemed to be traveling low, but there was no sound at all - we normally have helicopters flying overhead and can hear them very clearly, especially when all other daily traffic is gone. The "T" shaped section was moving approximately 30-45 degrees off axis, so I knew it could not be a plane. Located along the coastal highway, I watched as this object moved into the tree line. I was unable to grab a picture with my camera phone, so I jumped in the car to a lookout point along the ocean about .5miles away. By the time I pulled in and got out (about 2 minutes max) it had already disappeared, having flown off over the water in a west-southwest direction. I'm a scientist for Oregon State University, and have seen many type of aircraft, but this was nothing I know about. When calling the local police station to ask if anyone else had reported anything, they said they had not heard anything of that nature being called in.