17 replies to this topic

[rnc39560]

While outside tinkering with the scope (last night was just a goof off night with me! I just wanted to get outside! Lol!) I did as always and looked towards Orion. Its my favorite constellation, and I remember it as a child. A plane, which I could see ONLY the white lights at the time, so it made it look even MORE freaky, was right below Alnitak and appeared to almost cross all three in stars in the belt! It was so cool to see that at just the right time! Looked a bit spooky too, to be honest! Lol! 

Edited by rnc39560, 21 November 2014 - 10:09 AM.

[cadfour]

sounds like a g..g....ghost plane!

 

Whats even more freaky is when one flies into your view while observing....always makes me jump back a bit.

[rnc39560]

Yep, that does happen on occasion. Lol!

[Dr Morbius]

Sky King!

[davidmcgo]

Up at Fossil Falls last night I had an F/A 18 do a high G afterburner on 360 degree turn over me.  This was late twighlightband he was high enough for me to need binoculars to see the diamond shocks in the exhaust but it was pretty cool.  Not as good as when I saw an SR71 take off from Palmdale at night back in the 1990s, but still very impressive.

 

Dave

[rnc39560]

I like tracking them. Day or night. Its fun and good practice for tracking satellites. We have Keesler A.F.B., the Navy Seabee, and camp Shelby, nearby and can watch maneuvers frequently. 

[gunfighter48]

Many years ago while observing the Moon, a 747 flew thru my view and it was so cool. I wished I'd had a camera mounted it would have made a great picture!!

[rnc39560]

Many years ago while observing the Moon, a 747 flew thru my view and it was so cool. I wished I'd had a camera mounted it would have made a great picture!!

I can visualize it. I bet it was nice!

[StarStuff1]

30 years ago I got back into this hobby. I purchased a gently used 8 inch f/6 newt and made a pipe mount for it. One night I was using a fairly high magnification on a star cluster and this row of lights went through the fov. I looked up but didn't see anything. Just as I was about to convince myserf I had just seen a UFO I heard the distant noise of a high altitude passenger jet. Whew!

[rnc39560]

Just tonight I saw a blinking TINY light with no noise. I knew it was a plane, but it must've been WAAAYY up there. I have never seen one (plane lights) that tiny. It was like watching a satellite, but it had a rhythmic blink. So I assume it had to be a plane. 

[kozmik frakture]

Also birds & bats when observing the moon, definitely cool although not as startling as a big jet filling the ep.

[rnc39560]

Lol! I did see what I just couldn't figure one night also. I grabbed the binos and it was some geese in a V formation! Looked like a big dull odd shaped blur without my glasses on! I haven't really seen any bats (a bit odd too, we have quite a few) but geese are common night flyers here. Its happened many more times since starting the hobby. I love it when something unexpected and odd happens while out in the night. 

[clmurphy74]

During the October eclipse, I saw several birds and planes cross between the Sun and me.  However, the freakiest thing that I saw was a couple of bright dots, and a streak of light.  I am assuming that it was sunlight glinting brightly enough off of either a plane or some other surface to show through the solar filter on the telescope.

[DSObserver2000]

I was observing the Orion Nebula once and saw a satellite fly into the FOV. It was awesome.

[OrlandoMatt]

sounds like a g..g....ghost plane!

 

Whats even more freaky is when one flies into your view while observing....always makes me jump back a bit.

 

ZOINKS!

[RussL]

At my other house in Lancaster, SC I see aircraft to the north at very low altitude (or so it appears) that are coming almost straight toward me.  The first time I noticed them there was just one.  I kept wondering what could be hovering like that, bright as Jupiter, and northwar at that.  Then there were two.  Both seemed to be just sitting still about ten degrees above the horizon and ten to fifteen degrees apart, like they were looking back at me.  But after a few minutes they had drifted some and eventually disappeared.  I've seen as many as three at one time across the same span.  Weird-looking, I must say.

 

I mean, I'm assuming they're normal aircraft?  I haven't experienced any loss of time yet, I don't think.

[csrlice12]

I saw one crash.........

[David Gray]

Back in 1989 Sept. I was opening the observatory roof and spotted a very high flying aircraft moving eastward on a path that would have took it through Orion near Betelgeuse.

 

Some minutes later thinking no more of it I got Jupiter in the field for some routine observations and was startled to see a diffuse band travel across the field blurring slightly and undulating markedly planet and satellites as it passed over them.  Jupiter being a couple of degrees east of Mu Gem back then.

 

When I had spotted the aircraft there was only a short contrail faded off at some 1º from it and I would guess the band seen with the scope was the windborne turbulent air in its wake refracting Jupiter’s light……???

 

See attached a quick sketch done at the time.

 

DG