ClusterHunter110
super member
Reged: 02/26/12
|
Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
#5180213 - 04/19/12 12:38 PM
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Well I've seen some really messed up things while I observed the stars, one time I think happened in around summer of 2010, and I was looking for a star cluster in Cygnus (which was M39, my first DSO I ever saw) and when I looked up, there was like a V shaped black flying thing, moving to the city, of course there's LP where I live, but this thing was moving really fast and no noise OR lights, and it was darker than the sky itself, it kinda looked like something from a sci fi show, I have no idea what it was, but it freaked me out.
Then sometime in 2011 I believe, some time of cigar shaped thing (it was like a glowing oval), rotating going quite fast, again, no noise or lights (except the faint glow of the object itself) and it was really fast, the further it went, the dimmer it got, and then it dissapeared.
And this occasionally happens, but has anyone seen just stars, moving? I'm pretty sure they're satellites or meteors, but I don't have an exact definition of what they are, they almost look like stars, but they move slowly.
What have you seen when you have observed?
|
Maverick199
Postmaster
Reged: 02/27/11
Loc: India
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: ClusterHunter110]
#5180229 - 04/19/12 12:44 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
We did for the first time mistook wild geese for some sort of flourescent 'thing' moving around in V shape. A few meteors / iridium flares and some space junk is all that I can think off.
|
star drop
Snowed In
Reged: 02/02/08
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: Maverick199]
#5180250 - 04/19/12 12:51 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
The moving stars are most likely satellites. Once I saw a U2 pass in front of the rising moon and another time I saw a dark unmarked aircraft (its underside was illuminated by the city lights). But the strangest thing I see is when I uncover my telescope and look into the mirror.   
|
Maverick199
Postmaster
Reged: 02/27/11
Loc: India
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: star drop]
#5180259 - 04/19/12 12:55 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
But the strangest thing I see is when I uncover my telescope and look into the mirror.
Which shines more? 
|
krp
super member
Reged: 11/10/10
Loc: Central Illinois
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: Maverick199]
#5180274 - 04/19/12 01:07 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
A couple of nights ago I saw so many satellites I lost track. The Sat Track app on my phone shows at least 200 satellites brighter than 4.5 magnitude. Are more satellites visible this time of year for some reason?
|
dan_h
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/10/07
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: ClusterHunter110]
#5180279 - 04/19/12 01:09 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
About 5-6 years ago I saw what appeared as an angel. It was about the size of a half moon and was drifting very slowly across the sky. Using binoculars it became apparent that it was not a solid as stars would shine right through it. I followed it for a couple of hours.
Turned out to be the second stage of a rocket that was launched to be moved out of the way of an approaching storm. The hazey appearance of 'wings' was the result of the discharge of fuel that vaporized.
dan
|
JimMo
I'd Rather Do It Myself
Reged: 01/08/07
Loc: Under the SE Michigan lightdom...
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: dan_h]
#5180356 - 04/19/12 01:51 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
At the Oki-Tex Star Party I saw what looked like a Klingon Warbird or other large spacecraft of some kind. No, it looked exactly like Fireball XL5. My star party neighbors said it was an Air Force training run of a tanker fueling a jet between Colorado Springs and Lubbock, TX. I guess it's a common thing as we saw it most every night while observing.
|
simpleisbetter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/18/11
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: JimMo]
#5180372 - 04/19/12 01:58 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Don't know your location but the dark silent triangle from 2010 you mention sounds exactly like a B-2. The oval shaped object could be anything.
In my 44yrs observing I've never seen anything strange with the exception of a few strange people I've crossed paths with...
|
tezster
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/14/09
Loc: Missisauga, Canada
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: simpleisbetter]
#5180406 - 04/19/12 02:20 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Through the years, I've seen birds, bats, meteors and various type of aircraft and satellites zip across my view at the eyepiece while observing.
In fact, it was through this very forum (many, many years ago) that I was made aware that counting the silhouette of birds flying across the Moon was a well known method of studying bird migration!
|
desertstars
Reged: 11/05/03
Loc: Tucson, AZ
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: tezster]
#5180420 - 04/19/12 02:27 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Moving points of light (either satellites or debris) show themselves any night I observe. It's pretty cluttered up there, so I've gotten pretty blaise about them.
I was a bit startled, though, the first time I saw one just wink out of existence. Took a moment for me to realize that the Earth's own shadow may have had something to do with it.
|
mitaccio
sage
Reged: 03/17/09
Loc: Oahu, Hawaii
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing? *DELETED*
[Re: simpleisbetter]
#5180428 - 04/19/12 02:30 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Post deleted by mitaccio
|
Alan French
Night Owl
Reged: 01/28/05
Loc: Upstate NY
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: mitaccio]
#5180432 - 04/19/12 02:34 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Some friends once came over to check out a telescope. It was just getting dark and we pointed it at Jupiter, just emerging from the twilight glow. Oddly, Jupiter was quite bright and virtually featureless. Then we noticed something swinging below the planet - we were looking at a weather balloon.
It actually burst while I was watching, and we followed the pieces falling for a while.
I've seen round objects pass in front of the Moon once in a while. I suspect they were "escaped" helium party balloons.
Clear skies, Alan
|
Scott in NC
Mad Hatter
Reged: 03/05/05
Loc: NC
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: Alan French]
#5180547 - 04/19/12 04:23 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
I've seen a weather balloon before. That was a pretty interesting sight to watch, but still nowhere near as cool as the times that I've used a webcam to image the Space Shuttle and ISS!
Edited by ssatko (04/19/12 04:24 PM)
|
rigel123
Postmaster
Reged: 06/29/09
Loc: SW Ohio
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: Scott in NC]
#5180607 - 04/19/12 05:16 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
My strangest experience occurred two nights in a row. I had gone out in the back yard and it was still twilight. Three luminescent, for lack of a better word, circles, that were red in color swept across the sky. At first I thought some sort of red search light, but they did not repeat.
My brother was over the next night and we were talking about what I had seen and we walked out back and I pointed out where they had passed, and at that moment they passed over again!
No idea what it was but it was not solid and I figure it had to be some sort of light but after a couple of beers we both decided we had actually seen the lights from an alien probe system!! 
|
SeptemberEquinox
sage
Reged: 01/29/12
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: rigel123]
#5180664 - 04/19/12 06:38 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
I saw something while I was driving about 3 years ago. I saw a giant bright ball coming straight down from the west side sky very slowly. It lit up the whole sky and it had a green color trail. I wish I stopped my car and recorded.. but I have never seen something so bright in my life at night.
Edited by SeptemberEquinox (04/19/12 06:40 PM)
|
ClusterHunter110
super member
Reged: 02/26/12
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: SeptemberEquinox]
#5181084 - 04/19/12 11:57 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
I saw something while I was driving about 3 years ago. I saw a giant bright ball coming straight down from the west side sky very slowly. It lit up the whole sky and it had a green color trail. I wish I stopped my car and recorded.. but I have never seen something so bright in my life at night.
It sounds like you saw a meteor!  Refer to this video and I'm pretty sure this is what you saw: http://tinyurl.com/5npt2n
|
ClusterHunter110
super member
Reged: 02/26/12
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: simpleisbetter]
#5181085 - 04/19/12 11:58 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
Don't know your location but the dark silent triangle from 2010 you mention sounds exactly like a B-2. The oval shaped object could be anything.
In my 44yrs observing I've never seen anything strange with the exception of a few strange people I've crossed paths with...
Well, first off, what the object I saw didn't have straight edges, but I was farsighted at the time and got a pair of glasses a few months after that, so you could be right.
|
TexasRed
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/17/11
Loc: East Texas
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: SeptemberEquinox]
#5181108 - 04/20/12 12:27 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
I saw something while I was driving about 3 years ago. I saw a giant bright ball coming straight down from the west side sky very slowly. It lit up the whole sky and it had a green color trail. I wish I stopped my car and recorded.. but I have never seen something so bright in my life at night.
It sounds like you saw an exceptionally bright meteor called a fireball or bolide.
I always enjoy reading these stories, especially when sights that are initially startling turn out to be something surprising and unexpected when better optical aid is used.
If you spend enough time looking at the sky, eventually you're sure to see something difficult to explain or identify. Better optical aid almost always helps turn it into something you weren't expecting.
|
SeptemberEquinox
sage
Reged: 01/29/12
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: ClusterHunter110]
#5181132 - 04/20/12 12:52 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
I saw something while I was driving about 3 years ago. I saw a giant bright ball coming straight down from the west side sky very slowly. It lit up the whole sky and it had a green color trail. I wish I stopped my car and recorded.. but I have never seen something so bright in my life at night.
It sounds like you saw a meteor! Refer to this video and I'm pretty sure this is what you saw: http://tinyurl.com/5npt2n
ya, that's what i saw. It fell into the ocean near San Diego. But in my memory it lit up the sky a lot longer and fell slower. I will never forget that day.
Edited by SeptemberEquinox (04/20/12 12:54 AM)
|
Smittty692k4
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/05/11
Loc: East Bernard, TX
|
Re: Has anyone seen strange things while observing?
[Re: SeptemberEquinox]
#5181309 - 04/20/12 07:20 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
One night, not even observing, my wife and I were outside on the patio. She pointed at this object in the sky and told me to look. What we saw looked exactly like the "V" shaped "craft" those people saw in Vegas or California a few years ago. The only reason I bring this up is for the fact it made no noise, and it covered an area or about 110 degrees from the east to west EXTREMELY fast, then stopped, as zipped up out of the atmosphere as fast as you can imagine.
She had NEVER believed in the UFO stories until that night.
Then I got online and showed here the "V" craft from the other reports and made her freak a little. OOPS 
Just wanted to share that.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
