Huge bright object due west of phoenix, az....can anyone identify

Just walked out side, and noticed this very large bright object about 35-40 degrees up due west of phoenix.....I am pretty much in the current flight path of skyharbor....and though this was a plane with landing lights. However, i watched it a few more minutes and it is standing steady.....larger than any star or planet, and a lot brighter. Anyone astronomers in the area know what this might be?

Originally posted by pointr97
Just walked out side, and noticed this very large bright object about 35-40 degrees up due west of phoenix.....I am pretty much in the current flight path of skyharbor....and though this was a plane with landing lights. However, i watched it a few more minutes and it is standing steady.....larger than any star or planet, and a lot brighter. Anyone astronomers in the area know what this might be?

Download STELLARIUM, learn it and use it its free and accurate and pretty cool

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.

Are you sure its not venus?

reply to post by pointr97

can anyone identify

sorry on east coast

Take a picture or get video

but it might be flying straight toward you
giving the impression that its at a stand still...

reply to post by pointr97


Agree w/ GEL..Stellarium is top notch...

This is due west in Phoenix currently (using Stellarium), although it's set at EDT as I am in FL.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


thanks, downloading now.....will see if anything fits.....gotta say it is really amazingly bright.

reply to post by UberL33t



Wow, that is really an amazing program.....and it answered it....Venus wins the prize, very cool use of the software. Thanks guys, have a feeling that is going to be a fun little toy.

I was born and raised in phoenix and while I dont know if it's true I had an astronomy teacher who said that during a new moon if you go out in the desert Venus can cast a shadow it's so bright.

Originally posted by pointr97
reply to post by UberL33t

 

Wow, that is really an amazing program.....and it answered it....Venus wins the prize, very cool use of the software. Thanks guys, have a feeling that is going to be a fun little toy.

If you think thats fun, get Google Sky for your phone. Then you can just point your phone at the sky and it shows you whats there. There is also a similar satelitte app...

Yep, I took the garbage cans out to the sidewalk a half hour ago and looked up and man! Venus was lit up like a beacon, even had a little bit of haze surrounding it.. Bright bright bright!

It may be a new radar blimp, There is always one impersonating Venus in my SE. Used to look over the horizon for airplanes entering the US.

Venus is terribly bright out there tonight, and that's most likely what you're seeing.
Another employee, and myself, were outside looking at it a couple of hours ago.

its jupiter

edit: Wow....I need my coffee this morning. UBERL33T already posted the screenshot from Stellarium. Mine was just from the Tucson area, but does confirm it was Venus.

NOTE: Look to the skies this Saturday night. Lyriad meteor shower should be interesting...especially with no moon to brighten things up.

is this what you saw?

edit: thread in the link was removed

reply to post by pointr97


Back to basics.
Do we know how light comes about.
Atoms in motion like a candle flame.
Same goes for filament light bulb.
Same goes for gas filled light bulb.
Same goes for the Sun.

How. Quantum jumps of electron in shells or orbits around the atom nucleus.
How does all this fit in. Well UFOs have a bright light but hardly anyone will
suggest a Teslaship source but more than not they can do a good job of
lighting up the sky.

I like when my constellation's brightest star Spica and Saturn position right in front of me when I sleep in the same directioin, it is a good night. That's what can be seen in the evening late,. besides Mars and Regulus