Random Observation - anybody else seeing lone bright stars in strange places in the sky lately??

So I remember when I was a kid looking up at the stars and tracking patterns, and though this may strike some as odd ( I don't hallucinate) Is it just me or have any of you guys been noticing some very odd patterns with the stars lately??
I've seen completely empty skies of no stars but see a series of 3 or 4 very BRIGHT stars that seem to have a lower trajectory then what I remember from the past. Now some of you may find it odd that I'm posting this in the UFO section, and I'm by no means claiming these are UFO's without a doubt, because normally a star is just a star. But that being said, could there be something strange going on here??

Normally I post things involving links, and in other forums.. One of the first times in here. Posting this just to gather opinions and see If I'm the only one who's noticed this strange phenomena

a reply to: freedom7

Hello,

Am a member for a while, but I like to read and not post.
But, I this case I must admit that I have seen the same as you, more or less.....
I have seen lately 'holes' in star patterns, do not know what it is or if something deliberately obscuring the stars.

Also I have seen bright stars in the evening sky, where I know from that they shouldn't be there.
And yes, I do wonder what it is, but do not think to much of it.....(would drive me mad) ''

a reply to: freedom7

Rest assured all the stars are in the right spot. Astronomers the world over would notice if something odd was up, trust me. You say you watched the patterns as a kid, but surely you noticed relative positions in the sky are always changing as we rotate?

You mention they are low, perhaps you are confusing some planets?

Where in the world are you viewing from? What is the light pollution like in your area? What date/time? Those details will enable you to look in Stellarium and see exactly what stars you are talking about, and show you where they should (and will) be.

Nope .. all the stars.. spy satellites and spacejunk in their usual places up there ... be nice to see something new up there just to break up the monotony a bit .. enjoying a nice sunset presently .. will be sat out as usual having a few and watching the stars again tonight ..

a reply to: freedom7

Unfortunately where i live at the present there is too much light pollution . That being said i would only classify myself as a stargazer , but , no matter where i am i can almost instantly find the Southern Cross no matter which direction i was initially pointed in . Perhaps a matter of differing air quality . I dont think anyone has shifted them .

a reply to: Qumulys

Thanks for the replies guys. I definitely could be confusing it with some planets, Astronomy is not my forte so to speak. It's hard to explain what I've been seeing fully, maybe like the Judge2009 hinted at too, it's just a sense that you just know some of those strange bright stars should just not be there. Obviously science can debunk a lot of superstitions when it comes to space though I'm sure. Light pollution is not bad in the area I'm near, I normally look around 1 or 2 am, random dates. I'll just sit on my porch and stare...

Can this all be explained? and even if astronomers did notice something strange we all know not much surrounding UFO phenomena or anything truly out of the ordinary would make the front headlines would it?

a reply to: freedom7

If you have a smart phone get yourself one of the free night sky apps , point your phone at what you find strange and all will be revealed.

a reply to: freedom7

As noted, what will help us is more information: where are you at (just country, city will help), what time are you looking? What direction are you looking at?

There are many of us here on ATS that are well versed in astronomy and know the night sky quite well.

Am far from being a professional astronomer .. just spend alot of nights sat out watching the stars and drinking .. unless monsoon season then in out of the rain ...

Most things can be explained with bit of observation and examination .. from what you describe it would be interesting to see at the very least .. sorry cant help more...

Maybe if you get some pics it could shed some light on it more ... theres many here who far more knowledgeable than me on it ...

i have noticed one or more very bright stars lately. it is either more than one, or it stays pretty much in the same spot. yet i don't know star patterns well especially since i am in a different area than where i grew up. i have been wondering about it both because of it's brightness, even more so since i live in a city and can't see a lot of stars (and in honesty i don't see all that much sky either), yet this one seems to be very bright. it seems to be just to the west of overhead. yet one thing i know is having lived here for a couple years now, it is only the last couple months i have noticed it. i suspect that it is stationary (geosynchronous?) because it seems i can always see it no matter what time of night it is, in approximately in the same spot. i go out for smokes about every hour or so throughout the night. i have thought a satellite because it doesn't seem to move, yet i have never seen one shine so brightly.

I can tell you that right now, where I live, after the sun sits, Venus and Jupiter are visible in the sky.

Venus will be towards the west and Jupiter close to directly over head. Both are very bright looking "stars" all though they do not twinkle like stars do.

Also, towards the west at that time, is some of the brightest stars in our night skies: Sirius, Rigel, Betelguise, and Procyon

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I can tell you that right now, where I live, after the sun sits, Venus and Jupiter are visible in the sky.

Venus will be towards the west and Jupiter close to directly over head. Both are very bright looking "stars" all though they do not twinkle like stars do.

Also, towards the west at that time, is some of the brightest stars in our night skies: Sirius, Rigel, Betelguise, and Procyon

My fiancé approached me last night to look out the window at this "hovering light" just above the treelines. Without looking i told her it was Venus because I saw her brightness an hour earlier. She calls me over anyways because she was in disbelief because it was shimmering in bright colors of red, blue, etc. After explaining light refraction through an atmosphere it seems she got it. Was really cool to see though! Very beautiful.

a reply to: freedom7
You can use stellarium as suggested, or, even more convenient, you can download an app to your phone that lets you point your phone at the night sky and it will show you what astronomical objects should be there, so you can see if it matches up.

If you found any mismatch we need a lot more specifics than what you provided. Don't forget about satellites.

a reply to: freedom7

The stars we see in the night sky changes over the season. That's because as the Earth orbits around the Sun, the night side of the Earth is looking in a different direction of space. An extreme example would be that in December, the night side of Earth is pointed in the opposite direction than it was in the July. So the stars we see in the winter in the night sky are still technically there in the summer, but they are in the direction of the Sun, so they are in the daytime sky, and it is too bright to see them.

This is a constant process, so the sky we see changes slightly every night as we orbit the Sun. It's hard to notice over the course of a night or two, but over the span of a week or two, it can be noticeable. Over the span of a month, it is definitely noticeable.

As others mentioned, there are also planets, which move differently and independently against the background of stars (the word "Planet comes from the Greek "Planetia", meaning "wanderer", because they noticed this independent movement of the planets compared to the stars).

This happens because stars have their own orbits around the Sun, too. So not only does Earth's view of the planets change as the Earth orbits the Sun, but the planets themselves appear to moving around against the backdrop of the stars a noticeable amount as the planets themselves orbit to Sun.


Edit to add graphic clarifying different seasonal views of the night sky:

Ok we live on a planet that rotates on its axis every twenty four hours and we are also moving in an even larger circle around the sun. The stars change positions all the time even in one night. Unless you have complex equipment that can measure their positions eyeball observation isn't really going to tell you stars are not where they belong.
This is the silliest question. But I'm sure you'll get plenty of people saying wow glad you brought that up yeah I noticed it too when most people couldn't even tell you what stars or planets they are observing without a star map in front of them.

Three or four days ago in the early evening I looked towards the north/w and saw the usual stars, the early procession of Mercury and Venus. Looking for a familiar star or set of stars to determine the night sky position, I spotted what I assumed was a evening star, likely Venus. I looked straight at it, although small clouds were passing. The cover-up space was that of your fist held at arms length away from you, and the clouds were intermittent.

The spacing and cloud speed made for timed viewing and partial viewing as the clouds passed across the location of this Bright evening star/planet. It almost....... almost seemed too big. I'v been an amature astronomer for a number of years, starting in earnest around 1990. So my sensitivity to the appearances would be Keen..... I looked while performing my task of picking up behind myself, a little BBQ I had had hours before. So half paying attention, I looked if I was facing that way. I steadied my eyes on it as it was the right size, and brightness. This time a cloud passed between it and I, and I waited. And waited, but it never reappeared that evening. Nor was it too close to the horizon to fall over it.

Perhaps this was a "Lone bright star"
Up to now, the clouds were the size I mentioned. Now had brought some longer clouds, thus taking longer to pass. I watched the star appear and reappear as the clouds moved by....... then at last I could see no more of this star...... Even as it should have passed by with plenty of time to spot it, even if it was very faint.

a reply to: freedom7

idk if anyone has mentioned it but right now I think Venus and Jupiter are in the sky....they look like very bright stars and with a pair of binoculars you can see Jupiters moons easily..or at least 4 of them. Often when I see a "star" that looks out of place I go online and find out its a planet.

a reply to: rockpaperhammock

I've been watching Venus, it's reeally bright from my house since we don't have a lot of lights are und to drown it out.

My kids are also fascinated with the super bright "star" and amazed that it is another planet.

originally posted by: freedom7
So I remember when I was a kid looking up at the stars and tracking patterns, and though this may strike some as odd ( I don't hallucinate) Is it just me or have any of you guys been noticing some very odd patterns with the stars lately??
I've seen completely empty skies of no stars but see a series of 3 or 4 very BRIGHT stars that seem to have a lower trajectory then what I remember from the past. Now some of you may find it odd that I'm posting this in the UFO section, and I'm by no means claiming these are UFO's without a doubt, because normally a star is just a star. But that being said, could there be something strange going on here??

Normally I post things involving links, and in other forums.. One of the first times in here. Posting this just to gather opinions and see If I'm the only one who's noticed this strange phenomena

originally posted by: TheJudge2009
a reply to: freedom7

Hello,

Am a member for a while, but I like to read and not post.
But, I this case I must admit that I have seen the same as you, more or less.....
I have seen lately 'holes' in star patterns, do not know what it is or if something deliberately obscuring the stars.

Also I have seen bright stars in the evening sky, where I know from that they shouldn't be there.
And yes, I do wonder what it is, but do not think to much of it.....(would drive me mad) '

'

Do yourself a favor and please download the free astronomy program called Stellarium. You can put your location in it and set the date/time and see what it was you saw. (My guess is that you saw planets).

www.stellarium.org...

You don't have to guess at the sky. It's not some grand mystery. Learn about it and you will discover many wonders. You may even want to buy a pair of astronomical binoculars or small telescope.

I got all excited this week as i am seeing venus when the suns goes down and i think jupiter and also mars. Awsome skyes these days.