Worlwide ATS UFO Skywatch Project

I would like to suggest the creation of an Official World Wide ATS Skywatch night or Skywatch weekend, perhaps twice a year on set dates, where ATS members worldwide can contribute to the live forum event and post updates as they happen.

Obviously it would be great if members could record their sightings using whatever devices they have and perhaps some members with experience in Skywatching could offer pointers as to how to obtain best evidence.

I think this could become an awesome event that could bring all interested parties closer together and allow all members to take an active role in reviewing the information posted.

It would be great to receive your input as to when the best date or dates would be and at what time of the year.
I don't currently know if any one Month has a higher number of recorded sightings than any other, perhaps someone out there may be able to rectify this.

The reason I suggest a weekend is to limit the risk of cloud cover that may be present if just one day was chosen. Of course it doesn't have to be a weekend it could be a week long Skywatch but then I wonder if commitment to the project may wain.

What say you ATS, do you think it's viable?

Your thoughts and input would be very much appreciated.

a reply to: studio500

I think it's a cool idea. But there would have to be some serious ground rules on manners and decorum, because you have to know that the discussion will include UFO/paranormal stuff and people are unwilling to post because of all the name-calling and mockery/bullying that they have to endure from a lot of the members here. If there would be some guarantee that behavior like that will not be tolerated, I'd bet you would get an enormous amount of intriguing discussion and photos or other data.

originally posted by: studio500
I would like to suggest the creation of an Official World Wide ATS Skywatch night or Skywatch weekend, perhaps twice a year on set dates, where ATS members worldwide can contribute to the live forum event and post updates as they happen.

Obviously it would be great if members could record their sightings using whatever devices they have and perhaps some members with experience in Skywatching could offer pointers as to how to obtain best evidence.

I think this could become an awesome event that could bring all interested parties closer together and allow all members to take an active role in reviewing the information posted.
What say you ATS, do you think it's viable?

Your thoughts and input would be very much appreciated.

This has been done before but it was I believe done on the 4th of July. Bad idea in the USA for any number of reasons... Most notably the use of Chinese Lanterns and other fireworks as well as lots of people flying lighted drones on that day.

Personally I'd offer up my All Sky Camera for use in this. It typically catches one or two anomalies every 48-72 hours but these always turn out to be something mundane like a bird, bug, high altitude plane, satellite flare, condensation on the enclosure, etc.

I think the more instrumented you made such a day the better. To that end you'd probably want to reach out to those who operate All Sky cameras in the various meteor tracking and satellite tracking networks. These are people who KNOW the sky and have the technical expertise to gather good evidence of anything anomalous for further analysis.

I simply do not see the value in collecting individual sighting reports at this point. It's 2015. Not 1945. If you don't catch it on video there is a problem.

a reply to: JadeStar

I simply do not see the value in collecting individual sighting reports at this point. It's 2015. Not 1945. If you don't catch it on video there is a problem.

Not everyone owns a video camera that can take night footage, and not everyone carries electronic equipment on their person 24 hours a day. I tend to think that when people are that attached to their gadgets, there is a problem. But yes, on a designated night there would be ample opportunity to video if you happen to own a camera and see it. If not, photos or just testimony would be more than appropriate for a discussion that is meant to be enjoyable, not a contest to see who has better electronics.

Are you suggesting something like Stargazing which our dear old BBC run every Spring?

We've actually had discoveries of exo-planets and supernovae on these TV specials.

astronomynow.com

I'm thinking bigger and better than just ATS members.

Somehow I doubt the mainstream media like the BBC would want us searching for UFOs?

But who knows if "History" or "Discovery" would? They have presence in a lot of territories and as this type of programming would be mainly "user generated" the actual final product would be "very cheap".

That of course is aiming the bar very high.

But if the BBC audience can actually make new astronomical discoveries with an audience limited to the British Isles then surely something interesting would come out of a "Skywatch Week" across the globe?


Good idea.

If you don't catch it on video there is a problem.

^^^^^^
This...
If this is going to have legs we need video's for discussion.

I think its a great idea, even if we got 20/25 members out watching the sky on a given night hopefully someone will catch something exciting. Put the video up here for an ATS exclusive and let the discussion begin.

Im in

a reply to: studio500

Very good idea but first members need to understand the LIMITATIONS of the recording device they use, especially camera phones, compact cameras,digital zoom & also cameras with small sensors if used at night.

Also manual settings should be used and use manual focus if at all possible that will reduce morphing ufo claims!

a reply to: studio500According to NUFORC, the NationalUFO Reporting Center the most ufo sightings occur consistently year after year in July, particularly around the fourth. But even considering the fourth of July sightings July still has substantially more sightings than any other month. Probably because its warm at night and more people are out.

originally posted by: tigertatzen
a reply to: JadeStar

I simply do not see the value in collecting individual sighting reports at this point. It's 2015. Not 1945. If you don't catch it on video there is a problem.

Not everyone owns a video camera that can take night footage,

Why limit yourself to night?


And am I supposed to believe that things people say are lit up like a Christmas tree are somehow too dim for your average phone's camera? C'mon.

and not everyone carries electronic equipment on their person 24 hours a day.

I travelled to Nigeria last year and everyone there had a phone with a camera. Where in the world do you live where people don't own phones?

If not, photos or just testimony would be more than appropriate for a discussion that is meant to be enjoyable, not a contest to see who has better electronics.

I see. You'd rather listen to stories than examine evidence.

Anyone can make up anything they like and that would be enjoyable perhaps even entertaining but that doesn't make it true.

originally posted by: mirageman
Are you suggesting something like Stargazing which our dear old BBC run every Spring?

We've actually had discoveries of exo-planets and supernovae on these TV specials.

astronomynow.com

I'm thinking bigger and better than just ATS members.

Somehow I doubt the mainstream media like the BBC would want us searching for UFOs?

Maybe not the BBC but most of the media in the USA is tabloid enough at this point that such a skywatch if big enough and cooridinated with some amateur astronomy / meteor societies could get a lot of attention.

You bill it as a "Sky awareness day/night" the UFO Skywatch would just be a component within the larger context of getting people to look up.

This would be the perfect year to start it too because it's the International Year of Light. So anything having to do with Dark Skies Awareness including something like a "UFO Skywatch" (which will get a lot of attention of non-scientific types) might be promoted.

But who knows if "History" or "Discovery" would?

Considering both air lots of UFO stuff they'd be ones to go to. You might also try Nat Geo.

For the UFO crowd you play up the "UFO Skywatch" idea. For everyone else you promote it as "Dark Skies Awareness".

Language matters.

originally posted by: MissSmartypants
a reply to: studio500According to NUFORC, the NationalUFO Reporting Center the most ufo sightings occur consistently year after year in July, particularly around the fourth. But even considering the fourth of July sightings July still has substantially more sightings than any other month. Probably because its warm at night and more people are out.

I'd suggest it may also be because July is the month in which two spectacular meteor showers take place: The Perseids and Delta Aquariids (thought to be responsible for the 1952 Washington, DC UFO sightings). The Alpha Capricornids also are in July.

So you have more people out on warm nights, more people out in the wilderness camping and stuff under dark skies and more meteors, satellites and other things which get misidentified by people unfamiliar with the night sky.

I've been through NUFORCs records and have cross-correlated it with the AMS (American Meteor Society's) reports so I feel I can state with good confidence that's what is responsible for the yearly July bump.

a reply to: tigertatzen

Agreed 100%, it does appear that over the years, that the UFO forum in particular has suffered from unwanted ridicule rather than constructive comments. I would hope that the standard ATS forum rules of discussion should suffice.

a reply to: JadeStar

Fair comment JadeStar, I'm sorry but I didn't realize it had already been done but I'm very surprised to hear that the 4th July was chosen as the date.

It would be great to hear the views of dedicated Skywatchers too as their experience would be very valuable.

a reply to: studio500

I think it is a great idea, why not have it on an ongoing basis for those who have the time?

And I agree, night is the best time, if you are going to conduct covert activity, or at least activity you don't want 99.99% of the regular people seeing, night is the obvious time to do it.

TIP - I have heard many people have had success in seeing strange flying object with UV optics, though of course those are expensive, especially if you throw in a camera. I have even heard a rumor that UV was originally developed solely for the purpose of seeing certain non-terrestrial in origin objects, but I don't believe it.

originally posted by: studio500
a reply to: tigertatzen

Agreed 100%, it does appear that over the years, that the UFO forum in particular has suffered from unwanted ridicule rather than constructive comments. I would hope that the standard ATS forum rules of discussion should suffice.

There is a good reason for the ridicule - the UFO phenomenon has been subjected to OFFICIAL ridicule as stated by an EX-CIA chief here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Maybe if we work together we can get some quality footage and end the ridicule for once and for all.

I think the month of July would be a good choice but surely choosing the first week would lead to a number of issues including anomalies caused by 4th July celebrations in the US, with fireworks and lanterns as already mentioned.

On the plus side, July should be nice and warm for those willing to Skywatch during the nigh time.

What's great is that members of ATS live in some pretty amazing places too with many in our around specific Hotspots that I would give my right arm to visit.

Of course with modern communications technology and programs such as Skype etc we could even set up conference chat channels that could run during the chosen period. I will have to do a bit more digging on how best to arrange that, but it would certainly help us to engage in Worldwide communications during the event.

Consideration should also be given captured video recordings and where best to upload them as a group.

I don't know how this has been done in the past but my thoughts would be via a Youtube group unless of course you guys have a better idea. I would really appreciate input with this as to the best sharing source with a link back to ATS so that they can be viewed on the live forum thread.

I would also appreciate any hints and tips that people may have in order to get the best images we can from some of the more readily available devices that people may already have at home, such as mobiles and cameras.
I often see people trying to film objects in the sky whilst the flash is active on the camera. This is just one example of how not to record at night. I think other issues are focusing, are we better of using manual or automatic focus, as all too often this leads to blurry images.
So in essence, advice on getting the very best performance out of our gadgets and gizmos would be brilliant.

Personally, I've always wanted to buy or convert a camera to IR, as I've seen some pretty amazing images that have been captured both day and night using such devices, but of course budget will always be a consideration.

I really do appreciate the positive response received so far, it's like old times on the ATS UFO boards.

originally posted by: PlanetXisHERE

originally posted by: studio500
a reply to: tigertatzen

Agreed 100%, it does appear that over the years, that the UFO forum in particular has suffered from unwanted ridicule rather than constructive comments. I would hope that the standard ATS forum rules of discussion should suffice.

There is a good reason for the ridicule - the UFO phenomenon has been subjected to OFFICIAL ridicule as stated by an EX-CIA chief here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Maybe if we work together we can get some quality footage and end the ridicule for once and for all.

Great thread, I've just read the first page and going to read the rest now.
I agree that evidence is the greatest tool in the field of Ufology, as sadly no matter how prestigious or reliable a witness testimony may be, it simply doesn't cut the ice in the minds of the vast majority. This in itself is frustrating yet Courts across all lands convict on verbal testimony. So it's good enough for the law of lands but not good enough in UFO law, so to speak.

I think any evidence that we may gain will be valuable, I particularly like the idea that by conducting a Skywatch over a set period of time, we may be able in certain cases to track a sighting as it moves across various areas or states which in itself should add significantly to the credibility factor.

In effect we could create an early warning system for the week in the hope of tracking any activity that may be present.

I'm off to read the rest of the thread.

I think it's a great idea too.

I don't have a fancy video camera with night vision though. My camera won't likely help me either in poor lighting conditions. But I'll be out looking up on whatever date might be set.

Do not have it on or anywhere near the 4th of July! LOL

CdT

Great idea. I will be up for it.

Can you just give some thought about the state of the moon before setting your date. Not sure where I'm going here as it works two ways lol. Fullish moons are much safer to be out in so you don't walk into hidden objects, while lack of moon means it's much easier to see lit up objects without moon light polution. Saying that a dimly lit ufo may be better with a fullish moon.

It might also be a wise precuation to list all participants member names here on a relevant thread on the night of the sky watch so if somebody disappears it will point to possible ufo abduction. Peace of mind for all ufo forum sky watchers